Leo Forbstein began as a violin player at the age of 4. While
conducting at the Royal Theater in St. Joseph, Mo., he pioneered and
introduced the synchronization of the orchestra with the silent action
on the movie screen.
He moved to Hollywood in the mid 1920s where he directed a symphony
orchestra at Grauman's Egyptian Theater. He signed as head of the
Warner Brothers music department and director of the Vitaphone
Orchestra in 1926. Forbstein was nominated for 3 (three) Academy Awards
for Best Score: 1936's
Ein rastloses Leben (1936) and
Der Verrat des Surat Khan (1936),
and 1937's
Das Leben des Emile Zola (1937).
He took home the Oscar for his work in
Ein rastloses Leben (1936) (which was
the first Oscar ever awarded in this category). He was working on the
score for the 1948 Academy Awards show when he suffered a heart attack.
A radio tribute in his honor aired April 25, 1958, on radio station
KFWB. Paying tribute were: Eddie Cantor,
Danny Kaye,
Doris Day,
Al Jolson,
Dinah Shore,
Johnny Mercer,
Frances Langford,
Gordon McRae,
Rudy Vallee,
Max Steiner and an orchestra of 96
pieces. A personal tribute was also delivered by
Jack L. Warner.
