# Reginald Hazeltine Bassett

Reginald Hazeltine Bassett (September 3, 1878 – April 24, 1951) was an American composer and orchestrator who led a prolific career in film. He contributed music to over one hundred major movies from the 1920s to the 1940s. He is virtually unknown because he worked under a film studio system that not only controlled the copyrights to his music but also allowed others to take screen credit for his work.
Bassett worked collaboratively on film score compositions with other Hollywood composers from Ira Gershwin to Hugo Friedhofer:
   In any event, Friedhofer talks at length about Bassett in his oral history, mentioning the scores on which he worked with him (including Intermezzo and Gone With the Wind) and Bassett's association with Forbstein's predecessor at Warner Bros., Lou Silvers.

## Extant filmography

Selected filmography :
| Year | Film | Director | Role | Production Company | Notes |
| 1926 | The Volga Boatman | Cecil B. DeMille | Composer | Producers Distributing Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1926 | Bardelys the Magnificent | King Vidor | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1926 | What Price Glory? | Raoul Walsh | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1927 | 7th Heaven | Frank Borzage | Composer | William Fox Studio | Uncredited |
| 1927 | The Loves of Carmen | Raoul Walsh | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1927 | The Devil Dancer | Fred Niblo | Composer | Samuel Goldwyn Productions | Uncredited |
| 1927 | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans | F. W. Murnau | Composer | William Fox Studio | Uncredited |
| 1928 | Fazil | Howard Hawks | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Men Without Women | John Ford | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | High Society Blues | David Butler | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Second Floor Mystery | Roy Del Ruth | Composer mt | Warner Bros. | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Arizona Kid | Alfred Santell | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | On the Level | George Melford | Composer ac | Paramount Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Rough Romance | A.F. Erickson | Composer w/ P. Brunelli & A. Kay | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Good Intentions | William K. Howard | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | One Mad Kiss | Marcel Silver, James Tinling | Composer w/ P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Man Trouble | Berthold Viertel | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Sea Wolf | Alfred Santell | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Liliom | Frank Borzage | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Big Trail | Raoul Walsh | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Scotland Yard | William K. Howard | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Renegades | Victor Fleming | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Just Imagine | David Butler | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Part Time Wife | Leo McCarey | Composer w/ P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | The Man Who Came Back | Raoul Walsh | Composer mt&ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Men on Call | John G. Blystone | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | East Lynne | Frank Lloyd | Composer mt, w/P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Three Girls Lost | Sidney Lanfield | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Women of All Nations | Raoul Walsh | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Goldie | Benjamin Stoloff | Composer mt w/H. Friedhofer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Hush Money | Sidney Lanfield | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Transatlantic | William K. Howard | Composer mt w/H. Friedhofer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | The Spider | William Cameron Menzies | Composer mt w/G. Knight | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Wicked | Allan Dwan | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Riders of the Purple Sage | Hamilton MacFadden | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | The Yellow Ticket | Raoul Walsh | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Surrender | William K. Howard | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Good Sport | Kenneth MacKenna | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Rainbow Trail | David Howard | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Stepping Sisters | Seymour Felix | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Gay Caballero | Alfred L. Werker | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Trial of Vivienne Ware | William K. Howard | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | While Paris Sleeps | Allan Dwan | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Week Ends Only | Alan Crosland | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Bachelor's Affairs | Alfred L. Werker | Composer w/P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Almost Married | William Cameron Menzies | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | A Passport to Hell | Frank Lloyd | Composer w/H. Friedhofer & A. Lange | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Chandu the Magician | William Cameron Menzies | Composer w/P. Brunelli & L. DeFrancisco | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Wild Girl | Raoul Walsh | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Six Hours to Live | William Dieterle | Composer w/P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Sherlock Holmes | William K. Howard | Composer w/H. Friedhofer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | El Caballero de la Noche | James Tinling | Composer w/ P. Brunelli & H. Friedhofer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Tess of the Storm Country | Alfred Santell | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Handle with Care | David Butler | Composer w/ P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Robber's Roost | David Howard & Louis King | Composer mt | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Face in the Sky | Harry Lachman | Composer w/ P. Brunelli | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Dangerously Yours | Frank Tuttle | Composer w/L. DeFrancisco | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Trick for Trick | Hamilton MacFadden | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Zoo in Budapest | Rowland V. Lee | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | The Warrior's Husband | Walter Lang | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Hold Me Tight | David Butler | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Best of Enemies | Rian James | Composer w/ A. Lange | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | It's Great to Be Alive | Alfred L. Werker | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Shanghai Madness | John G. Blystone | Composer w/ J. Zamecnik & L. DeFrancesco | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Pilgrimage | John Ford | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Deluge | Felix E. Feist | Composer | K.B.S. Productions | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Paddy the Next Best Thing | Harry Lachman | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1934 | La Ciudad de Carton | Louis King | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1934 | No Greater Glory | Frank Borzage | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Whom the Gods Destroy | Walter Lang | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1934 | The World Moves On | John Ford | Composer w/L. DeFrancisco | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Have a Heart | David Butler | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1934 | One Night of Love | Victor Schertzinger | pan shot | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Student Tour | Charles Reisner | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Un Capitan de Cosacos | John Reinhardt | Composer ac | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Evelyn Prentice | William K. Howard | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1934 | The Gay Bride | Jack Conway | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1934 | The Band Plays On | Russell Mack | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Charlie Chan in Paris | Lewis Seiler & Hamilton MacFadden | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Society Doctor | George B. Seitz | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Shadow of Doubt | George B. Seitz | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1935 | One Frightened Night | Christy Cabanne | Composer | Mascot Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Our Little Girl | John S. Robertson | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | David Copperfield | George Cukor | Composer ac | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Charlie Chan in Egypt | Louis King | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Love Me Forever | Victor Schertzinger | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Mad Love | Karl Freund | Composer mt | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1935 | The Black Room | Roy William Neill | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Curly Top | Irving Cummings | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Victor Fleming | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Dante's Inferno | Harry Lachman | Composer | Fox Film Corporation | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Crime and Punishment | Josef von Sternberg | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Professional Soldier | Tay Garnett | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Tough Guy | Chester Franklin | Composer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The Prisoner of Shark Island | John Ford | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The Country Doctor | Henry King | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The Country Beyond | Eugene Forde | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Dimples | William A. Seiter | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Craig's Wife | Dorothy Arzner | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The Man Who Lived Twice | Harry Lachman | Composer | Columbia Pictures | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Sins of Man | Otto Brower | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The Road to Glory | Howard Hawks | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Lloyd's of London | Henry King | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Think Fast, Mr. Moto | Norman Foster | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1938 | International Settlement | Eugene Forde | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Stanley and Livingstone | Henry King | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Susannah of the Mounties | Walter Lang | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Western Union | Fritz Lang | Composer | 20th Century Fox | Uncredited |

## Music department

* Delicious (1931) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Igloo (1932) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Bird of Paradise (1932) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* My Lips Betray (1933) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Flying Down to Rio (1933) (music arranger) (uncredited)
* Midnight (1934) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Call It Murder (USA: reissue title)
* Chained (1934) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Sequoia (1934) (orchestrator) (uncredited)... aka Malibu
* The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger (1935) (composer: additional music) (uncredited) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka David Copperfield (USA: short title)
* The Night Is Young (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* The Casino Murder Case (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Baby Face Harrington (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Uncivil Warriors (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* One Frightened Night (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Mad Love (1935) (composer: title music) (uncredited); aka The Hands of Orlac (UK)
* Undersea Kingdom (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Adventure in Manhattan (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Manhattan Madness (UK)
* The Garden of Allah (1936) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Legion of Terror (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Theodora Goes Wild (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Stampede (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Two-Fisted Sheriff (1937) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* The Secret of Treasure Island (1938) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka The Secret of a Treasure Island (USA: poster title)
* The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka Robin Hood (Australia: TV title)
* City Streets (1938) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka Escape to Happiness (UK); aka Intermezzo (USA: short title)
* Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (USA: complete title)
* Gone with the Wind (1939) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* The Yearling (1946) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
* Batman and Robin (1949) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka The Adventures of Batman and Robin; aka The New Adventures of Batman and Robin
* Beyond the Purple Hills (it) (1950) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* The Big Gusher (1951) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* The Rough, Tough West (1952) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
* Saginaw Trail (1953) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)

## Family

Reginald Hazeltine Bassett was born September 3, 1878, in Oakland, California, to the marriage of James Madison Bassett (1830–1903) and Carrie Hazeltine (maiden; 1958–1943). He was married three times.
* Bassett first married on January 22, 1905, in Monterey, California, to Alyse Lourdes Hunt (maiden; 1880–1969), her first of four marriages. They divorced July 25, 1906, in San Francisco.
* Bassett married again on April 19, 1912, in Oakland, California, to Rosina E. McIntosh (maiden; 1891—1973), her first of two marriages. They divorced in 1916 in San Francisco.
* Bassett then married on July 25, 1927, in Santa Ana, California, to Estelle Carlton Day (maiden; 1885–1951), her third marriage. Estelle predeceased Reginald by eighty-two days.