Biography
George Bassman (7 February 1914 – 26 June 1997) was an American composer, arranger and conductor. Born in New York City and raised in Boston, he studied at the Boston Conservatory before working as a pianist and arranger in jazz bands, including for Fletcher Henderson. He co-wrote the song "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" with Ned Washington, which became Tommy Dorsey's signature theme.
Bassman moved to Hollywood in the mid-1930s and joined MGM, where he orchestrated and arranged music for numerous films. His credits include The Wizard of Oz (1939), Babes in Arms (1939), Go West (1940), The Big Store (1941), Cabin in the Sky (1943) and For Me and My Gal (1942). He later composed scores for The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Marty (1955) and Ride the High Country (1962), and worked in television and on Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls.
His Hollywood career was interrupted in the late 1940s when he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about his past membership of the Communist Party. He returned to New York for theatre and independent work before resuming film scoring in the 1960s.
