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Oscar Levant

Oscar Levant

Actor and composer · Died August 14, 1972, aged 65 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972) was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 27, 1906
Died
August 14, 1972 (aged 65)
From
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor and composer
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 27 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

What are Oscar Levant's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
Self
34%
Bonds
28%
Morality
23%
Society
8%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Survival
2%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 8 · Serious 5 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 4

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 5 · 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 10 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 8
Trickster
3 of 8
Mentor
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
10
Joyful
7
Melancholic
5
Tense
4
Warm
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2

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 Oscar Levant's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Oscar Levant'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

27 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • That's Entertainment! III(1994)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Cobweb(1955)

    as Mr. Capp

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Band Wagon(1953)

    as Lester Marton

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The I Don't Care Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Charles Bennett

  • O. Henry's Full House(1952)

    as William Smith (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • An American in Paris(1951)

    as Adam Cook

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Barkleys of Broadway(1949)

    as Ezra Millar

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Romance on the High Seas(1948)

    as Oscar Farrar

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • You Were Meant for Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Oscar Hoffman

  • Humoresque(1946)

    as Sid Jeffers

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Rhapsody in Blue(1945)

    as Oscar Levant

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Fellow Americans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Composer

  • Kiss the Boys Goodbye(1941)

    as Dick Rayburn

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rhythm on the River(1940)

    as Billy Starbuck

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Made for Each Other(1939)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Nothing Sacred(1937)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera(1936)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • In Person (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Composer

  • Crime Without Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Additional Music

  • Let's Try Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Composer

  • Love Comes Along (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Songs

  • Tanned Legs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Songs

  • Night Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Ann Pennington's Piano Accompanist

  • The Delightful Rogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Songs

  • Street Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Songs

  • The Dance of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Jerry Evans

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 27 titles from 1929 to 1994.

Biggest box office

An American in Paris (1951)

$277K worldwide

Highest rated

The Band Wagon (1953)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

An American in Paris (1951)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting16 of 27: 16 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score82ndMusic7 of 27: 7 only music, 0 with another roleOther crew4 of 27: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s5 · 2 acting · 3 crew1930s7 · crew1940s8 · 7 acting · 1 crew1950s5 · acting1970s1 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 0% of 7 roles

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Oscar Levant's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th5

Shape of the crowd

None of their 15 titles divides audiences: 13 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

The Band Wagon (1953)

Midcredits 90th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

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.

Who does Oscar Levant work with?

People who share at least 2 of Oscar Levant's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Vincente Minnelli shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers