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 harles
Frederick Paul
August 23. 1902 -
Sep 18. 1990 |
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Height: 5' 9 1/2" Weight: 175 lbs. Eyes: brown Hair: dark brown Marriages: (1) Elsa Hedwig (Oct 26. 1922 - 1942 - *) (2) Dr. Dina Dore, survey director (bfr May 1948 - , his death *) Daughters: Pamel(i)a Mia (Nov 9. 1949 - ) Carlina Francesca, musical supervisor Siblings: Phillipine (May 1893 - ) Emma (Aug 22. 1894 - ) Francis O. (Aug 1895 - ) |
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Charles Frederick Paul was born on August 23. 1902 in New York City
to Franz Otto (aka Francis, Frank Otto) Paul and Phillipine Hoffman (both
German). His father, a musician, emigrated from Amsterdam in July
1887 and was naturalized on July 20. 1903. They resided 350 East 87th Street
New York City. His father worked as a baker (since 1920). Charles Paul started to conduct orchestras (at Lowe's Theater) in New York City when he was seventeen years old. On October 26. 1922 he married Elsa Hedwig (Dec 2. 1902 -) from Sweden. |
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  Above left: young Charles F. Paul (ca. 1920) Above right: young Elsa Hedwig (Dec 2. 1902 -) from Sweden. (ca.1922). |
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| Abroad he studied musical composition and the techniques of conducting orchestras at the Conservatory of Leipzig, where he graduated with the highest honors. Back in the United States he conducted at the Gallo Opera Company in New York and the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia. | |
| Like many others Paul was a student of Joseph Schillinger. The revolutionary feature of the Schillinger System as it has come to be known, is that it reduces musical composition to an exact science. A master of it is able to compose and arrange solely by mathematical computation. Perhaps the best-known students were the late George Gershwin and Glenn Miller, but left to carry on the cause are such alumni as Benny Goodman, Paul Lavalle, Nathan Van Cleave, Charles Paul, Oscar Levant and Lyn Murray. |
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Above right: Next Wednesday afternoon the Music
Section of the Woman's Club will give its final open concert of the
season. Charles F. Paul will play the electric organ invented by Laurens
Hammond of Chicago on this occasion which promises to be one of the most
interesting programs the section has arranged. (The Scarsdale Inquirer, April 2. 1937) |
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 Above: The Cast of My Son and I (CBS) (L to R) seated: Alan Hewitt, Betty Garde, Kingsley Colton, Agnes Young. Standing: Organist Charles Paul, Helene Dumas, director Rousseau, Helen Choate, C. Stark. The story of widowed Connie Vance (Betty Garde) and her young son, Buddy Watson (Kingsley Colton), who have been alone in the world since the death of Connie's husband and vaudeville partner, this serial has traced the struggle of mother and son in their everyday battle to make a home and a living. (Movie Radio Guide, Sep 1940)   Above left: (L to R) Charles Paul, music conductor; Nila Mack, producer; and author Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) collaborate for the CBS Radio adaptation of Dr. Seuss first childrens book, And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. The presentation performed on The Columbia Workshop. (November 5. 1940). Above right: CBS Radio music composer and orchestra conductor, Charles Paul. (March 6. 1941) |
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Charles Paul, who is enabled by the system to compose and conduct music for two half hour radio programs weekly - in addition to improvising organ background and bridge music for five daily soap operas- -is of the opinion that the Schillinger System will work only for composers who have imagination and ability, plus a thorough background in music. Paul not only is able to complete all his radio chores with the aid of the system, but is writing a musical comedy on the side. In 1941 he provided the music for City Desk. Described as "quiet and unassuming, but a demon for work. He never smokes, but during a long session of composing at the piano he manages to eat up a whole pound of peanut brittle". When he was working on the Ellery Queen (CBS, 1942-1944) mystery show, the producer asked him to compose the theme music for it. "Give me something with the flavor of 'Love of Three Oranges' by Prokofieff - and by next week," he ordered. For the trial -and -error composer, that would have been a large order. But Charley merely selected a scale with the flavor of oranges - and Prokofieff - whipped out his slide rule and in forty minutes had worked out a theme. Four years later and they're still used it on the program. |
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| Originally providing musical accompaniment to such old-time radio programs as The Adventures of Ellery Queen (CBS, 1942-1944) and Young Doctor Malone, he transitioned to television in the 1950s. His music accentuated the TV version of Martin Kane, Private Eye with an organ and horn combo. His first known soap opera was Love of Life which he began accompanying in 1953. In 1954 he added The Secret Storm and the short-lived The Road of Life to his duties. By this time Paul had perfected a style that favored the organ, but was often coupled with piano for more intense scenes. |
 Above: CHARLES PAUL works out a musical bridge during rehearsal of Murder At Midnight. Plots range from tales of the supernatural and psychological suspense to ghost dramas and bloodthirsty murders. (Radio Life, 1946). |
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Dina Dore (Born in Poland Dec 3. 1920, but had the French nationality) became his wife around 1948, they had two children. On The Secret Storm Paul began his practice of using "leitmotif" themes to underscore specific characters, such as his tune for matriarch Grace Tyrell (Marjorie Gateson) and his lament for her daughter Pauline Harris (Haila Stoddard). Paul continued this practice on Love of Life and his successive soaps. It was in 1956 that Charles Paul began a stint as the organist for television's first thirty-minute soap opera, As the World Turns. Paul created character themes for Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner), Pa Hughes (Santos Ortega) and Lisa (Eileen Fulton). He wrote motifs for opening scene shots that identified settings, such as Memorial Hospital and the Lowell, Barnes, Lowell & Hughes law firm. Paul also wrote the first theme song for NBC's Another World which was handled by other organists. Though he was not named in the credits, Paul provided the original scores to head writer Agnes Nixon's ABC hits One Life to Live and All My Children under the auspices of Aeolus Productions. |
 Above: Charles Paul and his talented daughter, Pamela Mia, 12 (1962, Phyllis Twachtman, photographer). |
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In the summer of 1969, many behind-the-scenes shifts occurred at CBS soaps. As a result, Paul lost The Secret Storm, maintained his positions at Love of Life and As the World Turns, and assumed the keyboard duties at longtime favorite Guiding Light. By the early 1970s, however, times were changing. Paul soon lost Love of Life but transitioned both As the World Turns and Guiding Light to orchestral arrangements. He would later do likewise for NBC's relatively short-lived Somerset, ABC's successful General Hospital, and the last year of CBS's Love of Life after ten years' absence from that series. Somerset ceased to be known as Another World in Somerset by March 1971, but the AW wreath of interlocking circles logo continued to be used until the 1974/75 season. The theme music was played on organ until the 1973/74 season, then changed to an orchestral version of the Charles and Dina Paul (who wrote the lyrics) Somerset theme. Paul passed away on September 18. 1990 of Parkinson's disease in Washington Depot, Connecticut**. |
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Notes: * Unsure as how his marriages ended. ** Some sources have "Milford, Connecticut". Programs, facts or dates in red still need confirmation. |
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This profile is a part of
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The person above was a composer, organist for an
Ellery Queen radio
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Page first published February 16. 2025 Version 1.0 - Last updated February 16. 2025 |
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