David Rose

British-born composer David Rose came to Hollywood in the early war years, contributing scores to such films as Winged Victory (1944) and Jupiter's Darling (1954) He worked extensively as an orchestra leader on radio, and in this capacity began a long and lucrative association with Red Skelton, with whom Rose stayed until Skelton's final TV program in 1971. Skelton's theme song, "Holiday For Strings," was written by Rose, as were the leitmotifs of Skelton's many characters (Rose's clip-clop theme for Freddy the Freeloader was titled "Lovable Clown"). Another sterling contribution to television history was Rose's evocative theme music for Bonanza, though he couldn't be held responsible for the song's silly lyrics (by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans), which were sung by the cast once...and only once. His many compositions aside, David Rose is remembered by media buffs for two high-profile marriages: first to Martha Raye (1938-1940), then to Judy Garland (1941-1945).

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide