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Herbert Stothart

Herbert Stothart

Composer · Died February 1, 1949, aged 63 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Herbert P. Stothart (September 11, 1885 – February 1, 1949) was an American songwriter, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz. Stothart was widely acknowledged as a member of the top tier of Hollywood composers during the 1930s and 1940s. Life and career Herbert Stothart was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He studied music in Europe and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he later taught. Stothart was first hired by producer Arthur Hammerstein to be a musical director for touring companies of Broadway shows, and was soon writing music for the producer's nephew Oscar Hammerstein II. He composed music for the famous operetta, Rose-Marie. Stothart soon joined with many famous composers including Vincent Youmans, George Gershwin and Franz Lehár. Stothart achieved pop-chart success with standards like “Cute Little Two by Four”, “Wildflower”, “Bambalina”, “The Mounties”, “Totem Tom-Tom”, “Why Shouldn’t We?”, “Fly Away”, “Song of the Flame”, “The Cossack Love Song”, “Dawn”, “I Wanna Be Loved by You”, “Cuban Love Song”, “The Rogue Song” and “The Donkey Serenade.” The year 1929 marked the end of the era of silent films. Shortly after completing his latest musical “Golden Dawn” with Oscar Hammerstein, Stothart received an invitation from Louis B. Mayer to move to Hollywood, which he accepted. In 1929, Stothart was signed to a large MGM contract. The next twenty years of his life were spent at MGM Studios, where he was part of elite group of Hollywood composers. Among the many films that he worked on was the famous 1936 version of Rose-Marie, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. He conducted and wrote songs and scores for the films The Cuban Love Song, The Good Earth, Romeo and Juliet, Mutiny on the Bounty, Mrs. Miniver, The Green Years and The Picture of Dorian Gray. His output included the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera, the Leo Tolstoy romantic drama Anna Karenina, two Charles Dickens dramas (A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield), and Mutiny on the Bounty, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He won an Oscar for his musical score for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Herbert Stothart spent his entire Hollywood career at MGM. In 1947, he suffered a heart attack while visiting Scotland, and afterwards, composed an orchestral piece (Heart Attack: A Symphonic Poem), based on his tribulations. He worked on another (Voices of Liberation), commissioned by Roger Wagner Chorale, when he died two years later at the age of 63.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 11, 1885
Died
February 1, 1949 (aged 63)
From
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
83 on MovieCove · 111 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 23% in 30 days

What are Herbert Stothart's films like?

Across their 70 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama28 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy21 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
Bonds
44%
Morality
22%
Self
13%
Power
10%
Survival
6%
Society
3%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love33 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception12 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom9 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 70 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 31 · Serious 19 · Dark 20

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 34 · Stylized 32 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 21 · Charged 39 · Intense 10

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

Steady 37 · Shifting 27 · Whiplash 6

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 34 · Some laughs 32 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 43 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 44 · Engaged 25 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 28 · Affecting 26 · Heavy 16

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

Resolved 60 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
34
Tense
35
Melancholic
33
Warm
16
Joyful
13
Other
57

How their films linger

Feel-good29 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet30 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful28 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy31
  • Bittersweet30
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous3

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 Herbert Stothart's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 83 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Herbert Stothart'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

111 credits, 83 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Rose Marie(1954)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Big Jack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Hills of Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

  • The Three Musketeers(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Three Daring Daughters(1948)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Desire Me(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Unfinished Dance(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • High Barbaree(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Sea of Grass(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • If Winter Comes(1947)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Yearling(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Undercurrent(1946)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Green Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Composer

  • They Were Expendable(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Valley of Decision(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Son of Lassie(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Picture of Dorian Gray(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • National Velvet(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Adventure(1945)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Kismet(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Dragon Seed(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The White Cliffs of Dover(1944)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • A Guy Named Joe(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Madame Curie(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Thousands Cheer(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Human Comedy(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Three Hearts for Julia(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Random Harvest(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Tennessee Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Composer

  • Cairo(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • I Married an Angel(1942)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Miniver(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Rio Rita(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Chocolate Soldier(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Smilin' Through (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Composer

  • Blossoms in the Dust(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Ziegfeld Girl(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Men of Boys Town(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Andy Hardy's Private Secretary(1941)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Come Live with Me(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • They Met in Bombay(1941)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Pride and Prejudice(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Susan and God(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Waterloo Bridge(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Edison, the Man(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Northwest Passage(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Bitter Sweet(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • New Moon(1940)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Balalaika(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Broadway Serenade(1939)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Idiot's Delight(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Sweethearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Composer

  • Marie Antoinette(1938)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Of Human Hearts(1938)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Mannequin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Additional Music

  • The Girl of the Golden West(1938)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Firefly(1937)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Conquest(1937)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Good Earth(1937)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Maytime(1937)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Camille(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • After the Thin Man(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Devil Is a Sissy(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Romeo and Juliet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Composer

  • The Gorgeous Hussy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Composer

  • San Francisco(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Absolute Quiet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Additional Music

  • Moonlight Murder(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Robin Hood of El Dorado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Composer

  • Wife vs. Secretary(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Rose-Marie(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Tale of Two Cities(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Ah Wilderness!(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Mutiny on the Bounty(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • A Night at the Opera(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Anna Karenina(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • China Seas(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • David Copperfield(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Sequoia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Composer

  • The Night Is Young(1935)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Biography of a Bachelor Girl(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Vanessa, Her Love Story(1935)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Painted Veil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • What Every Woman Knows(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Barretts of Wimpole Street(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Chained (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • Treasure Island(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Viva Villa! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • Laughing Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • Riptide(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Cat and the Fiddle(1934)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Queen Christina(1933)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Night Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Composer

  • The White Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Composer

  • Turn Back the Clock(1933)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Rasputin and the Empress(1932)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Son-Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Composer · Music Score Producer

  • Grand Hotel(1932)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Cuban Love Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Music Score Producer · Musical · Songs

  • The Squaw Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Composer

  • New Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

  • A Lady's Morals(1930)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Lottery Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Original Story

  • Madam Satan(1930)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Call of the Flesh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

  • Golden Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

  • The Florodora Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Composer · Songs

  • The Song of the Flame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

  • In Gay Madrid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

Career shape

A full career of 102 titles from 1930 to 1976.

Biggest box office

Treasure Island (1934)

$5M worldwide

Highest rated

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing2 of 102: 1 only writing, 1 with another roleMusic88 of 102: 81 only music, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdOther crew20 of 102: 13 only other crew, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score61st

102 titles, 7 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1930s58 · crew1940s42 · crew1950s1 · crew1970s1 · 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 Herbert Stothart's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 83; across their 70 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 70

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 70

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 70

Midcredits score across 83 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up34
  • 50th to 74th28
  • 25th to 49th20
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

53 of their 83 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Crowd Pleaser53
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · composer

Susan and God (1940)

63rd percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 64/100 in their films, across 60 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 49. 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 Herbert Stothart's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles6–51 · median 22 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles6–27 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 6 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles28–52 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian 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 Herbert Stothart work with?

People who share at least 2 of Herbert Stothart's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hunt Stromberg shares the most, 13.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers