His two best-known songs are "I Remember You" and "Tangerine", both with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and both featured in Schertzinger's final film, The Fleet's In (1942).

In his teens, he attended the Brown Preparatory School in Philadelphia, and gave violin performances while touring America and Europe.

He also worked as a songwriter, adding three songs with lyrics by producer Oliver Morosco to L. Frank Baum and Louis F. Gottschalk's musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (1914).

[citation needed] After the introduction of sound, Schertzinger continued to direct films but also began to compose songs for them, and in some instances writing scripts or producing as well.

[citation needed] His songwriting collaborators during this period also included Gus Kahn, Johnny Burke and Frank Loesser.