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Frank De Vol

March 03, 2023

Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American actor, and using the name De Vol was an arranger and composer. As a composer he was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Frank De Vol
Frank De Vol in The Parent Trap (1961)
Born
Frank Denny De Vol

(1911-09-20)September 20, 1911
Moundsville, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 27, 1999(1999-10-27) (aged 88)
Lafayette, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Composer, actor, arranger
Years active1923–1999
Known forMovie and TV theme songs
Spouses
  • Grayce Agnes McGinty
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1935; died 1989)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1991; died 1993)​
Children2

Early life and career

De Vol was born in Moundsville in Marshall County in northern West Virginia, and was reared in Canton, Ohio. His father, Herman Frank De Vol, was band-leader of the Grand Opera House in Canton, Ohio,[1] and his mother, Minnie Emma Humphreys De Vol, had worked in a sewing shop. He attended Miami University.

De Vol began composing music when he was 12.[1] When he was 14, he became a member of the Musicians' Union. After playing violin in his father's orchestra and appearances in a Chinese restaurant, he joined the Horace Heidt Orchestra in the 1930s, being responsible for the arrangements. Later, he toured with the Alvino Rey Orchestra, before embarking on his recording career.

Arrangements

By the time De Vol was 16, "he was doing arrangements with professional skill."[1] From the 1940s, De Vol wrote arrangements for the studio recordings of many top singers, including Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Dinah Shore, Doris Day, Vic Damone and Jaye P. Morgan. His single most famous arrangement is probably the haunting string and piano accompaniment to Cole's "Nature Boy", which was a United States Number One in 1948. That same year, he released a version of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" (Capitol Records 15420), that he arranged and sang lead vocals on.

In 1966–1967, he arranged the soundtrack for the 1967 Columbia Pictures comedy film The Happening starring Anthony Quinn and co-produced The Supremes recording of the theme from the film with Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland which became a #1 American pop hit later that year.

Mood music

The success of "Nature Boy", recorded for Capitol Records, led to an executive position for De Vol at the rival Columbia Records. There, he recorded a series of orchestral mood music albums under the studio name "Music by De Vol" (which he also used for some of his film and TV work). The 1959 album Bacchanal! (The Passions and Pageantry of Gods and Goddesses of Mythology) is an acclaimed example of De Vol's mood music; each track is by English composer Albert Harris and is named after a god or goddess of Greek mythology.

Concert appearances

In the 1950s, De Vol's orchestra played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium under the concert name "Music of the Century".

Radio

De Vol's orchestra and arrangements were available to radio stations via electrical transcriptions. His work was syndicated by Capitol Transcriptions,[2] for which he also was musical director.[3]

Hollywood

De Vol wrote the scores for many Hollywood movies, receiving Academy Award nominations for four of them: Pillow Talk (1959), Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Cat Ballou (1965) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).

De Vol's numerous scores included Kiss Me Deadly (1955), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), McLintock! (1963), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Hustle (1975), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) and Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). He also scored many Doris Day comedies and films for director Robert Aldrich.

De Vol also composed the jingle for the Screen Gems' "Dancing Sticks" logo (1963–1965), which appeared on all television series produced by the television division of Columbia Pictures.

Television work

De Vol was musical director (and occasionally seen) on Edgar Bergen's CBS Television prime-time game show Do You Trust Your Wife? (1956-1957). "Frank De Vol's orchestra" was featured on the NBC Television prime-time musical variety series The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney (1957-1958). During this time, he appeared on The Betty White Show (1954) and Rod Cameron's syndicated State Trooper. In 1964 he was seen in an episode during the first season of, My Favorite Martian and several guest spots on different television shows throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he appeared as the ironically named dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show satire/parody Fernwood 2 Night (1977) and America 2-Night (1978).

De Vol is best recognized for his television theme tunes, like Family Affair, The Brady Bunch and My Three Sons.[4] The My Three Sons theme was musically complex, with a marimba playing a triplet obligato (the famous tune "Chopsticks") over the melody in 4
4 time, and was a hit single in 1961. He composed scores for episodes of McCloud and The Love Boat, amongst other work for television.

Beginning in 1969, "The Fuzz" became the theme song of Brazilian television newscast Jornal Nacional.

Acting

De Vol was also an actor specializing in deadpan comic characters, especially as the dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show parodies Fernwood 2 Night and America 2-Night, in 1977–78. He also had a recurring role in I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, as Myron Bannister, Dickens & Fenster's boss; as well as appearances on The Cara Williams Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Gidget, Bonanza, Petticoat Junction - (1967 episode: "That Was the Night That Was" & 1969 episode: "The Organ Fund" - as Reverend Barton), Mickey starring Mickey Rooney, The Brady Bunch, Get Smart (at least 2 appearances as Professor Carleton) and The Jeffersons. De Vol had also comic roles as Chief Eaglewood, the head of the Thundercloud Boys' Camp in 1961's The Parent Trap, and as the onscreen narrator in Jerry Lewis's 1967 comedy film The Big Mouth.

De Vol also appeared as a bandleader in the last season of My Three Sons, in addition to writing the theme music and serving as in-house composer for most of the show's twelve seasons. He also scored most episodes of Family Affair, including many of the same incidental music cues as My Three Sons.

In 1980, he appeared in the second season of Diff'rent Strokes, episode 22 called, "The Slumber Party".

De Vol preferred to be credited as "Frank De Vol" for his acting appearances, and as "De Vol" for his musical work.[5]

Personal life and death

De Vol was initiated as an honorary member of the Gamma Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music, in 1962.

In the mid 1990s, when well into his eighties, De Vol was active in the Big Band Academy of America.

De Vol was married twice. His first marriage was to Grayce Agnes McGinty in 1935. This 54-year marriage produced two daughters, Linda Morehouse and Donna Copeland, and ended with Grayce's death in 1989. His second marriage was to television actress and big band singer Helen O'Connell from 1991 until her death in 1993.

De Vol died of congestive heart failure on October 27, 1999, in Lafayette, California.[6] He is interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills.

Filmography

Composer

Actor

Academy Award nominations

References

  1. ^ a b c Kramer, Lillian (March 16, 1947). "Doubling in Laughs" (PDF). Radio Life. p. 38. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  2. ^ "Capitol Transcriptions advertisement" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 28, 1948. p. 61. ISSN 1068-6827. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  3. ^ "Too Short for a Head". Billboard. April 20, 1946. p. 12. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ Woo, Elaine (October 29, 1999). "Studio Composer Frank DeVol Dies". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ McLintock! (DVD commentary).
  6. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (October 30, 1999). "Frank DeVol, 88, a Composer For Movies and TV Sitcoms". The New York Times.

External links

March 03, 2023
frank, frank, denny, september, 1911, october, 1999, american, actor, using, name, arranger, composer, composer, nominated, four, academy, awards, parent, trap, 1961, bornfrank, denny, 1911, september, 1911moundsville, west, virginia, diedoctober, 1999, 1999, . Frank Denny De Vol September 20 1911 October 27 1999 was an American actor and using the name De Vol was an arranger and composer As a composer he was nominated for four Academy Awards Frank De VolFrank De Vol in The Parent Trap 1961 BornFrank Denny De Vol 1911 09 20 September 20 1911Moundsville West Virginia U S DiedOctober 27 1999 1999 10 27 aged 88 Lafayette California U S Occupation s Composer actor arrangerYears active1923 1999Known forMovie and TV theme songsSpousesGrayce Agnes McGinty m 1935 died 1989 wbr Helen O Connell m 1991 died 1993 wbr Children2 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Arrangements 3 Mood music 4 Concert appearances 5 Radio 6 Hollywood 7 Television work 8 Acting 9 Personal life and death 10 Filmography 10 1 Composer 10 2 Actor 11 Academy Award nominations 12 References 13 External linksEarly life and career EditDe Vol was born in Moundsville in Marshall County in northern West Virginia and was reared in Canton Ohio His father Herman Frank De Vol was band leader of the Grand Opera House in Canton Ohio 1 and his mother Minnie Emma Humphreys De Vol had worked in a sewing shop He attended Miami University De Vol began composing music when he was 12 1 When he was 14 he became a member of the Musicians Union After playing violin in his father s orchestra and appearances in a Chinese restaurant he joined the Horace Heidt Orchestra in the 1930s being responsible for the arrangements Later he toured with the Alvino Rey Orchestra before embarking on his recording career Arrangements EditBy the time De Vol was 16 he was doing arrangements with professional skill 1 From the 1940s De Vol wrote arrangements for the studio recordings of many top singers including Nat King Cole Ella Fitzgerald Sarah Vaughan Tony Bennett Dinah Shore Doris Day Vic Damone and Jaye P Morgan His single most famous arrangement is probably the haunting string and piano accompaniment to Cole s Nature Boy which was a United States Number One in 1948 That same year he released a version of The Teddy Bears Picnic Capitol Records 15420 that he arranged and sang lead vocals on In 1966 1967 he arranged the soundtrack for the 1967 Columbia Pictures comedy film The Happening starring Anthony Quinn and co produced The Supremes recording of the theme from the film with Motown producers Holland Dozier Holland which became a 1 American pop hit later that year Mood music EditThe success of Nature Boy recorded for Capitol Records led to an executive position for De Vol at the rival Columbia Records There he recorded a series of orchestral mood music albums under the studio name Music by De Vol which he also used for some of his film and TV work The 1959 album Bacchanal The Passions and Pageantry of Gods and Goddesses of Mythology is an acclaimed example of De Vol s mood music each track is by English composer Albert Harris and is named after a god or goddess of Greek mythology Concert appearances EditIn the 1950s De Vol s orchestra played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium under the concert name Music of the Century Radio EditDe Vol s orchestra and arrangements were available to radio stations via electrical transcriptions His work was syndicated by Capitol Transcriptions 2 for which he also was musical director 3 Hollywood EditDe Vol wrote the scores for many Hollywood movies receiving Academy Award nominations for four of them Pillow Talk 1959 Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964 Cat Ballou 1965 and Guess Who s Coming to Dinner 1967 De Vol s numerous scores included Kiss Me Deadly 1955 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane 1962 McLintock 1963 The Flight of the Phoenix 1965 The Glass Bottom Boat 1966 The Dirty Dozen 1967 Hustle 1975 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo 1977 and Herbie Goes Bananas 1980 He also scored many Doris Day comedies and films for director Robert Aldrich De Vol also composed the jingle for the Screen Gems Dancing Sticks logo 1963 1965 which appeared on all television series produced by the television division of Columbia Pictures Television work EditDe Vol was musical director and occasionally seen on Edgar Bergen s CBS Television prime time game show Do You Trust Your Wife 1956 1957 Frank De Vol s orchestra was featured on the NBC Television prime time musical variety series The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney 1957 1958 During this time he appeared on The Betty White Show 1954 and Rod Cameron s syndicated State Trooper In 1964 he was seen in an episode during the first season of My Favorite Martian and several guest spots on different television shows throughout the 1960s In the 1970s he appeared as the ironically named dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show satire parody Fernwood 2 Night 1977 and America 2 Night 1978 De Vol is best recognized for his television theme tunes like Family Affair The Brady Bunch and My Three Sons 4 The My Three Sons theme was musically complex with a marimba playing a triplet obligato the famous tune Chopsticks over the melody in 44 time and was a hit single in 1961 He composed scores for episodes of McCloud and The Love Boat amongst other work for television Beginning in 1969 The Fuzz became the theme song of Brazilian television newscast Jornal Nacional Acting EditDe Vol was also an actor specializing in deadpan comic characters especially as the dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show parodies Fernwood 2 Night and America 2 Night in 1977 78 He also had a recurring role in I m Dickens He s Fenster as Myron Bannister Dickens amp Fenster s boss as well as appearances on The Cara Williams Show I Dream of Jeannie Gidget Bonanza Petticoat Junction 1967 episode That Was the Night That Was amp 1969 episode The Organ Fund as Reverend Barton Mickey starring Mickey Rooney The Brady Bunch Get Smart at least 2 appearances as Professor Carleton and The Jeffersons De Vol had also comic roles as Chief Eaglewood the head of the Thundercloud Boys Camp in 1961 s The Parent Trap and as the onscreen narrator in Jerry Lewis s 1967 comedy film The Big Mouth De Vol also appeared as a bandleader in the last season of My Three Sons in addition to writing the theme music and serving as in house composer for most of the show s twelve seasons He also scored most episodes of Family Affair including many of the same incidental music cues as My Three Sons In 1980 he appeared in the second season of Diff rent Strokes episode 22 called The Slumber Party De Vol preferred to be credited as Frank De Vol for his acting appearances and as De Vol for his musical work 5 Personal life and death EditDe Vol was initiated as an honorary member of the Gamma Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia the national fraternity for men in music in 1962 In the mid 1990s when well into his eighties De Vol was active in the Big Band Academy of America De Vol was married twice His first marriage was to Grayce Agnes McGinty in 1935 This 54 year marriage produced two daughters Linda Morehouse and Donna Copeland and ended with Grayce s death in 1989 His second marriage was to television actress and big band singer Helen O Connell from 1991 until her death in 1993 De Vol died of congestive heart failure on October 27 1999 in Lafayette California 6 He is interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills Filmography EditComposer Edit World for Ransom 1954 Kiss Me Deadly 1955 The Big Knife 1955 Attack 1956 The Ride Back 1957 Johnny Trouble 1957 Pillow Talk 1959 Murder Inc 1960 Lover Come Back 1961 Boys Night Out 1962 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane 1962 The Thrill of It All 1963 For Love or Money 1963 Under the Yum Yum Tree 1963 McLintock 1963 The Wheeler Dealers 1963 Good Neighbor Sam 1964 Send Me No Flowers 1964 Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964 Cat Ballou 1965 The Flight of the Phoenix 1965 The Glass Bottom Boat 1966 Texas Across the River 1966 The Ballad of Josie 1967 The Happening 1967 Caprice 1967 Guess Who s Coming to Dinner 1967 The Dirty Dozen 1967 What s So Bad About Feeling Good 1968 The Legend of Lylah Clare 1968 Krakatoa East of Java 1969 Ulzana s Raid 1972 Emperor of the North Pole 1973 The Longest Yard 1974 Doc Savage The Man of Bronze 1975 Hustle 1975 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo 1977 The Choirboys 1977 The Frisco Kid 1979 Herbie Goes Bananas 1980 All the Marbles 1981 Actor Edit The Parent Trap 1961 Mr Eaglewood Boys Night Out 1962 One of the guys in the hallway uncredited A Very Special Favor 1965 Desk Clerk The Big Mouth 1967 Bogart W C Fields and Me 1976 Undertaker uncredited The Frisco Kid 1979 Piano Player Old TimerAcademy Award nominations EditPillow Talk 1959 Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964 Cat Ballou 1965 Guess Who s Coming to Dinner 1967 References Edit a b c Kramer Lillian March 16 1947 Doubling in Laughs PDF Radio Life p 38 Retrieved May 21 2017 Capitol Transcriptions advertisement PDF Broadcasting June 28 1948 p 61 ISSN 1068 6827 Retrieved May 21 2017 Too Short for a Head Billboard April 20 1946 p 12 ISSN 0006 2510 Woo Elaine October 29 1999 Studio Composer Frank DeVol Dies Los Angeles Times McLintock DVD commentary Saxon Wolfgang October 30 1999 Frank DeVol 88 a Composer For Movies and TV Sitcoms The New York Times External links EditFrank De Vol at AllMusic Frank De Vol discography at Discogs Frank De Vol at IMDb Frank De Vol Archived 2018 05 29 at the Wayback Machine papers at the American Heritage Center Frank De Vol at Find a Grave Frank De Vol Interview NAMM Oral History Library 1999 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frank De Vol amp oldid 1124309889, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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