---
name: "Arthur Morton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/arthur-morton"
fi1m_id: "arthur-morton"
imdb_id: "nm0607925"
tmdb_id: 91245
wikidata_id: "Q2865254"
roles: ["Orchestrator"]
born: "8 August 1908"
died: "15 April 2000"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 15
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_over: 15
updated: "2026-09-25T07:29:44.708077+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Arthur Morton

## Identity

Arthur Morton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/arthur-morton
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** arthur-morton
- **IMDb ID:** nm0607925
- **TMDB ID:** 91245
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2865254
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2865254, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607925/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/91245

Orchestrator. Born 8 August 1908 in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. Died 15 April 2000.

## Details

- **Work:** Orchestrator
- **Born:** 8 August 1908, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
- **Died:** 15 April 2000
- **Active:** 1944–1997
- **Also known as:** Arthur Goldberg
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 82 (2), 1950s 78 (4), 1960s 55 (1), 1970s 83 (3), 1980s 77 (2), 1990s 85 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 76 across 13 titles
- **Score spread:** 10 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Thriller 6, Crime 5, Mystery 4, Adventure 3, Romance 3
- **Screen time:** 29 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $925m across 13 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2865254, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607925/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/91245

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Big Heat*](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Arthur Morton, born Arthur Goldberg, was an American composer and orchestrator for film and television. Born on 8 August 1908 in Duluth, Minnesota, he graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1929. He moved to Los Angeles after further study and began his career in the music departments of Hal Roach Studios and Columbia Pictures, initially composing and orchestrating uncredited stock music.

Morton received an early credited film score for *Night Life of the Gods* (1935) and composed title music for *The Big Heat* (1953). He composed for television series including *Peyton Place* (1964–1969), *The Waltons* (1972–1974) and *Medical Center* (1969–1975). He is principally known as an orchestrator on more than 500 productions, serving as the principal orchestrator for Jerry Goldsmith on scores including *Chinatown* (1974), *Superman* (1978), *Gremlins* (1984), *Total Recall* (1990) and *L.A. Confidential* (1997).

In 1935 he married Emmy Lou Hellman. Morton died on 15 April 2000 in Santa Monica, California.

*Sources: imdb.com, memory-alpha.fandom.com.*

## On Fi1m (15)

- *L.A. Confidential* (1997), Fi1m 88, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/l-a-confidential.md)
- *Star Trek: First Contact* (1996), Fi1m 82, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-first-contact.md)
- *Total Recall* (1990), Fi1m 84, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md)
- *Gremlins* (1984), Fi1m 80, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/gremlins.md)
- *The Secret of NIMH* (1982), Fi1m 74, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-secret-of-nimh.md)
- *Chinatown* (1974), Fi1m 93, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *Papillon* (1973), Fi1m 74, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/papillon.md)
- *Patton* (1970), Fi1m 82, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/patton.md)
- *Ocean's Eleven* (1960), Fi1m 55, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/oceans-eleven-1960.md)
- *Picnic* (1955), Fi1m 63, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/picnic.md)
- *The Man from Laramie* (1955), Fi1m 82, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-man-from-laramie.md)
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), Fi1m 83, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)
- *The Big Heat* (1953), Fi1m 86, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md)
- *Gilda* (1946), Fi1m 78, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/gilda.md)
- *Laura* (1944), Fi1m 86, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/laura.md)

## Complete filmography (113)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *L.A. Confidential* (1997), Orchestrator — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/l-a-confidential.md)
- *Star Trek: First Contact* (1996), Orchestrator — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-first-contact.md)
- *Chain Reaction* (1996), Orchestrator
- *The River Wild* (1994), Orchestrator
- *The Shadow* (1994), Orchestrator
- *The Russia House* (1990), Orchestrator
- *Gremlins 2: The New Batch* (1990), Orchestrator
- *Total Recall* (1990), Orchestrator — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md)
- *Leviathan* (1989), Orchestrator
- *Extreme Prejudice* (1987), Orchestrator
- *Poltergeist II: The Other Side* (1986), Orchestrator
- *Link* (1986), Orchestrator
- *Explorers* (1985), Orchestrator
- *Rambo: First Blood Part II* (1985), Orchestrator
- *Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend* (1985), Orchestrator
- *Gremlins* (1984), Orchestrator — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/gremlins.md)
- *First Blood* (1982), Orchestrator
- *The Secret of NIMH* (1982), Orchestrator — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-secret-of-nimh.md)
- *Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen* (1981), Orchestrator
- *Superman* (1978), Orchestrator
- *The Boys from Brazil* (1978), Orchestrator
- *Damnation Alley* (1977), Orchestrator
- *MacArthur* (1977), Orchestrator
- *Islands in the Stream* (1977), Orchestrator
- *Twilight's Last Gleaming* (1977), Orchestrator
- *The Omen* (1976), Orchestrator
- *Chinatown* (1974), Orchestrator — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *Papillon* (1973), Orchestrator — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/papillon.md)
- *Hawkins* (1973), series, Orchestrator
- *The Waltons* (1972), series, Music
- *The Other* (1972), Orchestrator
- *The Mephisto Waltz* (1971), Orchestrator
- *Rio Lobo* (1970), Orchestrator
- *Tora! Tora! Tora!* (1970), Orchestrator, Music Arranger
- *Patton* (1970), Orchestrator — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/patton.md)
- *Justine* (1969), Orchestrator
- *In Like Flint* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *Morituri* (1965), Orchestrator
- *Von Ryan's Express* (1965), Orchestrator
- *John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!* (1965), Orchestrator
- *Dear Brigitte* (1965), Orchestrator
- *Rio Conchos* (1964), Orchestrator
- *What a Way to Go!* (1964), Orchestrator
- *Paris When It Sizzles* (1964), Orchestrator
- *Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?* (1963), Orchestrator
- *Move Over, Darling* (1963), Orchestrator
- *Critic's Choice* (1963), Orchestrator
- *Who's Got the Action?* (1962), Orchestrator
- *13 West Street* (1962), Orchestrator
- *A Raisin in the Sun* (1961), Orchestrator
- *Two Rode Together* (1961), Orchestrator
- *Swingin' Along* (1961), Original Music Composer
- *Cry for Happy* (1961), Orchestrator
- *The Wackiest Ship in the Army* (1960), Orchestrator
- *Let No Man Write My Epitaph* (1960), Orchestrator
- *Ocean's Eleven* (1960), Orchestrator — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/oceans-eleven-1960.md)
- *The Last Angry Man* (1959), Orchestrator
- *Gidget* (1959), Original Music Composer
- *Houseboat* (1958), Orchestrator
- *Gunman's Walk* (1958), Orchestrator
- *The High Cost of Loving* (1958), Orchestrator
- *Pal Joey* (1957), Orchestrator
- *The Tijuana Story* (1957), Music
- *3:10 to Yuma* (1957), Orchestrator
- *Jeanne Eagels* (1957), Orchestrator
- *The Shadow on the Window* (1957), Orchestrator
- *Nightfall* (1956), Orchestrator
- *Miami Exposé* (1956), Music
- *He Laughed Last* (1956), Original Music Composer
- *Inside Detroit* (1955), Music
- *The Last Frontier* (1955), Orchestrator
- *Three Stripes in the Sun* (1955), Original Music Composer
- *Picnic* (1955), Orchestrator — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/picnic.md)
- *Queen Bee* (1955), Orchestrator
- *Kismet* (1955), Music Arranger
- *The Man from Laramie* (1955), Orchestrator — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-man-from-laramie.md)
- *Chicago Syndicate* (1955), Original Music Composer
- *Tight Spot* (1955), Orchestrator
- *Phffft* (1954), Orchestrator
- *Pushover* (1954), Original Music Composer
- *It Should Happen to You* (1954), Orchestrator
- *The Big Heat* (1953), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md)
- *Gun Fury* (1953), Original Music Composer
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), Orchestrator — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)
- *Let's Do It Again* (1953), Orchestrator
- *The Juggler* (1953), Orchestrator
- *Affair in Trinidad* (1952), Orchestrator
- *The Lady and the Bandit* (1951), Orchestrator
- *The Harlem Globetrotters* (1951), Original Music Composer
- *Harriet Craig* (1950), Orchestrator
- *No Sad Songs for Me* (1950), Orchestrator
- *Father Is a Bachelor* (1950), Original Music Composer
- *The Nevadan* (1950), Original Music Composer
- *The Walking Hills* (1949), Original Music Composer
- *Shockproof* (1949), Orchestrator
- *Millie's Daughter* (1947), Music
- *Johnny O'Clock* (1947), Orchestrator
- *Home Sweet Homicide* (1946), Orchestrator
- *Gilda* (1946), Orchestrator — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/gilda.md)
- *Fallen Angel* (1945), Orchestrator
- *Laura* (1944), Orchestrator — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/laura.md)
- *Strange Affair* (1944), Original Music Composer
- *The Lady and the Monster* (1944), Orchestrator
- *Quiet Please, Murder* (1943), Orchestrator
- *London Blackout Murders* (1943), Orchestrator
- *Inflation* (1942), Orchestrator
- *The Day the Bookies Wept* (1939), Music Director
- *Merrily We Live* (1938), Orchestrator
- *Night Key* (1937), Music
- *Theodora Goes Wild* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *She Gets Her Man* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Princess O'Hara* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Night Life of the Gods* (1935), Original Music Composer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/arthur-morton