---
name: "George Bassman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/george-bassman"
fi1m_id: "george-bassman"
imdb_id: "nm0005956"
tmdb_id: 34229
wikidata_id: "Q1506958"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "7 February 1914"
died: "26 June 1997"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-25T04:30:33.498028+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."
---

# George Bassman

## Identity

George Bassman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/george-bassman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** george-bassman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005956
- **TMDB ID:** 34229
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1506958
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bassman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1506958, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005956/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34229

Composer. Born 7 February 1914 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 26 June 1997.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 7 February 1914, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 26 June 1997
- **Active:** 1939–1949
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 78 (2), 1940s 82 (2)
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 2, Romance 2, Adventure 1, Crime 1, Drama 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $48m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bassman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1506958, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005956/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34229

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*The Postman Always Rings Twice*](https://film.one/film/the-postman-always-rings-twice.md) (82)

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

## 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.

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

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Adam's Rib* (1949), Fi1m 82, Additional Music — [page](https://film.one/film/adams-rib.md)
- *The Postman Always Rings Twice* (1946), Fi1m 82, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-postman-always-rings-twice.md)
- *Babes in Arms* (1939), Fi1m 66, Original Music Composer, Music Arranger, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/babes-in-arms.md)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Fi1m 91, Music Arranger — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)

## Complete filmography (50)

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

- *Mail Order Bride* (1964), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Ride the High Country* (1962), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Middle of the Night* (1959), Conductor, Original Music Composer
- *Mayerling* (1957), Conductor, Original Music Composer
- *The Letter* (1956), Music
- *The Barretts of Wimpole Street* (1956), Conductor, Music
- *Marty* (1955), Additional Music, Conductor
- *Canyon Crossroads* (1955), Conductor
- *Louisiana Territory* (1953), Conductor
- *The Joe Louis Story* (1953), Conductor, Original Music Composer
- *Marty* (1953), Original Music Composer
- *Adam's Rib* (1949), Additional Music — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/adams-rib.md)
- *The Romance of Rosy Ridge* (1947), Original Music Composer
- *The Arnelo Affair* (1947), Conductor
- *A Letter for Evie* (1946), Original Music Composer
- *Two Smart People* (1946), Original Music Composer
- *The Postman Always Rings Twice* (1946), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-postman-always-rings-twice.md)
- *Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood* (1945), Music Director, Original Music Composer
- *The Clock* (1945), Original Music Composer
- *Main Street After Dark* (1945), Music
- *The Canterville Ghost* (1944), Original Music Composer
- *Whistling in Brooklyn* (1943), Original Music Composer
- *I Dood It* (1943), Music
- *Young Ideas* (1943), Original Music Composer
- *Cabin in the Sky* (1943), Original Music Composer
- *For Me and My Gal* (1942), Orchestrator
- *Panama Hattie* (1942), as Vocals · Orchestrator
- *Ship Ahoy* (1942), Original Music Composer
- *Lady Be Good* (1941), Orchestrator
- *The Big Store* (1941), Music
- *Ziegfeld Girl* (1941), Additional Music, Orchestrator
- *Go West* (1940), Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
- *Blondie Brings Up Baby* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *Babes in Arms* (1939), Original Music Composer, Music Arranger — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/babes-in-arms.md)
- *The Women* (1939), Orchestrator
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Music Arranger — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *Stronger Than Desire* (1939), Orchestrator
- *It's a Wonderful World* (1939), Orchestrator
- *The Ice Follies of 1939* (1939), Additional Music
- *Grid Rules* (1938), Orchestrator
- *Too Hot to Handle* (1938), Orchestrator
- *The Forgotten Step* (1938), Orchestrator
- *That Mothers Might Live* (1938), Orchestrator
- *Everybody Sing* (1938), Orchestrator
- *A Damsel in Distress* (1937), Music Arranger
- *Conquest* (1937), Orchestrator
- *Double Wedding* (1937), Orchestrator
- *The Little Maestro* (1937), Music
- *Wanted - A Master* (1936), Orchestrator
- *Swing Banditry* (1936), Music

---
© 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/george-bassman