American filmmaker Arthur Freed began his lifelong love affair with popular music while working as a song plugger and vaudeville performer. His first big hit as a songwriter was the plaintive ballad "I Cried For You." After playing the nightclub circuit, Freed was hired by MGM in 1928 to write songs for the studio's new musical department. Usually teamed with Nacio Herb Brown, Freed was responsible for most of the top tunes heard in MGM's early-talkie manifest, including "Broadway Melody," "My Lucky Star," "Wedding of the Painted Doll," and the Oscar-winning "Singin' in the Rain." Even after the first cycle of musical films had passed, Freed was still churning out such classics as "Temptation."
Appointed associate producer of MGM's 1939 The Wizard of Oz, Freed became fascinated with the concept of the "integrated" musical, wherein the songs are important to the storyline (and vice versa) rather than being mere disposable "highlights." After Wizard, Freed was given his own production unit at MGM, where he immediately went to work changing the face of filmed musicals. When one uses the phrase "MGM musicals," one is generally speaking of such Freed-produced films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Harvey Girls (1948) rather than the conventional operetta-style endeavors filmed by the rival Joe Pasternak unit. Freed developed and nurtured such talents as Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Stanley Donen, Vincente Minnelli, Andre Previn and Michael Kidd. He also gave Fred Astaire's flagging career a shot in the arm with such productions as Easter Parade (1948) and The Band Wagon (1953). While it was An American in Paris (1951) and Gigi (1958) that attracted all the Oscars, Freed's masterpiece was Singin' in the Rain (1952), a brilliant musical spoof of the early-talkie era. (Millard Mitchell's portrayal in Rain of studio head R. K. Simpson is said to be based on Freed himself). Freed left MGM in 1961, at a time when his brand of pure-cinema musical was on the outs and big-budget adaptations of Broadway hits (West Side Story, The Music Man) were the current rage. From 1963 through 1966, Freed served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, applying his showmanship savvy to the annual Oscar telecast.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Angel Heart
Featured Music |
1987 | |||
|
Drive, He Said
Featured Music |
1971 | |||
|
Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding
Featured Music |
1967 | |||
|
Light in the Piazza
Producer |
1962 | |||
|
Bells Are Ringing
Producer |
1960 | |||
|
The Subterraneans
Producer |
1960 | |||
|
Gigi
Producer |
1958 | |||
|
Silk Stockings
Producer |
1957 | |||
|
Invitation to the Dance
Producer |
1956 | |||
|
It's Always Fair Weather
Producer |
1955 | |||
|
Kismet
Producer |
1955 | |||
|
Brigadoon
Producer |
1954 | |||
|
The Band Wagon
Producer |
1953 | |||
|
Singin' in the Rain
Composer (Music Score), Lyricist, Producer |
1952 | |||
|
The Belle of New York
Producer |
1952 | |||
|
An American in Paris
Producer |
1951 | |||
|
Royal Wedding
Producer |
1951 | |||
|
Show Boat
Producer |
1951 | |||
|
Annie Get Your Gun
Producer |
1950 | |||
|
Crisis
Producer |
1950 | |||
|
Pagan Love Song
Producer, Songwriter |
1950 | |||
|
Any Number Can Play
Producer |
1949 | |||
|
On the Town
Producer |
1949 | |||
|
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Producer |
1949 | |||
|
The Barkleys of Broadway
Producer |
1949 | |||
|
Easter Parade
Producer |
1948 | |||
|
Summer Holiday
Producer |
1948 | |||
|
The Pirate
Producer |
1948 | |||
|
Words and Music
Producer |
1948 | |||
|
Good News
Producer |
1947 | |||
|
The Harvey Girls
Producer |
1946 | |||
|
Till the Clouds Roll By
Producer |
1946 | |||
|
Ziegfeld Follies
Composer (Music Score), Producer |
1946 | |||
|
The Clock
Producer |
1945 | |||
|
Yolanda and the Thief
Producer, Songwriter |
1945 | |||
|
Meet Me in St. Louis
Producer |
1944 | |||
|
This Happy Breed
Songwriter |
1944 | |||
|
Best Foot Forward
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
Cabin in the Sky
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
Du Barry Was a Lady
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
Girl Crazy
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
For Me and My Gal
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Panama Hattie
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Babes on Broadway
Producer |
1941 | |||
|
Lady Be Good
Producer |
1941 | |||
|
Little Nellie Kelly
Producer |
1940 | |||
|
Strike up the Band
Producer |
1940 | |||
|
Babes in Arms
Producer, Songwriter |
1939 | |||
|
Broadway Melody of 1938
Composer (Music Score) |
1937 | |||
|
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
Songwriter |
1937 | |||
|
Wells Fargo
Songwriter |
1937 | |||
|
After the Thin Man
Songwriter |
1936 | |||
|
The Devil Is a Sissy
Songwriter |
1936 | |||
|
Broadway Melody of 1936
Composer (Music Score) |
1935 | |||
|
Sadie McKee
Songwriter |
1934 | |||
|
Dancing Lady
Composer (Music Score) |
1933 | |||
|
Going Hollywood
Composer (Music Score) |
1933 | |||
|
Hold Your Man
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1933 | |||
|
Should Ladies Behave?
Songwriter |
1933 | |||
|
Stage Mother
Songwriter |
1933 | |||
|
Blondie of the Follies
Songwriter |
1932 | |||
|
Never the Twain Shall Meet
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1931 | |||
|
The Prodigal
Composer (Music Score) |
1931 | |||
|
Montana Moon
Composer (Music Score) |
1930 | |||
|
Those Three French Girls
Songwriter |
1930 | |||
|
The Broadway Melody
Composer (Music Score), Lyricist |
1929 | |||
|
The Pagan
Composer (Music Score) |
1929 |









