Harry Geller born 7 June 1913

Harry Geller (July 7, 1913 - February 15, 2008) was a Canadian-born American composer, arranger, conductor, and trumpeter known for his early career in big band jazz and his prolific contributions to television and film music in Hollywood.

Harry Geller was born Harry Max Geller in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  His family's original surname was Sitkovetsky, which was changed to Geller upon their relocation to the United States. Geller spent his early life in Manitoba before later transitioning to a career in the United States. Geller began playing trumpet professionally in the 1930s, serving as lead trumpeter in Artie Shaw's first big band and working as an arranger for Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw.

Harry Geller

In the mid-to-late 1940s, Geller served as conductor and orchestra leader for several vocal recording sessions. He led his orchestra for Anita Ellis on tracks such as "Anniversary Song," "I'm Yours," and "The Old Lamplighter" in 1946. He later conducted for Frankie Laine on recordings including "All of Me" and "Mamselle" in 1947, as well as "That Lucky Old Sun," "Rockin' Chair," and "Waiting (At the End of the Road)" in 1949.That same year Geller received a credited role providing orchestral arrangements for the film Love Happy, starring the Marx Brothers. These pre-1950s efforts in film orchestration and recording direction bridged his swing-era band work to subsequent challenges in his career.

During the Hollywood blacklist period, Harry Geller was reportedly named in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) but avoided a subpoena by relocating to Paris with his family, including his eleven-year-old son. They remained there until the mid-1950s. During this time, Geller wrote much uncredited music in Paris amid the blacklisting days, allowing him to continue composing and arranging despite restrictions in the United States. Due to the uncredited nature of these contributions, no specific titles or detailed records appear in major sources such as his filmography or discography. Geller similarly worked with Frankie Laine, conducting the orchestra on some of his early Mercury recordings starting in April 1947. He provided conducting support for Laine's 1949 release "That Lucky Old Sun," among other tracks during this period.

                                  

Upon returning to the United States in the mid-1950s, Geller reportedly became apolitical and resumed his career in television music. He transitioned to arranging and composing after moving to California, where he worked in radio before establishing himself in television scoring. His credits include composer, arranger, and conductor for series such as Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Land of the Giants, among others. Geller also served as music director on various productions. He frequently served as conductor and arranger for popular vocalists during the late 1940s and 1950s, particularly through his work at Mercury Records. He collaborated extensively with Patti Page, providing orchestral arrangements and conducting duties on several of her early hit singles. For example, he conducted Patti Page with Harry Geller & His Orchestra on the July 1950 release "All My Love," a chart-topping bolero-style ballad. He also conducted for Page on "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)," which became another successful single in 1951.

In addition to his vocal accompaniments, Geller led instrumental projects under his own name, including the 1955 easy listening release "New York, New York" credited to Harry Geller And His Orchestra. Hiss arranging style extended to distinctive instrumental albums, such as the 1962 "Fiery Mandolins of Harry Geller," which highlighted mandolin-focused arrangements. These experiences in studio conducting and arranging for singers laid groundwork for his subsequent transition into television music direction.

For the series “The Wild Wild West”, his work was divided in two categories: the exotic and ethnic scores as “The Night the Dragon Screamed” (Asian) and “The Night of the Egyptian Queen” (Middle East) and the rhythmic scores as “The Night of the Returning Dead” (co-composed with Morton Stevens) and “The Night of the Bottomless Pit” and some jazzy aspects of “The Night of the Egyptian Queen”. In the line of the same “The Night of the Egyptian Queen”, Geller wrote a single “Mission: Impossible” score entitled “The Innocent” which integrated Middle East sound elements but in the discreet and minimalistic mold of the series. Moreover, Geller wrote the music for two espionage movies made for ABC television: “The Challenge” (1970), starring Darren McGavin and Sam Elliott, and “Dead Man on The Run” (1975), written by Ken Pettus, starring Peter Graves and Pernell Roberts.

He died February 15, 2008 (94 years of age).

Not to be confused with Australian-born composer Harold Geller who was a member of the Performing Right Society, London.