Polish-born composer and violinist, under contract at RKO from 1938.
Sawtell was initially hired as a writer of music for serialised B-pictures, which included the 'Mexican
Spitfire' and 'Falcon' series. In the
1940s, he free-lanced for two of the so-called Poverty Row studios (Eagle-Lion and Republic) before joining Universal in 1944. There, Sawtell scored two noteworthy entries in the Basil Rathbone/ Nigel Bruce 'Sherlock Holmes' cycle of
films:
Die Perle der Borgia (1944) and
Die Kralle (1944). He
later returned to RKO and wrote a number of scores in collaboration with
Roy Webb,among them several
'Tarzan' outings for producer Sol Lesser.
In the
1950s, Sawtell formed a fruitful and (importantly, for the studios) cost-effective partnership with pianist/composer Bert Shefter.
The duo worked on many low-budget horror and science fiction films. The
best of which were for Irwin Allen
and included
Fünf Wochen im Ballon (1962)
and
Unternehmen Feuergürtel (1961).
On his own, Sawtell scored the sci-fi cult classic
Die Fliege (1958). His solo work was
prolific, to say the least: literally hundreds of credits
as composer or musical director for film and television. His prodigious output was
apparently motivated by a pressing need to provide alimony for several
ex-wives!
