The Harry Sukman papers span the years 1954-1979 and encompass 16.3 linear feet. The bulk of the collection consists of original pencil sketches, conductor scores, and cue sheets; in some cases there are full scores, instrumental breakdown sheets, and orchestra parts. Represented are 25 feature films, six television movies, nine television pilots, 16 television series, and scores for six record albums. There are no audio recordings in the collection. Of particular interest are the conductor scores for SONG WITHOUT END: THE STORY OF FRANZ LISZT (1960) and THE SINGING NUN (1966), and photocopied pencil sketches for FANNY (1961). There are also pencil sketches for the four Fuller films. The television scores for THE HIGH CHAPARRAL, BONANZA, and GENTLE BEN provide a complete account of Sukman's musical contribution to these shows. Sukman scored all four seasons of THE HIGH CHAPARRAL; both seasons of GENTLE BEN; and the eleventh season of BONANZA. Absent from the collection are some of the original cues for episodes of DR. KILDARE and THE ELEVENTH HOUR, and cues for several television series to which Sukman is known to have contributed music, including THE MONROES, LARAMIE, THE VIRGINIAN, and TALES OF WELLS FARGO.

Harry Sukman (1912-1984) was born in Chicago. He was enrolled at the Metropolitan College of Music while still a child. Sukman launched his musical career as a concert pianist in 1924 when he made his debut at the age of 12 at Chicago's Kimball Hall. He studied piano with Rudolph Ganz and theory and composition with Felix Borowski. During the 1930s he worked as a staff pianist and conductor at radio station WGN in Chicago.

After moving to California circa 1946, he joined Paramount Pictures as a staff pianist. With the aid of his mentor, Victor Young, Sukman successfully made the transition from staff pianist to composer. His first feature film score was for GOG (1954). Sukman went on to compose scores for more than two dozen films, including four films directed by Samuel Fuller: FORTY GUNS (1957), VERBOTEN (1959), THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), and UNDERWORLD, U.S.A. (1961).

By the 1960s the majority of his compositional output was for serial television. His television credits include scores for more than 200 episodes of such series as BONANZA, THE HIGH CHAPARRAL, DR. KILDARE, THE ELEVENTH HOUR, and GENTLE BEN. He and Morris Stoloff received an Academy Award for scoring of a musical picture for SONG WITHOUT END: THE STORY OF FRANZ LISZT (1960). Sukman also received nominations in the music category for his work on FANNY (1961) and THE SINGING NUN (1966).