Edward J. Kay


Edward J. Kay was an American film composer and musical director, who worked on over 340 films from the 1930s into the 1960s, and was nominated on multiple occasions for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, although he never won. On his last film, 1962's The Creation of the Humanoids, he was also a producer.
In 1941, Kay was nominated for King of the Zombies, but lost to Bernard Herrmann for All That Money Can Buy. The following year, Kay was nominated for Klondike Fury, losing to Max Steiner, for Now, Voyager. Kay was nominated in 1943 for Lady, Let's Dance, losing to Morris Stoloff and Carmen Dragon for Cover Girl. Finally, in 1945, Kay was nominated for his work on two films, G. I. Honeymoon in the comedy/drama category, and Sunbonnet Sue in the musical category; Kay lost in both categories, to Miklós Rózsa, for Spellbound, and to Georgie Stoll for Anchors Aweigh, respectively. Kay was the only composer to substitute for Lee Zahler on a Columbia Pictures production between 1938 and 1947, when Kay composed for Brenda Starr Reporter in 1945. Kay was a frequent collaborator with director William Beaudine.
Kay was born in New York City, and died in Los Angeles County, California.

Selected filmography

Films for which Edward J. Kay composed or directed music include:
FilmYear
Gangster's Boy1938
The Mystery of Mr. Wong1939
Undercover Agent1939
The Streets of New York1939
Mr. Wong in Chinatown1939
Irish Luck1939
Doomed to Die1940
Phantom of Chinatown1940
Hidden Enemy1940
The Ape1940
Up in the Air1940
Son of the Navy1940
King of the Zombies1941
Arizona Bound1941
Secret Evidence1941
Freckles Comes Home1942
Bowery at Midnight1942
Law of the Jungle1942
Clancy Street Boys1943
Women in Bondage1943
Detective Kitty O'Day1944
Bowery Champs1944
Crazy Knights1944
West of the Rio Grande1944
Adventures of Kitty O'Day1945
Allotment Wives1945
Brenda Starr, Reporter1945
Docks of New York1945
G. I. Honeymoon1945
Sunbonnet Sue1945
Swing Parade of 19461946
The Shadow Returns1946
Bowery Bombshell1946
Fear1946
Dark Alibi1946
In Fast Company1946
Live Wires1946
Mr. Hex1946
Shadows Over Chinatown1946
Spook Busters1946
The Gay Cavalier1946
Wife Wanted1946
The Strange Mr. Gregory1946
Fall Guy1947
Jiggs and Maggie in Society1947
Bowery Buckaroos1947
Hard Boiled Mahoney1947
News Hounds1947
The Chinese Ring1947
Violence1947
King of the Bandits1947
Angels' Alley1948
Jiggs and Maggie in Court1948
Bungalow 131948
Cowboy Cavalier1948
Docks of New Orleans1948
Shanghai Chest1948
Smugglers' Cove1948
The Golden Eye1948
Trouble Makers1948
The Feathered Serpent1948
I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes1948
Incident1948
Jinx Money1948
Kidnapped1948
Silver Trails1948
Back Trail1948
Across the Rio Grande1949
Forgotten Women1949
Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters1949
Trail of the Yukon1949
Hold That Baby!1949
Tuna Clipper1949
Fighting Fools1949
Law of the West1949
Master Minds1949
Stampede1949
The Wolf Hunters1949
Angels in Disguise1949
Call of the Klondike1950
The Admiral Was a Lady1950
Triple Trouble1950
Jiggs and Maggie Out West1950
Snow Dog1950
Blonde Dynamite1950
Lucky Losers1950
Blues Busters1950
Northwest Territory1951
Ghost Chasers1951
Yukon Manhunt1951
Crazy Over Horses1951
Bowery Battalion1951
I Was An American Spy1951
Let's Go Navy!1951
Rhythm Inn1951
Jet Job1952
Yukon Gold1952
Hold That Line1952
Here Come the Marines1952
No Holds Barred1952
Feudin' Fools1952
Fangs of the Arctic1953
Mexican Manhunt1953
Murder Without Tears1953
Northern Patrol1953
Tangier Incident1953
Yukon Vengeance1954
Highway Dragnet1954
Las Vegas Shakedown1955
Toughest Man Alive1955
Johnny Rocco1958
The Creation of the Humanoids1962