---
name: "Herb Magidson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/herb-magidson"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "7 January 1906"
died: "2 January 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-09-19T22:34:12.481233+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."
---

# Herb Magidson

Composer. Born 7 January 1906 in Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA. Died 2 January 1986.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 7 January 1906, Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Died:** 2 January 1986
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2423196

## Biography

Herb Magidson was an American lyricist whose work appeared in more than twenty films and several Broadway revues. Born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, he studied at the University of Pittsburgh before moving to New York and then Hollywood in 1929.

He is best known for the lyrics to 'The Continental', written with Con Conrad for the 1934 film *The Gay Divorcee*. The song received the first Academy Award for Best Original Song. Other credits include songs for *The Show of Shows* (1929), *No, No, Nanette* (1930), *The Great Ziegfeld* (1936) and *Sing Your Way Home* (1945). He received further Oscar nominations for 'Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There' (1943) and 'I'll Buy That Dream' (1945).

Magidson collaborated with composers including Allie Wrubel, Carl Sigman and Sammy Fain. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Gay Divorcee* (1934), Fi1m 79, Music, Lyricist — [page](https://film.one/film/the-gay-divorcee.md)

## Complete filmography (5)

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

- *The Great Morgan* (1945), Lyricist
- *Music in Manhattan* (1944), as Songs
- *Priorities on Parade* (1942), Lyricist
- *Sleepytime Gal* (1942), Lyricist
- *The Gay Divorcee* (1934), Music, Lyricist — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-gay-divorcee.md)

---
© 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/herb-magidson