---
name: "Louis Silvers"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/louis-silvers"
roles: ["Music director"]
born: "6 September 1889"
died: "26 March 1954"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-19T23:30:27.029944+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."
---

# Louis Silvers

Music director. Born 6 September 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 26 March 1954.

## Details

- **Work:** Music director
- **Born:** 6 September 1889, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 26 March 1954
- **Active:** 1929–1938
- **Also known as:** Lou Silvers
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 3 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 68 (1), 1930s 77 (4)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 3, Comedy 2, History 2, Music 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $10m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Silvers, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730318, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799007/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14283

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*Mr. Deeds Goes to Town*](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md) (82)
- **Tubi:** [*Disraeli*](https://film.one/film/disraeli.md) (68)

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

## Biography

Louis Silvers (also credited as Lou Silvers) was an American composer and musical director. Born Louis Silberstein in New York City on 6 September 1889, he began his career as a vaudeville pianist and later worked as a musical director for producer Gus Edwards. He composed the song "April Showers" (with lyrics by Buddy DeSylva) in 1921.

Silvers entered film work through D. W. Griffith, arranging music for silent features including *Way Down East* (1920). He scored the sound sequences for *The Jazz Singer* (1927) and served as music director at Warner Bros., where he worked on *Disraeli* (1929). He later held positions at MGM, Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and was music director for *Lux Radio Theater* for much of its run. In 1935 he shared the first Academy Award for Best Original Score for *One Night of Love* (1934); he received three further nominations.

Silvers died in Hollywood, California, on 26 March 1954. He was married to Janet Adair.

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

## On Fi1m (5)

- *In Old Chicago* (1938), Fi1m 64, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/in-old-chicago.md)
- *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), Fi1m 82, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md)
- *It Happened One Night* (1934), Fi1m 88, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/it-happened-one-night.md)
- *One Night of Love* (1934), Fi1m 73, Additional Music — [page](https://film.one/film/one-night-of-love.md)
- *Disraeli* (1929), Fi1m 68, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/disraeli.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

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

- *The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1985), series, as Parking Lot Attendant
- *I Love a Mystery* (1945), Additional Music
- *Swanee River* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *The Story of Alexander Graham Bell* (1939), Music Director
- *Tail Spin* (1939), Music Director, Additional Music
- *Jesse James* (1939), Music Director, Additional Music
- *Just Around the Corner* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *Suez* (1938), Music Director, Original Music Composer
- *In Old Chicago* (1938), Music Director — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/in-old-chicago.md)
- *Penitentiary* (1938), Musical
- *Café Metropole* (1937), Music Director
- *Lloyd's of London* (1936), Music Director
- *Ladies in Love* (1936), Music
- *Private Number* (1936), Music Director
- *Half Angel* (1936), Music Director
- *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), Music — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md)
- *The Prisoner of Shark Island* (1936), Music Director
- *Dangerous Intrigue* (1936), Music
- *Escape from Devil's Island* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *A Feather in Her Hat* (1935), Music Director
- *The Black Room* (1935), Music
- *Carnival* (1935), Music
- *One Night of Love* (1934), Additional Music — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/one-night-of-love.md)
- *Black Moon* (1934), Music
- *Twentieth Century* (1934), Music Director, Additional Music
- *Woman Haters* (1934), Music Director
- *Sisters Under the Skin* (1934), Music Director
- *It Happened One Night* (1934), Music Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/it-happened-one-night.md)
- *The 9th Guest* (1934), Music Director
- *Dancing Lady* (1933), Conductor
- *Stage Mother* (1933), Conductor, Original Music Composer
- *Other Men's Women* (1931), Conductor
- *Man to Man* (1930), Orchestrator
- *The Doorway to Hell* (1930), Conductor
- *The Matrimonial Bed* (1930), Conductor
- *Dancing Sweeties* (1930), Conductor
- *Three Faces East* (1930), Conductor
- *The Second Floor Mystery* (1930), Music Director
- *Mammy* (1930), Original Music Composer
- *The Green Goddess* (1930), Conductor
- *Wide Open* (1930), Conductor
- *Disraeli* (1929), Music — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/disraeli.md)
- *So Long Letty* (1929), Music Director
- *The Redeeming Sin* (1929), Music
- *Weary River* (1929), Original Music Composer, Songs
- *The Barker* (1928), Original Music Composer
- *The Singing Fool* (1928), Conductor, Original Music Composer
- *State Street Sadie* (1928), Music
- *The Jazz Singer* (1927), Original Music Composer
- *Sally of the Sawdust* (1925), Music
- *Dream Street* (1921), Original Music Composer
- *Way Down East* (1920), Original Music Composer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 3 nominated

- 1940: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *Swanee River*
- 1939: Best Original Score (nominated), for *Suez*
- 1938: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *In Old Chicago*
- 1935: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (won), for *One Night of Love*

*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/louis-silvers