Skip to content
MovieCove
George Duning

George Duning

Composer · Died February 27, 2000, aged 92 · Richmond, Indiana, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia George Duning (February 25, 1908 – February 27, 2000) was an American musicial and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where his mentor was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In his early 20s Duning played trumpet and piano for the Kay Kyser band, later arranging most of the music for Kyser's radio program, Kollege of Musical Knowledge. It was during the Kyser band's appearance in Carolina Blues (1944) that Duning's work was noticed, leading to a Columbia contract. Duning joined the Navy in 1942 and served as a conductor and arranger with Armed Forces Radio. Film and TV career Morris Stoloff signed Duning to Columbia Pictures in 1946, where he worked almost exclusively through the early 1960s, collaborating most often with director Richard Quine. Prominent Duning scores are two of the best examples of western genre – the original 3:10 to Yuma, and Cowboy – and those he composed for films as diverse as Picnic, The World of Suzie Wong, The Devil at Four O'Clock, Bell, Book, and Candle and Toys in the Attic. Duning shared music adaptation credit with Nelson Riddle for the highly successful 1957 film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth. During his career, Duning worked on more than 300 film and television scores. His notable television work includes Tightrope, Star Trek, The Big Valley and Naked City, and TV miniseries, such as Top of the Hill (1980), The Dream Merchants (1980) and Goliath Awaits (1981). The quality of his work remained consistently and remarkably high in any medium. His last feature film was The Man with Bogart's Face (1980), and he retired in 1981. Nominated five times for an Academy Award, Duning never won. Duning was an active citizen of the music industry, serving on the ASCAP Board of Directors from 1972 to 1985, and as ASCAP Vice President from 1978 to 1979. He also served on the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was active in numerous other music industry organizations. In addition to his Academy Award nominations, Duning was also honored with awards from the Society for the Preservation of Film Music, Downbeat Magazine, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and his home state of Indiana (1993 Indiana Composer of the Year).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 25, 1908
Died
February 27, 2000 (aged 92)
From
Richmond, Indiana, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
93 on MovieCove · 155 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 20% in 30 days

What are George Duning's films like?

Across their 80 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 80 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Light 28 · Serious 29 · Dark 23

A split, not a type: Grounded 47 · Stylized 31 · Heightened 2

Gentle 22 · Charged 45 · Intense 13

A split, not a type: Steady 42 · Shifting 34 · Whiplash 4

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 39 · Some laughs 27 · Funny 14

Slow burn 31 · Even-paced 49 · Relentless 0

Casual 52 · Engaged 28 · Full focus 0

A split, not a type: Easy watch 40 · Affecting 28 · Heavy 12

Resolved 69 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
47
Warm
28
Joyful
24
Romantic
21
Melancholic
21
Other
62

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy41
  • Bittersweet34
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2

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 George Duning's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 93 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Subscription and free streaming for George Duning'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

155 credits, 93 with a MovieCove page.

  • Beyond Witch Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • Goliath Awaits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • The Dream Merchants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • Top of the Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Child of Glass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
  • Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • The Sky's the Limit(1975)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Arnold(1973)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
  • Honor Thy Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Climb an Angry Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • A Great American Tragedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • The Woman Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • Black Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Composer

  • Yuma(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Crowhaven Farm(1970)

    Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • The House That Would Not Die(1970)

    Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
  • But I Don't Want to Get Married! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Quarantined (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Then Came Bronson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Land's End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • The Second Hundred Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 26 episodes · Composer

  • Any Wednesday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Composer

  • Star Trek(1966)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
  • Brainstorm(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • My Blood Runs Cold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

  • Dear Brigitte(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • Ensign Pulver(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
  • The Three Stooges Scrapbook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • Toys in the Attic(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • Island of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • Critic's Choice(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Who's Got the Action?(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
  • That Touch of Mink(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • 13 West Street(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • Two Rode Together(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • Cry for Happy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Sail a Crooked Ship(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • All the Young Men(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
  • Man on a String(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • 1001 Arabian Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer · Songs

  • Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • The Last Angry Man(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
  • The Silent Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Music Score Producer

  • It Happened to Jane(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Bell Book and Candle(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Houseboat(1958)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • Me and the Colonel(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • Gunman's Walk(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
  • Cowboy(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • Pal Joey(1957)

    Other

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • The Tijuana Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • The Brothers Rico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Operation Mad Ball(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • 3:10 to Yuma(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Jeanne Eagels(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • The Giant Claw(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Utah Blaine(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
  • Full of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Nightfall(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Miami Exposé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Storm Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • The Werewolf(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • The Eddy Duchin Story(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Inside Detroit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • Picnic(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Queen Bee(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Count Three and Pray(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
  • My Sister Eileen(1955)

    Composer · Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • The Man from Laramie(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Chicago Syndicate(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
  • 5 Against the House(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Tight Spot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Three for the Show(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Women's Prison(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • The Long Gray Line(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Drive a Crooked Road(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • Battle of Rogue River(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
  • The Big Heat(1953)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • From Here to Eternity(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Let's Do It Again(1953)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Salome(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • Last of the Comanches(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Assignment: Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Captain Pirate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Affair in Trinidad(1952)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • Paula(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Scandal Sheet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • The Barefoot Mailman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

  • Man in the Saddle(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • The Family Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

  • The Mob(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
  • Two of a Kind(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Lorna Doone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

  • The Flying Missile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • Harriet Craig (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Convicted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • No Sad Songs for Me(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Cargo to Capetown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • And Baby Makes Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Jolson Sings Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Lust for Gold(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • Johnny Allegro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • The Undercover Man(1949)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Slightly French (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Music Score Producer

  • Shockproof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Ladies of the Chorus(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • The Dark Past(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • The Return of October (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • The Untamed Breed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • The Gallant Blade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • The Man from Colorado(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • The Woman from Tangier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • To the Ends of the Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • I Love Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • Her Husband's Affairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • Johnny O'Clock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • The Return of Rusty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • The Man Who Dared (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • Gilda(1946)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Mysterious Intruder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • The Notorious Lone Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • The Devil's Mask(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • My Name Is Julia Ross(1945)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Leave It to Blondie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • Eadie Was a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • Let's Go Steady(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • She's a Sweetheart(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Strange Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • Carolina Blues(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
  • Swing Fever(1943)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
  • Around the World(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
  • That's Right – You're Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Music Arranger

Career shape

A full career of 147 titles from 1939 to 1982.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music142 of 147: 136 only music, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thOther crew11 of 147: 5 only other crew, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

147 titles, 6 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1930s1 · crew1940s33 · crew1950s64 · crew1960s26 · crew1970s18 · crew1980s5 · 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 George Duning's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 91; across their 80 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 80

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 80

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 80

Midcredits score across 93 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th40
  • 25th to 49th25
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

55 of their 93 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser55
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed22

Reviewers score the sound and music 55/100 in their films, across 63 reviewed titles; fans 62, detractors 37. 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 George Duning's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles11–26 · median 15 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 0 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does George Duning work with?

People who share at least 2 of George Duning's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles Nelson shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

  • Charles Nelson21 titles
    See newest 12 of 21 shared titles with Charles Nelson
  • Charles Lawton Jr.20 titles
    See newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Charles Lawton Jr.
  • William A. Lyon12 titles
    See all 12 shared titles with William A. Lyon
  • Al Clark10 titles
    See all 10 shared titles with Al Clark

Producers

Mixed roles