Fred Steiner

Fred Steiner was interviewed for over four hours in Sante Fe, New Mexico.  Steiner talks about breaking into the business as an arranger / orchestrator in network radio in the 1940s and details some of the first radio scores he wrote for legendary producer-director Norman Corwin.  He discusses his work as composer for the radio series This Is Your F.B.I., his move to Los Angeles, and his compositions for the anthology series Playhouse 90.  Steiner speaks on composing the jazzy theme for Perry Mason and describes several of the episode scores he wrote for landmark series The Twilight Zone and Star Trek.  Steiner reminisces about CBS West Coast music director Lud Gluskin, and explains his own studies in musicology -- including receiving a Ph.D. from USC.  B-roll consists of several photos from Steiner’s career conducting for radio’s This Is Your F.B.I. and a shot of the scoring stage at 20th Century Fox.  Karen Herman conducted the interview on June 25, 2003.