---
name: "Charles Previn"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/charles-previn"
fi1m_id: "charles-previn"
imdb_id: "nm0006239"
tmdb_id: 13957
wikidata_id: "Q1065815"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "11 January 1888"
died: "21 September 1973"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-25T04:43:21.911052+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."
---

# Charles Previn

## Identity

Charles Previn

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/charles-previn
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** charles-previn
- **IMDb ID:** nm0006239
- **TMDB ID:** 13957
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1065815
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Previn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1065815, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006239/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13957

Composer. Born 11 January 1888 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Died 21 September 1973.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 11 January 1888, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 21 September 1973
- **Active:** 1936–1950
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 6 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 83 (2), 1940s 82 (3), 1950s 81 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 80 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Western 2, Crime 1, Drama 1, Horror 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $3m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Previn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1065815, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006239/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13957

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Winchester '73*](https://film.one/film/winchester-73.md) (81)
- **Peacock:** [*The Wolf Man*](https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md) (78)

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

## Biography

Charles Previn (11 January 1888 – 22 September 1973) was an American film composer and musical director. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at Cornell University and the New York College of Music. Before moving to Hollywood, he arranged music for more than 100 Broadway productions.

From 1936 to 1944 he served as musical director at Universal Pictures, overseeing scores for numerous films including horror pictures and musicals. He received an Academy Award for Best Original Score for *One Hundred Men and a Girl* (1937) and was nominated for six further Oscars between 1938 and 1944. His credits include music for *The Wolf Man* (1941), *The Bank Dick* (1940), *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943) and *Saboteur* (1942). He later worked at other studios and retired in 1953.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Winchester '73* (1950), Fi1m 81, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/winchester-73.md)
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Fi1m 88, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *The Wolf Man* (1941), Fi1m 78, Music, Original Music Composer, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md)
- *The Bank Dick* (1940), Fi1m 80, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bank-dick.md)
- *Destry Rides Again* (1939), Fi1m 84, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/destry-rides-again.md)
- *My Man Godfrey* (1936), Fi1m 82, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/my-man-godfrey.md)

## Complete filmography (81)

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

- *The Black Castle* (1952), Music
- *Winchester '73* (1950), Music — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/winchester-73.md)
- *That Midnight Kiss* (1949), Original Music Composer
- *Hollow Triumph* (1948), Conductor
- *Green Dolphin Street* (1947), Conductor
- *And Then There Were None* (1945), Music Director
- *The Jungle Captive* (1945), Music
- *The Mummy's Curse* (1944), Music
- *House of Frankenstein* (1944), Music
- *3 Is a Family* (1944), Music Director
- *The Mummy's Ghost* (1944), Music
- *Song of the Open Road* (1944), Original Music Composer
- *This Is the Life* (1944), Music Director
- *Crazy House* (1943), Music Director
- *We've Never Been Licked* (1943), Music Director
- *All by Myself* (1943), Music Director
- *Captive Wild Woman* (1943), Music
- *Hit the Ice* (1943), Music Director
- *White Savage* (1943), Music Director
- *It Ain't Hay* (1943), Music Director, Music
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Music Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon* (1942), Music Director
- *Arabian Nights* (1942), Music Director
- *Behind the Eight Ball* (1942), Music Director
- *Nightmare* (1942), Music Director
- *Who Done It?* (1942), Music Director, Music
- *The Mummy's Tomb* (1942), Music
- *Get Hep to Love* (1942), Music
- *Pardon My Sarong* (1942), Music Director
- *Lady in a Jam* (1942), Music Director
- *The Spoilers* (1942), Music Director
- *Saboteur* (1942), Music Director
- *The Ghost of Frankenstein* (1942), Music
- *The Wolf Man* (1941), Music Director, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md)
- *Ride 'Em Cowboy* (1941), Music, Music Director
- *South of Tahiti* (1941), Music Director
- *Moonlight in Hawaii* (1941), Music Director
- *It Started with Eve* (1941), Music Director
- *Hold That Ghost* (1941), Music
- *The Flame of New Orleans* (1941), as Songs
- *Riders of Death Valley* (1941), Music Director, Original Music Composer
- *In the Navy* (1941), Music Director
- *The Black Cat* (1941), Music
- *Man-Made Monster* (1941), Orchestrator
- *Horror Island* (1941), Music
- *Nice Girl?* (1941), Music Director
- *The Invisible Woman* (1940), Music Director
- *The Bank Dick* (1940), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bank-dick.md)
- *One Night in the Tropics* (1940), Music Director
- *Hired Wife* (1940), Music Director
- *International Revels* (1940), Sound
- *It's a Date* (1940), Music Director
- *My Little Chickadee* (1940), Music Director
- *Green Hell* (1940), Music Director
- *The Invisible Man Returns* (1940), Music Director
- *Destry Rides Again* (1939), Music Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/destry-rides-again.md)
- *Tower of London* (1939), Music Director
- *First Love* (1939), Music
- *Rio* (1939), Music Director
- *The Witness Vanishes* (1939), Music Director
- *When Tomorrow Comes* (1939), Music Director
- *The Sun Never Sets* (1939), Music Director
- *Ex-Champ* (1939), Music Director
- *Three Smart Girls Grow Up* (1939), as Conductor
- *Society Smugglers* (1939), Music
- *Son of Frankenstein* (1939), Music Director
- *Danger on the Air* (1938), Music Director
- *Young Fugitives* (1938), Music Director
- *The Rage of Paris* (1938), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *Wives Under Suspicion* (1938), Music Director
- *State Police* (1938), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *Mad About Music* (1938), Music
- *Midnight Intruder* (1938), Music Director
- *The Jury's Secret* (1938), Music Director
- *One Hundred Men and a Girl* (1937), Music
- *Night Key* (1937), Music
- *The Mighty Treve* (1937), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *Four Days Wonder* (1936), Music
- *The Luckiest Girl in the World* (1936), Music
- *My Man Godfrey* (1936), Music Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/my-man-godfrey.md)
- *Postal Inspector* (1936), Original Music Composer, Music Director

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 6 nominated

- 1945: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Song of the Open Road*
- 1943: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *It Started with Eve*
- 1942: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Buck Privates*
- 1941: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *Spring Parade*
- 1940: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *First Love*
- 1939: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *Mad About Music*
- 1938: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (won), for *One Hundred Men and a Girl*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/charles-previn