Marlin Skiles
Marlin Skiles (1906–1981) was an American composer of film and television scores. Pianist, arranger and composer Skiles was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in December 1906. He studied music at his local conservatory, later perfecting his training under Ernst Toch in Los Angeles. By the 1920s, he was employed as a pianist, arranger and orchestrator with big name dance bands like those of Paul Whiteman and Irving Aaronson and His Commanders. In Hollywood from 1932, he was under contract at Republic and Columbia (1944–1948), often writing incidental music for second features. He occasionally composed original soundtracks for better productions, like A Thousand and One Nights (1945) or Dead Reckoning (1946). Skiles served as musical director for Columbia's mega-hit Gilda (1946), starring Rita Hayworth in her most famous role. He became a member of ASCAP that same year. Skiles worked as a free-lancer from the 1950s and retired in 1971. From Marlin Skiles at IMDb. Skiles and his orchestra provided music for the CBS radio program Crime Correspondent. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Harrisburg (city in and county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States and Pennsylvania federated state capital city), Died May 1, 1981 (San Diego (seat of San Diego County, California, United States; second-largest city in California) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1934 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: arranger, composer, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-81975 | 10-in. | 3/22/1934 | Waitin' at the gate for Katy | Maurice Cross ; Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | arranger | |
| Victor | PCS-061221 | 12-in. | 5/1/1941 | Ballade of the duel | Robert Armbruster ; Donald Dickson ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | choral director | |
| Victor | PBS-061282 | 10-in. | 5/29/1941 | Northbound (The bootblack's song) | Donald Dickson ; William Hughes | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Skiles, Marlin," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110092.
Skiles, Marlin. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110092.
"Skiles, Marlin." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Skiles, Marlin - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no95045083
Wikidata: Marlin Skiles - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1902096
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/87289432
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1523875 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1523875
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