Walter Jurmann (October 12, 1903 – June 17, 1971) was an Austrian-born composer of popular music renowned for his versatility who, after immigrating to the United States, specialized in film scores and soundtracks.
With the arrival of sound movies Jurmann also began writing film music, starting with Ihre Majestät, die Liebe (Her Majesty, Love) (1930).
Jurman's melodies were so charming and easy to remember that a contemporary paper reported that cinemagoers were humming the new tunes already on the morning following the release of a new film.
In 1933, after the Nazis had come to power, Jurmann left Berlin for Paris, France, where he continued writing songs, occasionally incorporating elements of the French chanson.
Jurmann's successful films include Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) ("Love Song of Tahiti"), the 1936 movie San Francisco ("Theme from San Francisco"), the Marx Brothers films A Night at the Opera ("Cosi Cosa," 1935) and A Day at the Races ("All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," 1937), and Presenting Lily Mars (1943) starring Judy Garland.