---
name: "Ralph Rainger"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ralph-rainger"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "7 October 1901"
died: "23 October 1942"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-19T22:13:47.606748+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."
---

# Ralph Rainger

Composer. Born 7 October 1901 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 23 October 1942.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 7 October 1901, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 23 October 1942
- **Active:** 1932–1933
- **Also known as:** Ralph Reichenthal
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 writing, 1 crew
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Rainger, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q364163, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006247/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/998190

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*A Farewell to Arms*](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md) (80)

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

## Biography

Ralph Rainger (born Ralph Reichenthal) was an American composer of popular music, principally for films. Born in New York City on 7 October 1901, he initially studied law, graduating from Brown University in 1926, before turning to music. He worked as a pianist and accompanist on Broadway, achieving early success with the song "Moanin' Low" for the 1929 revue *The Little Show*.

In Hollywood he collaborated extensively with lyricist Leo Robin at Paramount Pictures and later 20th Century Fox. Their songs featured in films including *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1931), *A Farewell to Arms* (1932), *She Done Him Wrong* (1933) and *City Streets* (1931). Rainger and Robin won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Thanks for the Memory" from *The Big Broadcast of 1938*. He died in a plane crash near Palm Springs, California, on 23 October 1942.

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

## On Fi1m (2)

### Wrote (1)

- *She Done Him Wrong* (1933), Fi1m 78, Songs, Lyricist — [page](https://film.one/film/she-done-him-wrong.md)

### Crew (1) — the average rests on these

- *A Farewell to Arms* (1932), Fi1m 80, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md)

## Complete filmography (41)

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

- *California Images* (1985), Music
- *Coney Island* (1943), as Songs
- *My Gal Sal* (1942), as Songs
- *A Yank in the R.A.F.* (1941), Music
- *Moon Over Miami* (1941), Original Music Composer, Lyricist
- *Thanks for the Memory* (1938), as Songs
- *Give Me a Sailor* (1938), as Songs
- *The Big Broadcast of 1938* (1938), as Songs
- *Partners in Crime* (1937), Music
- *Souls at Sea* (1937), as Songs
- *College Holiday* (1936), as Songs
- *Yours for the Asking* (1936), Additional Music
- *Here Is My Heart* (1934), Lyricist, Original Music Composer
- *She Loves Me Not* (1934), Music
- *Kiss and Make-Up* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Little Miss Marker* (1934), Music
- *The Trumpet Blows* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Bolero* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Six of a Kind* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Cradle Song* (1933), Music
- *The Way to Love* (1933), Music
- *Torch Singer* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *International House* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *A Bedtime Story* (1933), Music, Songs
- *She Done Him Wrong* (1933), Lyricist, Songs — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/she-done-him-wrong.md)
- *A Farewell to Arms* (1932), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md)
- *Night After Night* (1932), Additional Music
- *The Big Broadcast* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *This Is the Night* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1931), Music
- *Working Girls* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Girls About Town* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *An American Tragedy* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Women Love Once* (1931), Music
- *The Vice Squad* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *City Streets* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *The Conquering Horde* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Along Came Youth* (1930), as Songs
- *Tom Sawyer* (1930), Music Producer
- *Sea Legs* (1930), Original Music Composer, Songs
- *Queen High* (1930), as Songs

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- 1940: Best Original Song (nominated), for *Faithful Forever*
- 1939: Best Original Song (won), for *Thanks for the Memory*
- 1935: Best Original Song (nominated), for *Love in Bloom*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Songwriters Hall of Fame 1970: Songwriters Hall of Fame (won)

*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/ralph-rainger