Conductor, Composer. Born in Moscow, he was a student at the Conservatory there when the Bolshevik Revolution erupted in 1917. He fled the country with his older brother, Mischa Bakaleinikoff, arriving in the United States in 1926. The following year he was hired as conductor of the new Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, which opened doors for him in the movie business once talkies arrived. After freelancing for various producers he joined RKO in 1940 and remained with that studio until it closed in 1957. Bakaleinikoff wrote some 40 film scores, mostly in collaboration, and received Oscar nominations for "Something to Sing About" (1937), "The Fallen Sparrow" (1943), "Higher and Higher" (1943), and "None But the Lonely Heart" (1944). But his primary responsibility was as a music director. He conducted the soundtracks of over 325 films, many of them by RKO's reliable house composer Roy Webb. Throughout his career he was often billed by his last name only or as C. Bakaleinikoff. He was married to former silent screen actress Fritzi Ridgeway, who died in 1961.
Conductor, Composer. Born in Moscow, he was a student at the Conservatory there when the Bolshevik Revolution erupted in 1917. He fled the country with his older brother, Mischa Bakaleinikoff, arriving in the United States in 1926. The following year he was hired as conductor of the new Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, which opened doors for him in the movie business once talkies arrived. After freelancing for various producers he joined RKO in 1940 and remained with that studio until it closed in 1957. Bakaleinikoff wrote some 40 film scores, mostly in collaboration, and received Oscar nominations for "Something to Sing About" (1937), "The Fallen Sparrow" (1943), "Higher and Higher" (1943), and "None But the Lonely Heart" (1944). But his primary responsibility was as a music director. He conducted the soundtracks of over 325 films, many of them by RKO's reliable house composer Roy Webb. Throughout his career he was often billed by his last name only or as C. Bakaleinikoff. He was married to former silent screen actress Fritzi Ridgeway, who died in 1961.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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