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Created page with "{{short description|American actor and composer}} {{Infobox person | name = Frank De Vol | image = Frank_De_Vol_in_The_Parent_Trap_1961.jpg | caption = Frank De Vol in ''The Parent Trap'' (1961) | alt = | birth_name = Frank Denny De Vol | birth_date = {{birth date|1911|9|20}} | birth_place = {{nowrap|Moundsville, West Virginia, U.S.}} | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|10|27|1911|9|20}} | death_place =..."

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{{short description|American actor and composer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Frank De Vol
| image = Frank_De_Vol_in_The_Parent_Trap_1961.jpg
| caption = Frank De Vol in ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'' (1961)
| alt =
| birth_name = Frank Denny De Vol
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|9|20}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[Moundsville, West Virginia]], U.S.}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|10|27|1911|9|20}}
| death_place = {{nowrap|[[Lafayette, California]], U.S.}}
| known_for = Movie and TV theme songs
| occupation = [[Composer]], [[actor]], [[arranger]]
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Grayce Agnes McGinty|1935|1989|end=died}}|{{marriage|[[Helen O'Connell]]|1991|1993|end=died}}}}
| children = 2
| yearsactive = 1923–1999
}}

'''Frank Denny De Vol''' (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American [[actor]], and using the name '''De Vol''' was an [[arranger]] and [[composer]]. As a composer he was nominated for four [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Academy Awards]].

==Early life and career==
De Vol was born in [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]] in [[Marshall County, West Virginia|Marshall County]] in northern [[West Virginia]], and was reared in [[Canton, Ohio]]. His father, Herman Frank De Vol, was band-leader of the Grand Opera House in [[Canton, Ohio]],<ref name=rl>{{cite magazine |last1=Kramer |first1=Lillian |title=Doubling in Laughs |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Site-Early-Radio/Archive-Radio-Life-IDX/IDX/Radio-Life-1947-03-16-OCR-Page-0038.pdf |access-date=May 21, 2017 |magazine=Radio Life |date=March 16, 1947 |page=38}}</ref> and his mother, Minnie Emma Humphreys De Vol, had worked in a sewing shop. He attended [[Miami University]].

De Vol began composing music when he was 12.<ref name=rl/> When he was 14, he became a member of the Musicians' Union. After playing violin in his father's orchestra and appearances in a Chinese restaurant, he joined the [[Horace Heidt Orchestra]] in the 1930s, being responsible for the arrangements. Later, he toured with the [[Alvino Rey Orchestra]], before embarking on his recording career.

==Arrangements==
By the time De Vol was 16, "he was doing arrangements with professional skill."<ref name=rl/> From the 1940s, De Vol wrote arrangements for the studio recordings of many top singers, including [[Nat King Cole]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Sarah Vaughan]], [[Tony Bennett]], [[Dinah Shore]], [[Doris Day]], [[Vic Damone]] and [[Jaye P. Morgan]]. His single most famous arrangement is probably the haunting string and piano accompaniment to Cole's "[[Nature Boy]]", which was a United States [[Chart-topper|Number One]] in 1948. That same year, he released a version of "The [[Teddy Bears' Picnic]]" (Capitol Records 15420), that he arranged and sang lead vocals on.

In 1966–1967, he arranged the [[The Happening (1967 soundtrack)|soundtrack]] for the 1967 [[Columbia Pictures]] [[comedy film]] ''[[The Happening (1967 film)|The Happening]]'' starring [[Anthony Quinn]] and co-produced [[The Supremes]] recording of the [[The Happening (song)|theme from the film]] with [[Motown Records|Motown]] producers [[Holland–Dozier–Holland]] which became a #1 American pop hit later that year.

==Mood music==
The success of "Nature Boy", recorded for [[Capitol Records]], led to an executive position for De Vol at the rival [[Columbia Records]]. There, he recorded a series of orchestral [[mood music]] albums under the studio name "Music by De Vol" (which he also used for some of his film and TV work). The 1959 album ''[[Bacchanal! (The Passions and Pageantry of Gods and Goddesses of Mythology)]]'' is an acclaimed example of De Vol's mood music; each track is by English composer [[Albert Harris (composer)|Albert Harris]] and is named after a god or goddess of [[Greek mythology]].

==Concert appearances==
In the 1950s, De Vol's orchestra played frequently at the [[Hollywood Palladium]] under the concert name "Music of the Century".

==Radio==
De Vol's orchestra and arrangements were available to radio stations via [[electrical transcription]]s. His work was syndicated by Capitol Transcriptions,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Capitol Transcriptions advertisement |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-06-28-BC.pdf |access-date=May 21, 2017 |magazine=[[Broadcasting (magazine)|Broadcasting]] |page=61 |date=June 28, 1948 |issn=1068-6827}}</ref> for which he also was musical director.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Too Short for a Head |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0UEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Ginny+Simms+Show%22&pg=PT11 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=April 20, 1946 |page=12 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref>

==Hollywood==
De Vol wrote the scores for many Hollywood movies, receiving [[Academy Award]] nominations for four of them: ''[[Pillow Talk (film)|Pillow Talk]]'' (1959), ''[[Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte]]'' (1964), ''[[Cat Ballou]]'' (1965) and ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967).

De Vol's numerous scores included ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955), ''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]'' (1962), ''[[McLintock!]]'' (1963), ''[[The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)|The Flight of the Phoenix]]'' (1965), ''[[The Glass Bottom Boat]]'' (1966), ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' (1967), ''[[Hustle (1975 film)|Hustle]]'' (1975), ''[[Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo]]'' (1977) and ''[[Herbie Goes Bananas]]'' (1980). He also scored many [[Doris Day]] comedies and films for director [[Robert Aldrich]].

De Vol also composed the jingle for the [[Screen Gems]]' "Dancing Sticks" logo (1963–1965), which appeared on all television series produced by the television division of [[Columbia Pictures]].

==Television work==
De Vol was musical director (and occasionally seen) on [[Edgar Bergen]]'s [[CBS Television]] prime-time game show ''[[Do You Trust Your Wife?]]'' (1956-1957). "Frank De Vol's orchestra" was featured on the [[NBC television|NBC Television]] prime-time musical variety series ''[[The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney]]'' (1957-1958). During this time, he appeared on ''The Betty White Show'' (1954) and [[Rod Cameron (actor)|Rod Cameron]]'s [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] ''[[State Trooper (TV series)|State Trooper]]''. In 1964 he was seen in an episode during the first season of, ''[[My Favorite Martian]]'' and several guest spots on different television shows throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he appeared as the ironically named dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show satire/parody ''[[Fernwood 2 Night]]'' (1977) and ''[[America 2-Night]]'' (1978).

De Vol is best recognized for his television theme tunes, like ''[[Family Affair]]'', ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' and ''[[My Three Sons]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/29/news/mn-27575 |title=Studio Composer Frank DeVol Dies |first=Elaine |last=Woo |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 29, 1999}}</ref> The ''My Three Sons'' theme was musically complex, with a marimba playing a triplet [[obligato]] (the famous tune "Chopsticks") over the [[melody]] in [[4/4 time|{{music|time|4|4}} time]], and was a hit single in 1961. He composed scores for episodes of ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' and ''[[The Love Boat]]'', amongst other work for television.

Beginning in 1969, "The Fuzz" became the theme song of Brazilian television newscast ''[[Jornal Nacional]]''.

==Acting==
De Vol was also an actor specializing in deadpan comic characters, especially as the dour bandleader Happy Kyne on the talk show parodies ''[[Fernwood 2 Night]]'' and ''[[America 2-Night]]'', in 1977–78. He also had a recurring role in ''[[I'm Dickens, He's Fenster]]'', as Myron Bannister, Dickens & Fenster's boss; as well as appearances on ''[[The Cara Williams Show]]'', ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', ''[[Gidget (TV series)|Gidget]],'' ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'' - (1967 episode: "That Was the Night That Was" & 1969 episode: "The Organ Fund" - as Reverend Barton), ''[[Mickey (TV series)|Mickey]]'' starring [[Mickey Rooney]], ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'', ''[[Get Smart]]'' (at least 2 appearances as Professor Carleton) and ''[[The Jeffersons]]''. De Vol had also comic roles as Chief Eaglewood, the head of the Thundercloud Boys' Camp in 1961's ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'', and as the onscreen narrator in [[Jerry Lewis]]'s 1967 comedy film ''[[The Big Mouth]]''.

De Vol also appeared as a bandleader in the last season of ''[[My Three Sons]]'', in addition to writing the theme music and serving as in-house composer for most of the show's twelve seasons. He also scored most episodes of ''[[Family Affair]]'', including many of the same incidental music cues as ''My Three Sons''.

In 1980, he appeared in the second season of ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'', episode 22 called, "The Slumber Party".

De Vol preferred to be credited as "Frank De Vol" for his acting appearances, and as "De Vol" for his musical work.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=McLintock! |title-link=McLintock! |type=DVD commentary}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
De Vol was initiated as an honorary member of the Gamma Omega chapter of [[Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia]], the national fraternity for men in music, in 1962.

In the mid 1990s, when well into his eighties, De Vol was active in the Big Band Academy of America.

De Vol was married twice. His first marriage was to Grayce Agnes McGinty in 1935. This 54-year marriage produced two daughters, Linda Morehouse and Donna Copeland, and ended with Grayce's death in 1989. His second marriage was to television actress and big band singer [[Helen O'Connell]] from 1991 until her death in 1993.

De Vol died of congestive heart failure on October 27, 1999, in [[Lafayette, California]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/30/arts/frank-devol-88-a-composer-for-movies-and-tv-sitcoms.html |title=Frank DeVol, 88, a Composer For Movies and TV Sitcoms |first=Wolfgang |last=Saxon |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 30, 1999}}</ref> He is interred at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Hollywood Hills]].

==Filmography==
===Composer===
{{Div col}}
*''[[World for Ransom]]'' (1954)
*''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955)
*''[[The Big Knife]]'' (1955)
*''[[Attack (1956 film)|Attack]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Ride Back]]'' (1957)
*''[[Johnny Trouble]]'' (1957)
*''[[Pillow Talk (film)|Pillow Talk]]'' (1959)
*''[[Murder, Inc. (1960 film)|Murder, Inc.]]'' (1960)
*''[[Lover Come Back (1961 film)|Lover Come Back]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'' (1961)
*''[[Boys' Night Out (film)|Boys' Night Out]]'' (1962)
*''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]'' (1962)
*''[[The Thrill of It All (film)|The Thrill of It All]]'' (1963)
*''[[For Love or Money (1963 film)|For Love or Money]]'' (1963)
*''[[Under the Yum Yum Tree]]'' (1963)
*''[[McLintock!]]'' (1963)
*''[[The Wheeler Dealers]]'' (1963)
*''[[Good Neighbor Sam]]'' (1964)
*''[[Send Me No Flowers]]'' (1964)
*''[[Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte]]'' (1964)
*''[[Cat Ballou]]'' (1965)
*''[[The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)|The Flight of the Phoenix]]'' (1965)
*''[[The Glass Bottom Boat]]'' (1966)
*''[[Texas Across the River]]'' (1966)
*''[[The Ballad of Josie]]'' (1967)
*''[[The Happening (1967 film)|The Happening]]'' (1967)
*''[[Caprice (1967 film)|Caprice]]'' (1967)
*''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967)
*''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' (1967)
*''[[What's So Bad About Feeling Good?]]'' (1968)
*''[[The Legend of Lylah Clare]]'' (1968)
*''[[Krakatoa, East of Java]]'' (1969)
*''[[Ulzana's Raid]]'' (1972)
*''[[Emperor of the North Pole]]'' (1973)
*''[[The Longest Yard (1974 film)|The Longest Yard]]'' (1974)
*''[[Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze]]'' (1975)
*''[[Hustle (1975 film)|Hustle]]'' (1975)
*''[[Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo]]'' (1977)
*''[[The Choirboys (film)|The Choirboys]]'' (1977)
*''[[The Frisco Kid]]'' (1979)
*''[[Herbie Goes Bananas]]'' (1980)
*''[[...All the Marbles]]'' (1981)
{{div col end}}

===Actor===
*''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'' (1961) - Mr. Eaglewood
*''[[Boys' Night Out (film)|Boys' Night Out]]'' (1962) - One of the guys in the hallway (uncredited)
*''[[A Very Special Favor]]'' (1965) - Desk Clerk
*''[[The Big Mouth]]'' (1967) - Bogart
*''[[W.C. Fields and Me]]'' (1976) - Undertaker (uncredited)
*''[[The Frisco Kid]]'' (1979) - Piano Player - Old Timer

==Academy Award nominations==
*''[[Pillow Talk (film)|Pillow Talk]]'' (1959)
*''[[Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte]]'' (1964)
*''[[Cat Ballou]]'' (1965)
*''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=frank-devol-mn0000767711}}
*{{Discogs artist|373962-Frank-De-Vol}}
*{{IMDb name|0006030}}
*[http://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah04154.xml Frank De Vol] papers at the [[American Heritage Center]]
*{{Find a Grave|10791}}
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/frank-de-vol Frank De Vol Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (1999)
{{West Virginia Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Vol, Frank}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century classical musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American music arrangers]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:Male television composers]]
[[Category:Miami University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Moundsville, West Virginia]]
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]]

Frank De Vol - Revision history