Cinefantastique Online

Film composer Irving Gertz, a significant contributor to the music of the Universal science fiction film boom of the 1950s whose music was heard in dozens of the studios classic sf and horror films of the decade, died on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles, at the age of 93.

The youngest of eight children, Gertz was born May 19, 1915, in Providence, R.I. He played a variety of instruments at an early age and went on to study at the Providence College of Music. He became associated with the Providence Symphony and composed several chorus works for the Catholic Choral Society. In 1939 he began working at Columbia’s music department before joining the army two years later. After World War II, Gertz returned to motion pictures, scoring and arranging for many companies.

His first work in the genre at Universal was in collaborating with Herman Stein and Henry Mancini on IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), each of them composing about an equal third of the score (although the main thematic approach was created by Stein). Universal Pictures exemplified the team approach to film scoring, and most of the studio’s B-pictures were composed by a group of anywhere from two to half a dozen or more composers, each taking segments of the film and sharing musical motifs to generate a reasonably cohesive composition. Virtually all newly composed material went into the studio’s music library and these tracks were liberally re-used, under the coordination of music director Joseph Gershenson, in a multitude of other films. Thus Gertz contributed either original music or recycled library cues to the scores of THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US in 1956 (most of the score was written by Henry Mancini, aided by Gertz, Heinz Roemheld, and Hans Salter) and 1957’s THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (Gertz’s most memorable music from this film is the mysterioso in the early scene in which the ocean mist envelops Scott Carey), and he composed nearly all of the original music for THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957).

It was this film (with its unusual story of crystalline rocks from outer space that react chemically to the water on Earth, growing to monstrous, threatening proportions) that perhaps best exemplifies Gertz’s science fiction scoring of the 50s, and stands out as fine “B” movie music for the period. Most of the score was composed by Gertz, with assistance from Stein and Mancini, plus a short tracked cue that opens the picture, originally from THE DEADLY MANTIS, by William Lava. In fact, much of Gertz’s music for MONOLITH MONSTERS came from DEADLY MANTIS as well, as was often the case with B-pictures in those days. Gertz and Lava co-composed the score to MANTIS fairly equally, and their thematic material was delicate and discrete. But MANTIS had buried much of its music under the sound effects of the roaring, buzzing insect while MONOLITH foregrounds the music, which plays a larger role in the film.

For Twentieth Century-Fox, Gertz scored THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959), an intriguing if poorly visualized monster story about a man saved from death by an alligator gland formula (with the unfortunate and unexpected side-effect of gradually transforming him into two-legged crocodilian). Gertz provided a wholly original score that overcame the picture’s tight music budget not by reducing the size of the orchestra or the amount of music – both elements Gertz knew the picture needed to maintain a convincing atmosphere to enhance its fanciful premise – but by composing music that, with a few minor changes, could be used in more than one scene, thus saving considerable time and money.

Gertz composed music for Universal’s THE LEECH WOMAN (1960) before joining fellow Universal alumni Stein and Hans Salter on Irwin Allen’s television series, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and LAND OF THE GIANTS, where he composed the music for several episodes.

“Irving was an immensely talented composer with a unique style, and many of his classical works have been performed in concert through the years,” noted David Schechter, of Monstrous Movie Music, and a long time friend of Gertz. “More important than that, he was a gentle soul and one of the kindest gentlemen I have ever met in my life.” Schechter added that he had the opportunity to take Gertz and his wife Dorothy to the Long Beach, California film music concert, “where Irving had the first opportunity in his long life to hear any of his film music performed live, that being his brilliant ‘Eskimos Attacked’ cue from THE DEADLY MANTIS, authentically conducted by Bill Stromberg.”

Noted Jack Smith, a Golden Age film music devotee and historian, “I’m truly saddened to hear of this Hollywood Maestro’s passing. His great music is a treasure to those of us who spent our lives in the dark on Saturdays, watching horrifically fun movies while screaming our heads off and eating jujubes, popcorn, Payday candy bars and gulping those big colas. Thanks Maestro Gertz, for a richer kidhood – and wonderful memories as a graying member of the cognoscenti. THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE is my favorite…”

Gertz is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy; two daughters, Susie Anson and Madeleine Herron; and four grandchildren.