---
name: "Marvin Hatley"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/marvin-hatley"
fi1m_id: "marvin-hatley"
imdb_id: "nm0368943"
tmdb_id: 89738
wikidata_id: "Q1906085"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "3 April 1905"
died: "23 August 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T02:01:44.835516+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."
---

# Marvin Hatley

## Identity

Marvin Hatley

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/marvin-hatley
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** marvin-hatley
- **IMDb ID:** nm0368943
- **TMDB ID:** 89738
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1906085
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Hatley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1906085, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368943/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/89738

Composer. Born 3 April 1905 in Reed, Oklahoma, USA. Died 23 August 1986.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 3 April 1905, Reed, Oklahoma, USA
- **Died:** 23 August 1986
- **Also known as:** T. Marvin Hatley, The Ranch Boys
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscar nominations
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Hatley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1906085, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368943/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/89738

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Sons of the Desert*](https://film.one/film/sons-of-the-desert.md) (85)

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

## Biography

Marvin Hatley (born Thomas Marvin Hatley) was an American film composer and musical director. He worked at the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940, composing many cues for the Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, and Charley Chase series. He is credited with the music for *Sons of the Desert* (1933).

Hatley’s best-known composition is the Laurel and Hardy theme “Dance of the Cuckoos” (also called “Ku-Ku”). He performed the player-piano music off-screen in *The Music Box* (1932). His scores for *Way Out West* (1937) and *Block-Heads* (1938) received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score. He also wrote songs such as “Honolulu Baby” and “We Are the Sons of the Desert” for the 1933 film.

Hatley was dismissed from the Roach studio in 1939 but returned, at Stan Laurel’s request, to score the final Laurel and Hardy feature *Saps at Sea* (1940). He later worked as a lounge pianist.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Sons of the Desert* (1933), Fi1m 85, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/sons-of-the-desert.md)

## Complete filmography (46)

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

- *Hollywood and Vine* (1945), Original Music Composer
- *Uncle Joe* (1941), as Bandleader
- *A Chump at Oxford* (1940), Music
- *Captain Fury* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *Topper Takes a Trip* (1938), Music Supervisor
- *There Goes My Heart* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *Block-Heads* (1938), Music Director, Original Music Composer
- *Merrily We Live* (1938), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *Our Gang Follies of 1938* (1937), Music Director
- *Topper* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *Pick a Star* (1937), Music
- *Nobody's Baby* (1937), Music
- *Way Out West* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *General Spanky* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Kelly the Second* (1936), Music
- *Arbor Day* (1936), Music
- *The Pinch Singer* (1936), as Conductor
- *Bonnie Scotland* (1935), Music
- *Sons of the Desert* (1933), Music — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/sons-of-the-desert.md)
- *Busy Bodies* (1933), Music
- *Sherman Said It* (1933), as Soldier
- *Midsummer Mush* (1933), as Member of Camping Trio
- *The Midnight Patrol* (1933), Music
- *Arabian Tights* (1933), as Musician - The Ranch Boys (uncredited)
- *Me and My Pal* (1933), Music
- *Maids a la Mode* (1933), as Pianist (uncredited)
- *Twice Two* (1933), Music
- *Towed in a Hole* (1932), Music
- *Their First Mistake* (1932), Music
- *Pack Up Your Troubles* (1932), Music
- *Scram!* (1932), Music
- *County Hospital* (1932), Music
- *The Chimp* (1932), Music
- *The Music Box* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *The Tabasco Kid* (1932), as Cowboy
- *Helpmates* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *One Good Turn* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Come Clean* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Pardon Us* (1931), Music
- *Our Wife* (1931), Music
- *Rough Seas* (1931), as Pvt. Marvin Hatley
- *Another Fine Mess* (1930), Original Music Composer
- *Teacher's Pet* (1930), Music Director
- *Hog Wild* (1930), Music
- *Brats* (1930), Original Music Composer
- *Shivering Shakespeare* (1930), as Musician (uncredited)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 3 nominated

- 1939: Best Original Score (nominated), for *Block-Heads*
- 1939: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *There Goes My Heart*
- 1938: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (nominated), for *Way Out West*

*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/marvin-hatley