Saul Chaplin; Composer, Film Producer Won 3 Oscars

Saul Chaplin, three-time Academy Award-winning composer, arranger and producer who worked on 60 motion pictures, has died. He was 85.

Chaplin died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of injuries suffered in a fall.

The veteran music man shared Oscars for the best musical score in three classic motion pictures, “An American in Paris,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “West Side Story.”

He also served as associate producer of “West Side Story,” other films, including “Can-Can” and “The Sound of Music,” and the Oscars telecasts in the early 1970s.

Songs composed by Chaplin include “Please Be Kind,” “Until the Real Thing Comes Along,” “Saving Myself for You,” “Anniversary Song,” “Shoe Shine Boy” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen.”

A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Chaplin wrote the book “The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me.”

Born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, the son of a clothing manufacturer, Chaplin majored in accounting at New York University.

He played piano in his spare time and, after graduation, teamed with lyricist Sammy Cahn to write music for vaudeville.

Chaplin moved into films at Columbia in the 1940s and later worked for MGM.

He was music director for such films as “Kiss Me Kate,” “High Society” and “The Teahouse of the August Moon.”

“Les Girls” in 1957 listed Chaplin’s first credit as associate producer. He was first named producer for the 1967 film “Star!” and went on to produce, among other films, “That’s Entertainment, Part 2.”

Chaplin is survived by his wife, the former Betty Levin; his daughter, Judy Chaplin Prince; two grandchildren; and one great grandchild.

The family has asked that any memorial contributions be sent to the Stroke Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, to Project Angel Food or to the American Cancer Society.