Marlin Skiles

Pianist, arranger and composer Marlin 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 1920's, 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 (1947). 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 1950's and retired in 1971.