Movie composer Bronislaw Kaper wrote hits for a number of Hollywood films from the mid-'30s through the late '60s. Born in 1902 in Warsaw, Poland, Kaper studied at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, then later worked as a composer and conductor in Warsaw, Berlin, Vienna, London, and Paris. Kaper composed concert pieces and movie music, often in collaboration with Austrian composer Walter Jurman.

He emigrated to the U.S. in 1935, and became a successful Hollywood composer. He not only wrote successful scores for MGM, but also many hit songs, usually with chief collaborator lyricist Gus Kahn. Kaper also worked in Hollywood as an arranger, conductor, and musical director. Other projects of Kaper's include adapting Chopin for Broadway's Polonaise, and writing for television, including the theme of The F.B.I. show.

Some of Kaper's best-known songs are "Cosi Cosa," "You're All I Need" (1935), "San Francisco" (1936), "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," "Someone to Care For Me" (1937), "On Green Dolphin Street" (1947), "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" (1953), and "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956). In addition to his work with Jurman and Kahn, Kaper wrote songs with Helen Deutsch, Paul Francis Webster, and Sammy Cahn. The long list of '50s and '60s films featuring music by Kaper includes Red Badge of Courage (1951), The Naked Spur (1953), The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), and Lord Jim (1965).

Joslyn Layne —All Music Guide