Frank De Vol, 1911-1999

I was born in the 1970s, and grew up watching reruns of The Brady Bunch in syndication. I remember seeing in the credits, the line, "Music by De Vol", and thinking to myself that this was a bit odd, and wondering who or what this "De Vol" was. The answer, of course, is composer Frank De Vol.

What I didn't know at the time is that he was actually a serious composer, and not just responsible for frivolous TV stuff like the Brady Bunch or My Three Sons. Indeed, he wrote scores to something like 40 movies, and earned four Oscar nominations along the way, including Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte. He also became one of the very few composers to share writing credits on a hit with Motown's famous Holland/Dozier/Holland writing team when his music for The Happening became a #1 hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes.

De Vol also did acting, showing up as guest stars on TV shows, and small bits in movies, perhaps best recognizable in The Parent Trap.

So the next time you see the credit "Music by De Vol", there's more to the man than you might have thought.