# Edward J. Kay

Edward J. Kay (November 27, 1898 – December 22, 1973) was an American film composer and musical director, who worked on over 340 films from the 1930s into the 1960s, and was nominated on multiple occasions for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, although he never won. On his last film, 1962's The Creation of the Humanoids, he was also a producer.
In 1941, Kay was nominated for King of the Zombies, but lost to Bernard Herrmann for All That Money Can Buy. The following year, Kay was nominated for Klondike Fury, losing to Max Steiner, for Now, Voyager. Kay was nominated in 1943 for Lady, Let's Dance, losing to Morris Stoloff and Carmen Dragon for Cover Girl. Finally, in 1945, Kay was nominated for his work on two films, G. I. Honeymoon in the comedy/drama category, and Sunbonnet Sue in the musical category; Kay lost in both categories, to Miklós Rózsa, for Spellbound, and to Georgie Stoll for Anchors Aweigh, respectively. Kay was the only composer to substitute for Lee Zahler on a Columbia Pictures production between 1938 and 1947, when Kay composed for Brenda Starr Reporter in 1945. Kay was a frequent collaborator with director William Beaudine.
Kay was born in New York City, and died in Los Angeles County, California.

## Selected filmography

Films for which Edward J. Kay composed or directed music include:
| Film | Year |
| Gangster's Boy | 1938 |
| The Mystery of Mr. Wong | 1939 |
| Wolf Call | 1939 |
| Undercover Agent | 1939 |
| The Streets of New York | 1939 |
| Mr. Wong in Chinatown | 1939 |
| Irish Luck | 1939 |
| Doomed to Die | 1940 |
| Phantom of Chinatown | 1940 |
| Hidden Enemy | 1940 |
| The Ape | 1940 |
| Up in the Air | 1940 |
| Son of the Navy | 1940 |
| King of the Zombies | 1941 |
| Arizona Bound | 1941 |
| No Greater Sin | 1941 |
| Secret Evidence | 1941 |
| Freckles Comes Home | 1942 |
| Bowery at Midnight | 1942 |
| Law of the Jungle | 1942 |
| Clancy Street Boys | 1943 |
| The Crime Smasher | 1943 |
| Women in Bondage | 1943 |
| Detective Kitty O'Day | 1944 |
| Bowery Champs | 1944 |
| Crazy Knights | 1944 |
| West of the Rio Grande | 1944 |
| Adventures of Kitty O'Day | 1945 |
| Allotment Wives | 1945 |
| Brenda Starr, Reporter | 1945 |
| Docks of New York | 1945 |
| G. I. Honeymoon | 1945 |
| Sunbonnet Sue | 1945 |
| Swing Parade of 1946 | 1946 |
| The Shadow Returns | 1946 |
| Bowery Bombshell | 1946 |
| Fear | 1946 |
| Dark Alibi | 1946 |
| In Fast Company | 1946 |
| Live Wires | 1946 |
| Mr. Hex | 1946 |
| Shadows Over Chinatown | 1946 |
| Spook Busters | 1946 |
| The Gay Cavalier | 1946 |
| Wife Wanted | 1946 |
| The Strange Mr. Gregory | 1946 |
| Ginger | 1946 |
| Fall Guy | 1947 |
| Jiggs and Maggie in Society | 1947 |
| Bowery Buckaroos | 1947 |
| Hard Boiled Mahoney | 1947 |
| News Hounds | 1947 |
| The Chinese Ring | 1947 |
| Violence | 1947 |
| Louisiana | 1947 |
| King of the Bandits | 1947 |
| Angels' Alley | 1948 |
| Jiggs and Maggie in Court | 1948 |
| Bungalow 13 | 1948 |
| Cowboy Cavalier | 1948 |
| Docks of New Orleans | 1948 |
| Shanghai Chest | 1948 |
| Smugglers' Cove | 1948 |
| The Golden Eye | 1948 |
| Trouble Makers | 1948 |
| The Feathered Serpent | 1948 |
| I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes | 1948 |
| Incident | 1948 |
| Jinx Money | 1948 |
| Kidnapped | 1948 |
| Silver Trails | 1948 |
| Back Trail | 1948 |
| Hidden Danger | 1948 |
| Triggerman | 1948 |
| Across the Rio Grande | 1949 |
| Forgotten Women | 1949 |
| Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters | 1949 |
| Trail of the Yukon | 1949 |
| Hold That Baby! | 1949 |
| Tuna Clipper | 1949 |
| Fighting Fools | 1949 |
| Law of the West | 1949 |
| Master Minds | 1949 |
| Stampede | 1949 |
| The Wolf Hunters | 1949 |
| Angels in Disguise | 1949 |
| Call of the Klondike | 1950 |
| The Admiral Was a Lady | 1950 |
| Triple Trouble | 1950 |
| Jiggs and Maggie Out West | 1950 |
| Snow Dog | 1950 |
| Blonde Dynamite | 1950 |
| Lucky Losers | 1950 |
| Blues Busters | 1950 |
| Gunslingers | 1950 |
| Northwest Territory | 1951 |
| Ghost Chasers | 1951 |
| Yukon Manhunt | 1951 |
| Crazy Over Horses | 1951 |
| Bowery Battalion | 1951 |
| I Was An American Spy | 1951 |
| Let's Go Navy! | 1951 |
| Rhythm Inn | 1951 |
| Jet Job | 1952 |
| Yukon Gold | 1952 |
| Hold That Line | 1952 |
| Here Come the Marines | 1952 |
| No Holds Barred | 1952 |
| Feudin' Fools | 1952 |
| Fangs of the Arctic | 1953 |
| Trail Blazers | 1953 |
| Mexican Manhunt | 1953 |
| Murder Without Tears | 1953 |
| Northern Patrol | 1953 |
| Tangier Incident | 1953 |
| Yukon Vengeance | 1954 |
| Highway Dragnet | 1954 |
| Las Vegas Shakedown | 1955 |
| Toughest Man Alive | 1955 |
| Johnny Rocco | 1958 |
| The Creation of the Humanoids | 1962 |