Oscar Levant was an American concert pianist, composer, talk-show host and actor. He made his acting debut alongside Ben Bernie in the short film, 'Ben Bernie and All the Lads' in 1924. Since 1928, he has composed the music for more than twenty movies, including 'In Person' (1935), 'Charlie Chan at the Opera' (1936) and 'Romance on the High Seas' (1948), often also contributing as a songwriter. He made major appearances in the MGM musicals 'The Barkleys of Broadway' (1949), 'An American in Paris' (1951), and 'The Band Wagon' (1953).
His filmography as an actor includes films like 'Rhythm on the River' (1940), 'Kiss the Boys Goodbye' (1941), 'Humoresque' (1946), 'You Were Meant for Me' (1948), and 'The I Don't Care Girl' (1953). He appeared as himself in his friend George Gershwin's biopic 'Rhapsody in Blue' (1945).
In the late 1930s, he gained popularity as one of the regular panelists on the radio quiz show 'Information Please'. He made regular appearances on NBC radio's 'Kraft Music Hall' in 1947-1949. He was an occasional panelist on the NBC game show 'Who Said That?' in the early 1950s. From 1958 to 1960, he hosted his own talk-show, 'The Oscar Levant Show'.