When Welles gained his RKO Pictures contract, Herrmann worked for him. He wrote his first film score for "Citizen Kane" (1941) and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Score of a Dramatic Picture. He composed the score for Welles's "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942); like the film, the music was heavily edited by RKO Pictures. When more than half of his score was removed from the soundtrack, Herrmann bitterly severed his ties with the film and promised legal action if his name were not removed from the credits.