Sid Ramin, the orchestrator, arranger, and composer who orchestrated the score of West Side Story and other musicals, died on July 1 2019 at the age of 100.
Sid Ramin was born on January 22 1919 in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his career in television, arranging music for Texaco Star Theatre Starring Milton Berle. He also composed theme song, "Smile, You're on Candid Camera," of Candid Camera. Still later he composed the theme songs for The Patty Duke Show and The Trials of O'Brien. He also worked on such shows the Sixties version of Blondie and All My Children.
Sid Ramin's first work on Broadway would be as the assistant to Don Walker on the musical Wonderful Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein. It was a coincidence that the two men were working on the musical, as they had been friends in their childhoods in Boston. Sid Ramin would go onto orchestrate such Broadway musicals as West Side Story, Gypsy, The Girls Against the Boys, Wildcat, The Conquering Hero, Kwamina, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sophie, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Smile, Crazy for You, and The Red Shoes. He arranged music for the musicals Vintage '60, Wildcat, The Conquering Hero, and Sophie.
He served as musical supervisor and orchestrator on the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961). He served as an orchestrator on Honeymoon Hotel (1964) and Stiletto (1969). He composed music for the movies Too Many Thieves and Stiletto.
He wrote the instrumental "Music to Watch Girls By," which would be a hit for The Bob Crewe Generation. Lyrics would be added to the song by Tony Velona and a version featuring the vocals of Andy Williams would also be a hit.
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