Nicholas Brodzsky
Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (April 20, 1905December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films. Brodszky was born in Odessa, today Ukraine (previously in Russian Empire, 1772–1917), into a Jewish family, who moved to Budapest during the civil war in Russia. He spent many years studying and working in Rome, Vienna, Berlin and Budapest.
Nicholas Brodzsky
- Name
- Nicholas Brodszky
- Born
- 20 April 1905
- Birthplace
- Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
- Died
- 24 December 1958
- Place of death
- Hollywood, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Composer, songwriter
- Awards
- 5× Oscar nominee, Academy Award for Best Original Song
- Nationality
- Russian Empire, Hungary and United States.
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Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (April 20, 1905December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films. Brodszky was born in Odessa, today Ukraine (previously in Russian Empire, 1772–1917), into a Jewish family, who moved to Budapest during the civil war in Russia. He spent many years studying and working in Rome, Vienna, Berlin and Budapest.
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Nicholas Brodzsky (1905–1958) was a composer, film score composer and musician, among other activities, of Hungarian and Russian nationality. The composer was born in Odesa and died in Hollywood.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q1991393
In this article
Biography
Biography
In the 1920s he contributed songs to Viennese operettas. His first film was made in Vienna in 1930 and featured Richard Tauber and Gitta Alpar. He wrote the music for C B Cochran and A P Herbert's coronation revue Home and Beauty at the Adelphi Theatre in 1937. After a decade in the film industry in Germany and Austria, always keeping one step ahead of the rising Nazi party, he emigrated to the UK at the end of the 1930s. There he had some success providing music for the Terence Rattigan scripted film French Without Tears (1939), and The Way to the Stars (1949), both directed by Anthony Asquith. He also wrote the score for the Yiddish language film Der Purimspieler (1939). He emigrated once again to the United States at the end of the 1940s. In Hollywood, he composed for many musical films including The Toast of New Orleans (1950); Rich, Young and Pretty (1951); Because You're Mine (1952); Small Town Girl (1953); The Student Prince (1954); Love Me or Leave Me (1955); and Serenade (1956). Among the hit songs he wrote with lyricist Sammy Cahn were "Be My Love" (his most popular song, from The Toast of New Orleans), "I'll Never Stop Loving You," "Because You're Mine," "Serenade," and "My Destiny." He wrote three songs for The Student Prince: "Summertime in Heidelberg," "Beloved," and "I'll Walk with God" (with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) to supplement the Sigmund Romberg musical score for the 1954 filmed version. Recordings of "Be My Love" and "Because You're Mine" made by the famous 1950s tenor and movie star Mario Lanza were million-seller hits (gold records) on the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Five of Nicholas Brodszky's musical compositions were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Song: • 1950, "Be My Love" • 1951, "Wonder Why" • 1952, "Because You're Mine" • 1953, "My Flaming Heart" • 1955, "I'll Never Stop Loving You" Brodszky was a tunesmith who always needed the help of arrangers and assistants to turn his ideas into finished compositions. These assistants included Roy Douglas, Philip Green, Skip Martin, Clive Richardson, Mischa Spoliansky, Albert Sendrey, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams, but they were rarely credited. Lionel Salter termed Brodszky a 'near-illiterate.' He died in Hollywood, California in 1958, aged 53.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Nicholas Brodszky • Native Name — Николас Бродский • Other Names — "Slug" Brodszky • Birth Name — Nicholas Brodszky • Born — 20 April 1905 • Birthplace — Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) • Died — 24 December 1958 • Place of death — Hollywood, California, U.S. • Occupation — Composer, songwriter • Years Active — 1932–1958 • Notable Works — “Be My Love”; “Because You're Mine”; “I'll Never Stop Loving You”; “I’ll Walk with God”; “Serenade” • Awards — 5× Oscar nominee, Academy Award for Best Original Song
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• The Big Attraction (1931) • The Virtuous Sinner (1931) • Gitta Discovers Her Heart (1932) • Scandal in Budapest (1933) • Romance in Budapest (1933) • Peter (1934) • Unripe Fruit (1934) • A Precocious Girl (1934) • Little Mother (1935) • Guilty Melody (1936) • Catherine the Last (1936) • Der Purimspieler (1939) • Quiet Wedding (1941) • Freedom Radio (1941) • The Demi-Paradise (1943) • Tomorrow We Live (1943) • English Without Tears (1944) • Carnival (1946) • A Man About the House (1947) • While the Sun Shines (1947) • The Toast of New Orleans (1950) • Rich, Young and Pretty (1951) • Because You're Mine (1952) • Small Town Girl (1953) • The Student Prince (1954) • Love Me or Leave Me (1955) • Serenade (1956) • Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
Works and production
Works and production
Nicholas Brodzsky is recorded with the occupation composer. It is also recorded that nicholas Brodzsky is recorded with the occupation songwriter. It is also recorded that nicholas Brodzsky is recorded with the occupation film score composer. Recorded with the occupation musician. Institutional cataloguing adds that nicholas Brodzsky is recorded as a citizen of United States. Recorded with the gender male. Institutional cataloguing adds that nicholas Brodzsky was born on 20 April 1905. The same evidence establishes that nicholas Brodzsky died on 24 December 1958.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Odesa.
Birth place
Hollywood.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Nicholas Brodszky. Presto Music.
- 2.Nicholas Brodszky. Discogs.
- 3.Jean Sterling Mackinlay. The Musical Times. 100. 1392. 101–101. 1959. 0027-4666.
- 4.British Film Composers complete listing A - F. www.musicweb-international.com.
- 5.The Golden Age of Light Music: British Cinema & Theatre Orchestras - Vol. 3 Login Guildmusic - Onlineshop f?r CDs und DVDs aus Klassik, Weltmusik, Jazz, Blues, Gospel. www.guildmusic.com.
- 6.Nicholas Brodszky Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio . AllMusic.
- 7.Destination London: German-Speaking Emigrés and British Cinema, 1925-1950. www.berghahnbooks.com.
- 8.Nicholas Brodszky Composer, Music Department, Soundtrack. IMDb.
- 9.Sounds Of Yesteryear. The Music of Nicholas Brodsky – The Way to the Stars. Amazon.co.uk. 2021-12-10.
- 10.Nicholas Brodszky - Awards. IMDb.
- 11.AFI Catalog. Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957).
References
Citations
References
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Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1991393: Nicholas BrodzskyWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witness
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This entry is compiled from 3 catalogued sources across 3 independent registers. The registers consulted are Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation and National Library of Medicine. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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