Edward J. Kay (November 27, 1898 – December 22, 1973) was an American film composer and musical director, who worked on over 340 films from the 1930s into the 1960s, and was nominated on multiple occasions for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, although he never won. On his last film, 1962's The Creation of the Humanoids, he was also a producer.
In 1941, Kay was nominated for King of the Zombies, but lost to Bernard Herrmann for All That Money Can Buy. The following year, Kay was nominated for Klondike Fury, losing to Max Steiner, for Now, Voyager. Kay was nominated in 1943 for Lady, Let's Dance, losing to Morris Stoloff and Carmen Dragon for Cover Girl. Finally, in 1945, Kay was nominated for his work on two films, G. I. Honeymoon in the comedy/drama category, and Sunbonnet Sue in the musical category; Kay lost in both categories, to Miklós Rózsa, for Spellbound, and to Georgie Stoll for Anchors Aweigh, respectively. Kay was the only composer to substitute for Lee Zahler on a Columbia Pictures production between 1938 and 1947, when Kay composed for Brenda Starr Reporter in 1945.William C. Cline, In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials, page 174, 1997. Kay was a frequent collaborator with director William Beaudine.Wendy L. Marshall, William Beaudine: From Silents to Television, pages 324–326, 330–346, 2005.
Kay was born in New York City, and died in Los Angeles County, California.
Selected filmography
Films for which Edward J. Kay composed or directed music include:
Film YearGangster's Boy 1938The Mystery of Mr. Wong 1939 Wolf Call 1939Undercover Agent 1939The Streets of New York 1939Mr. Wong in Chinatown 1939Irish Luck 1939Doomed to Die 1940Phantom of Chinatown 1940 Hidden Enemy 1940The Ape 1940Up in the Air 1940Son of the Navy 1940King of the Zombies 1941Arizona Bound 1941 No Greater Sin 1941Secret Evidence 1941Freckles Comes Home 1942Bowery at Midnight1942Law of the Jungle 1942Clancy Street Boys 1943 The Crime Smasher 1943Women in Bondage 1943 Detective Kitty O'Day 1944Bowery Champs 1944 Crazy Knights 1944 West of the Rio Grande 1944 Adventures of Kitty O'Day 1945Allotment Wives 1945Brenda Starr, Reporter 1945Docks of New York 1945G. I. Honeymoon 1945Sunbonnet Sue1945Swing Parade of 19461946The Shadow Returns 1946Bowery Bombshell 1946Fear1946Dark Alibi 1946In Fast Company 1946Live Wires 1946Mr. Hex 1946Shadows Over Chinatown 1946Spook Busters 1946The Gay Cavalier 1946Wife Wanted 1946The Strange Mr. Gregory 1946 Ginger 1946Fall Guy 1947 Jiggs and Maggie in Society 1947Bowery Buckaroos 1947Hard Boiled Mahoney 1947News Hounds 1947The Chinese Ring 1947Violence 1947 Louisiana 1947 King of the Bandits 1947Angels' Alley 1948 Jiggs and Maggie in Court 1948Bungalow 13 1948Cowboy Cavalier 1948Docks of New Orleans 1948Shanghai Chest 1948Smugglers' Cove 1948The Golden Eye 1948Trouble Makers 1948The Feathered Serpent 1948I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes 1948Incident 1948Jinx Money 1948Kidnapped 1948Silver Trails 1948Back Trail 1948 Hidden Danger 1948Triggerman 1948 Across the Rio Grande 1949 Forgotten Women 1949 Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters 1949 Trail of the Yukon 1949Hold That Baby! 1949 Tuna Clipper 1949Fighting Fools 1949Law of the West 1949Master Minds 1949Stampede 1949 The Wolf Hunters 1949Angels in Disguise 1949 Call of the Klondike 1950The Admiral Was a Lady 1950Triple Trouble 1950 Jiggs and Maggie Out West 1950 Snow Dog 1950Blonde Dynamite 1950Lucky Losers 1950Blues Busters 1950Gunslingers 1950Northwest Territory 1951Ghost Chasers 1951 Yukon Manhunt 1951Crazy Over Horses 1951Bowery Battalion 1951I Was An American Spy 1951Let's Go Navy! 1951Rhythm Inn 1951 Jet Job 1952 Yukon Gold 1952Hold That Line 1952Here Come the Marines 1952No Holds Barred 1952Feudin' Fools1952 Fangs of the Arctic 1953 Trail Blazers 1953 Mexican Manhunt 1953 Murder Without Tears 1953 Northern Patrol 1953 Tangier Incident 1953 Yukon Vengeance 1954Highway Dragnet 1954Las Vegas Shakedown 1955 Toughest Man Alive 1955Johnny Rocco 1958The Creation of the Humanoids1962
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