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David Buttolph

David Buttolph

Composer · Died January 1, 1983, aged 80 · New York City, New York, USA

Born
August 3, 1902
Died
January 1, 1983 (aged 80)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
118 on MovieCove · 159 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 23% in 30 days

What are David Buttolph's films like?

Across their 109 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama31 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy24 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Musical5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Musical movies
Western5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Western movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
History2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their History movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
32%
Bonds
28%
Self
13%
Survival
10%
Society
8%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love31 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice28 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds23 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption16 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty15 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity16 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival14 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty14 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 109 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 51 · Serious 38 · Dark 20

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 55 · Stylized 46 · Heightened 8

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 32 · Charged 61 · Intense 16

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 62 · Shifting 45 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 55 · Some laughs 42 · Funny 12

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 35 · Even-paced 69 · Relentless 5

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 68 · Engaged 38 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 105 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
68
Joyful
27
Romantic
34
Warm
28
Melancholic
31
Other
89

How their films linger

Feel-good52 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful38 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun33 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet32 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy78
  • Bittersweet23
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Buttolph's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 118 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Buttolph's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

159 credits, 118 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Man from Galveston(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • PT 109(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Raiders(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Guns of the Timberland(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Horse Soldiers(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Westbound(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Reluctant Debutante(1958)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Edge of the City(1957)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Big Land(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The D.I.(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Burning Hills(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • A Cry in the Night(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Santiago(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Steel Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • The Lone Ranger(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • I Died a Thousand Times(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Pete Kelly's Blues(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Jump Into Hell(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Target Zero(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Long John Silver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • The Bounty Hunter(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Secret of the Incas(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Riding Shotgun(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Phantom of the Rue Morgue(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Calamity Jane(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Thunder Over the Plains(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Crime Wave(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The System (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • House of Wax(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Man Behind the Gun(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • South Sea Woman(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Lone Star(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Winning Team(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Carson City(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Sellout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Talk About a Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • This Woman Is Dangerous(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • My Man and I(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Stop, You're Killing Me(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Submarine Command(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Fort Worth(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Along the Great Divide(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Enforcer(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Ten Tall Men(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Redhead and the Cowboy(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Three Secrets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • Pretty Baby(1950)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Chain Lightning(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Montana(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Roseanna McCoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Look for the Silver Lining (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • One Last Fling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Colorado Territory(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • John Loves Mary(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Story of Seabiscuit(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • June Bride(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Smart Girls Don't Talk(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Street with No Name(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Bill and Coo(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Rope(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Foxes of Harrow(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Kiss of Death(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Mother Wore Tights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • Moss Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • Boomerang!(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Brasher Doubloon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • 13 Rue Madeleine(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Home Sweet Homicide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • Somewhere in the Night(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Strange Triangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • Shock(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Do You Love Me(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Three Little Girls in Blue(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Doll Face(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • The House on 92nd Street(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Within These Walls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • Nob Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • The Caribbean Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • The Bullfighters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • Circumstantial Evidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • The Big Noise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • Till We Meet Again(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Hitler Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • Buffalo Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • Greenwich Village(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Guadalcanal Diary(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Corvette K-225(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Immortal Sergeant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Composer

  • Crash Dive(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Hello Frisco, Hello(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • My Friend Flicka(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Black Swan(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Thunder Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Composer

  • Street of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Composer

  • Wake Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Composer

  • A-Haunting We Will Go(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Ten Gentlemen from West Point(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • In Old California(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Moontide(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • This Above All(1942)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • This Gun for Hire(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • My Favorite Blonde(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Lady for a Night(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • American Empire(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Girl Trouble(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • It Happened in Flatbush(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Bahama Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Composer

  • Ball of Fire(1941)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Cadet Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Composer

  • Swamp Water(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Great Guns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Composer

  • Man at Large (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Composer

  • Blood and Sand(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Western Union(1941)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Tobacco Road(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Belle Starr(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Last of the Duanes(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Man Hunt(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sun Valley Serenade(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Week-End in Havana(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Brigham Young(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Return of Frank James(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Girl in 313 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Composer

  • I Was an Adventuress(1940)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Star Dust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Composer

  • Lillian Russell(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Public Deb No. 1(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Mark of Zorro(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Barricade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Composer

  • The Gorilla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Composer · Music Director

  • The Return of the Cisco Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Composer

  • Made for Each Other(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Susannah of the Mounties(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Happy Landing(1938)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • You Can't Have Everything(1937)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Seventh Heaven(1937)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Love Is News(1937)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Heidi(1937)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Lloyd's of London(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Pigskin Parade(1936)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Everybody's Old Man(1936)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Dimples(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Way Down East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Composer

  • The Farmer Takes a Wife(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Daring Young Man(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Love Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Additional Music

  • Handy Andy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • Baby, Take a Bow(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Wild Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • David Harum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • 365 Nights in Hollywood(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Bright Eyes(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The World Moves On(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Skitch(1933)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 121 titles from 1933 to 1963.

Biggest box office

House of Wax (1953)

$24M worldwide

Highest rated

Rope (1948)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music118 of 121: 113 only music, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thOther crew8 of 121: 3 only other crew, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

121 titles, 5 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1930s18 · crew1940s62 · crew1950s38 · crew1960s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Buttolph's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 118; across their 109 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 109

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 109

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 109

Midcredits score across 118 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up30
  • 50th to 74th50
  • 25th to 49th35
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

76 of their 118 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser76
  • Broadly Agreed21
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · composer

Everybody's Old Man (1936)

90th percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Rope (1948)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 58/100 in their films, across 89 reviewed titles; fans 66, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Buttolph's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 14 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 8 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does David Buttolph work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Buttolph's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Cyril J. Mockridge shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles