- published: 24 May 2012
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Herman Stein (August 19, 1915 – March 15, 2007) was an American composer who wrote music for many of the 1950s science-fiction and horror films from Universal Studios. "Herman Stein was one of the architects of the sound of 1950s science-fiction movies." Stein retired in the 1970s and died of congestive heart failure in his home in Los Angeles at the age of 91.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Stein was a child prodigy, playing the piano by the age of three and making his professional concert debut at the age of six. He worked as a jazz composer and arranger for radio programs and big bands in the 1930s and early 1940s. He served in the army in World War II and moved to Hollywood in 1948, studying with the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Subsequently in 1951, he was hired by Universal Studios, where he scored the music for about 200 films. His name was seldom in the movie credits because of the studio's tendency to give solo credit to the music supervisor. Nonetheless, he either wrote the main themes, from which he and his colleagues worked, or, equally important, wrote the opening music, which often sets the tone for the film itself. In 1950, Stein married Anita Shervin who played a viola with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Later he left Universal and composed music for television.
Wolf children (German: Wolfskinder) was the name given to a group of orphaned German children at the end of World War II in East Prussia.
Between the end of 1944 and January 1945, civilians were forbidden by the Nazis to evacuate. The Nazis viewed evacuation as a sign of capitulation. As the Red Army got closer, many prepared to evacuate anyway. Until the last minute, NS Governor Erich Koch gave orders that fleeing was illegal and punishable ("strenges Fluchtverbot" - flight strictly forbidden). At the last moment flight was allowed. The invasion prompted millions of men, women, and children to flee; however, many adults were killed, leaving many orphaned children. The children fled into the surrounding forest and were forced to fend for themselves. Many German children who were not fortunate enough to escape were killed by Allied bombs. Thousands more were abandoned, orphaned, raped or kidnapped.