Monarch of Sound

By 1935, all major Hollywood studios were emulating Steiner’s approach to film music, while recognizing Max as the industry’s foremost composer. His reputation soared even higher with the release of John Ford’s The Informer. A low-budget drama disdained by RKO executives, the movie received critical hosannas and earned Steiner his first Academy Award. But despite that success and other rewarding projects like the musical Top Hat, Steiner was frustrated. Heavy gambling, two alimonies, and weekly checks to family in Austria reduced his salary to a pittance. He also was angered to learn that ASCAP, the organization that collected royalties for songwriters, did not consider film music to be under its purview. For the next 25years, Steiner would fight to convince the group otherwise. He also felt underappreciated at RKO—which made news that David O. Selznick was forming his own independent studio all the more intriguing.