Father of Rudolf Friml Jr., who is sometimes confused with his
father. Friml Jr. is a bandleader who sometimes made unbilled
appearances in films. One of his few screen credits was as a pianist in
an anti-marijuana B-movie. Friml Sr., the operetta composer, never made
any film appearances, though he wrote music for quite a few films.
Several of his stage operettas were filmed, the most famous being the
wildly successful 1936 film version of Rose-Marie (1936), with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.
His operetta "The Vagabond King" is the first of his famed stage works
to be given a full-length recording (both music and dialogue). The
recording, sung by the Ohio Light Opera, was released in early 2005.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971.