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Hugo Friedhofer

Hugo Friedhofer

Composer · Died May 17, 1981, aged 80 · San Francisco, California, USA

Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 – May 17, 1981) was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores. Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States. His father, Paul, was a cellist trained in Dresden, Germany; his mother, Eva König, was born in Germany. Friedhofer began playing cello at the age of 13. After taking lessons in harmony and counterpoint at University of California, Berkeley, he was employed as a cellist for the People's Symphony Orchestra. In 1929, he relocated to Hollywood, where he performed as a musician for Fox Studios productions such as Sunny Side Up (1920) and Grand Canary (1934). Later, he was hired as an orchestrator for Warner Bros. and worked on more than 50 films for the studio. While at Warners he was largely assigned to work with Max Steiner and, because he could speak German, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Steiner, in particular, relied on Friedhofer's skill in turning his sketches into a full orchestral score. In 1937, Friedhofer composed his first full-length film score, The Adventures of Marco Polo. Though he was still employed as an orchestrator through the 1930s and into the 1940s, he gradually received more assignments as a composer. In 1942, he composed the score for the film Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas. In 1946, Friedhofer was hired to compose the score for the 1946 William Wyler directed film, The Best Years of Our Lives, which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Score at the 1947 Academy Awards, beating Bernard Herrmann, Miklós Rózsa, William Walton and Franz Waxman. A new recording of the score, released in 1979 by Entr'acte Recording Society, was favorably received at the time. Friedhofer was also nominated for other films, including The Bishop's Wife, Joan of Arc, Above and Beyond, Between Heaven and Hell, Boy on a Dolphin, An Affair to Remember, and The Young Lions. Friedhofer, who was greatly admired by his colleagues, was also noted for his caustic, self-deprecating wit. When asked by fellow composer David Raksin as to the progress he was making on his score for Joan of Arc, he replied, "I've just started on the barbecue!". In reply to an interview by Page Cook, the film music critic at Films in Review magazine, who inquired about his place in the pantheon of film musicians, Friedhofer said, "I am just a fake giant among real pygmies." A biographical collection of essays, letters and interviews has been edited by Linda Danly. He died at St. Vincent Hospsital from complications of a fall on May 17, 1981. Description above from the Wikipedia page Hugo Friedhofer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 3, 1901
Died
May 17, 1981 (aged 80)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
119 on MovieCove · 157 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Up 23% in 30 days

What are Hugo Friedhofer's films like?

Across their 77 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 77 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 23 · Serious 21 · Dark 33

Grounded 32 · Stylized 38 · Heightened 7

Gentle 18 · Charged 41 · Intense 18

Steady 34 · Shifting 39 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced 51 · Some laughs 22 · Funny 4

A split, not a type: Slow burn 40 · Even-paced 34 · Relentless 3

Casual 42 · Engaged 34 · Full focus 1

Easy watch 24 · Affecting 30 · Heavy 23

Resolved 65 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
51
Melancholic
31
Romantic
26
Hopeful
17
Warm
13
Other
63

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy26
  • Bittersweet38
  • Tragic8
  • Ambiguous5

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 Hugo Friedhofer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 46 of their 119 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (32).

Subscription and free streaming for Hugo Friedhofer'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

157 credits, 119 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Die Sister, Die! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Private Parts(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • The Secret Invasion(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • Geronimo(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
  • Beauty and the Beast(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
  • Homicidal(1961)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • One-Eyed Jacks(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • Never So Few(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • The Blue Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • This Earth Is Mine(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
  • Woman Obsessed(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
  • In Love and War(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • The Young Lions(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • The Bravados(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • The Sun Also Rises(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
  • An Affair to Remember(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Boy on a Dolphin(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • Oh, Men! Oh, Women!(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • The Harder They Fall(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • Seven Cities of Gold(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • Soldier of Fortune(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
  • Violent Saturday(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • White Feather(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
  • Vera Cruz(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Deep in My Heart(1954)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • Man in the Attic(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Hondo(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • Dangerous Crossing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Additional Music

  • Island in the Sky(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • Plunder of the Sun(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • Thunder in the East(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • The Outcasts of Poker Flat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Lydia Bailey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • The Marrying Kind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Above and Beyond(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Big Jim McLain(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
  • Rancho Notorious(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Queen for a Day(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Ace in the Hole(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Cry Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

  • The Sound of Fury(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
  • Two Flags West(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • Edge of Doom(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Broken Arrow(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
  • Captain Carey, U.S.A.(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • No Man of Her Own(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • Three Came Home(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Guilty of Treason(1950)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • Bride of Vengeance(1949)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Enchantment(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • Joan of Arc(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Sealed Verdict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • A Song Is Born(1948)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
  • Adventures of Casanova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • The Swordsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • Black Bart(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • The Bishop's Wife(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • Body and Soul(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • Wild Harvest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Composer

  • The Man I Love(1946)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • So Dark the Night(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • Gilda(1946)

    Composer

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

    Orchestrator

  • Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
  • Mildred Pierce(1945)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Along Came Jones(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • Brewster's Millions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • The Corn Is Green(1945)

    Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • Belle of the Yukon(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • The Conspirators(1944)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Arsenic and Old Lace(1944)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • Home in Indiana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • Lifeboat(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • The Lodger(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Four Jills in a Jeep(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Wing and a Prayer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Composer

  • The Gang's All Here(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • Watch on the Rhine(1943)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • The Constant Nymph(1943)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • They Came to Blow Up America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Composer

  • Casablanca(1942)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • The Hard Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Orchestrator

  • My Friend Flicka(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • China Girl(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • The Black Swan(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • Now, Voyager(1942)

    Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • The Pied Piper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Additional Music

  • Why We Fight(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • How Green Was My Valley(1941)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Sergeant York(1941)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • The Great Lie(1941)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • The Sea Wolf(1941)

    Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • Santa Fe Trail(1940)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
  • The Letter(1940)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • They Drive by Night(1940)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Virginia City(1940)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • The Mark of Zorro(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • Four Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Orchestrator

  • Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Dust Be My Destiny(1939)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Each Dawn I Die(1939)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • The Old Maid(1939)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Juarez(1939)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Dark Victory(1939)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • The Oklahoma Kid(1939)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • Made for Each Other(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
  • Topper Takes a Trip(1938)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • The Dawn Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Orchestrator

  • The Cowboy and the Lady(1938)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Valley of the Giants(1938)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • Crime School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Orchestrator

  • Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • Jezebel(1938)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Tovarich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Orchestrator

  • The Hurricane(1937)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • The Prisoner of Zenda(1937)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • That Certain Woman(1937)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Kid Galahad(1937)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • You Only Live Once(1937)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Beloved Enemy(1936)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • One Rainy Afternoon(1936)

    Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Rose of the Rancho(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Peter Ibbetson(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
  • Way Down East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Composer

  • Curly Top(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • The Little Colonel(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • The World Moves On(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • Melodía prohibida (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Composer

  • Zoo in Budapest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Composer

  • The First Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Composer

  • The Trial of Vivienne Ware (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Composer

  • Amateur Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Composer

  • After Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Composer

  • The Yellow Ticket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • Law of the Harem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • Skyline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • The Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • Transatlantic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • Goldie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • Just Imagine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Composer

  • Seven Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 138 titles from 1929 to 1978.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music98 of 138: 96 only music, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew42 of 138: 40 only other crew, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

By decade

1920s1 · crew1930s44 · crew1940s45 · crew1950s38 · crew1960s7 · crew1970s3 · 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 Hugo Friedhofer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 119; across their 77 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 77

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 77

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 77

Midcredits score across 119 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up50
  • 50th to 74th37
  • 25th to 49th28
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

67 of their 119 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved24
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser67
  • Broadly Agreed18
  • Mixed9

Reviewers score the sound and music 62/100 in their films, across 71 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 48. 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 Hugo Friedhofer's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles4–53 · median 34 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles6–31 · median 15 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles0–17 · median 4 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles29–48 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles17–42 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian 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 Hugo Friedhofer work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hugo Friedhofer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arthur Lange shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles