Leigh Harline
Leigh Adrian Harline was an Academy Award-winning film composer and songwriter. He was born on 26 March 1907, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the son of soldier Charles Härlin and Jahanna Matilda Härlin. He was the youngest of 13 children. His parents came from the village of Härfsta in Simtuna parish, Sweden. They were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1888, and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1891. Once in the United States, they changed their surname to Harline. Leigh was baptized a member of the Church at age eight.
He attended Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and later studied at the University of Utah. After graduating from the University of Utah, he studied piano and organ with Mormon Tabernacle Choir conductor, J. Spencer Cornwall.
In 1928, he moved to California and worked as a composer, conductor, arranger, instrumentalist, singer, and announcer at radio stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He arranged music for the first transcontinental radio broadcast to originate from the West Coast in 1931, and was then hired by Walt Disney in 1932, where he scored over 50 tunes, including tunes for the Silly Symphonies cartoon series in the 1930s. He became well known for his “musical sophistication that was uniquely ‘Harline-esque’ by weaving rich tapestries of mood-setting underscores and penning memorable melodies for animated shorts and features.”
He won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star,” featured in Disney’s classic film Pinocchio (1940). The tune later became the theme song for the Disney television series, The Wonderful World of Disney.
Leigh worked with Frank Churchill, Larry Morey, and Paul J. Smith on such Disney film tunes as “I’m Wishing,” “Whistle While You Work,” “Heigh-Ho,” and “Some Day My Prince Will Come” in Disney studio’s first animated feature-length cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
In 1940 he joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In 1941, he left Disney to compose for other studios. His impeccable list of credits includes Road to Utopia (1945), Nocturne (1946), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Monkey Business (1952), The Desert Rats (1953), Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Ten North Frederick (1958), The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964).
Leigh was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Musical (1943, 1944). He received his first Oscar nomination for “Someday My Prince Will Come.” He was nominated for Oscars for scoring The Pride of the Yankees, Johnny Come Lately, and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. He also composed for television, including series Ben Casey and Disney’s Daniel Boone. His other popular song compositions include “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee,” “Give a Little Whistle,” and “Jiminy Cricket.”
He died on 10 December 1969, in Long Beach, California, from complications from throat cancer, and is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery. He was inducted into the Disney Legends in 2001.
Follow Leigh Harline
Recent Posts
YouTube Sensation, World-Famous Entertainer, Lexi Mae Walker to Perform with Southwest Symphony Orchestra
At the young age of 11, Lexi Mae Walker became a YouTube sensation, starring as Elsa in Alex Boyé’s Africanized tribal cover video of Disney’s smash hit song “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen. Now, at just 17 years of age, the young Latter-day Saint has had the honor...
Father and Son, Merrill and Justin Osmond’s New Video Podcast Series “Sound Advice”
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Aaron Elvis Presley, who passed away at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack, and the Osmonds had a very special relationship. He particularly had a special bond with the matriarch of the Osmond family, Olive Davis Osmond, as she...
Alex Boyé, An Ambassador for Suicide Prevention, to Release Two Life-Changing Songs
Alex Boyé, a multicultural, multigenerational, global, independent artist with over 1 billion views on his YouTube channel, was born in England to Nigerian parents. He lived in Nigeria for a short time during his childhood but was then raised by foster parents in...
“Song of My Heart” – A Musical, Spiritual Journey
American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive, William “Smokey” Robinson Jr., is quoted as saying, “Songwriting is my gift from God.” And English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor, Edward Christopher Sheeran, is...
A Latter-day Saint Musician’s Journey from Writing Punk Music to a Grammy-Award Winning Composition
After purchasing an electric guitar at a flea market for $15 when he was a teenager, Lansing McLoskey soon discovered that writing punk music had a “do it yourself” kind of vibe. With his new found passion for the more popular genre, he wasted no time in giving up...
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square Presents a Special Easter Service
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Bells on Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble are pleased to announce a special Easter service - He Is Risen: A Sacred Easter Presentation. The service will take place on Friday, 19...