Tex Ritter sung “Do Not Forsake Me,” but it was composed by Dmitri Tiomkin, who came up with the idea of a title song for “High Noon,” and idea that was copied in numerous movies since. Incidentally, the opening where the song is performed shows Lee Van Cleef; IIRC he could have had the title role except he didn’t want to get his nose fixed, so he ended up as a secondary actor in the movie.
The movie to have a song embedded in it that was written for the movie (unlike, say, “As Time Goes By” for “Casablanca”) was “Unchained,” a 1955 prog flop whose only claim to fame is the song, originally performed in the movie by opera singer Todd Duncan. The song had some traction, but didn’t catch on until the Righteous Brothers recorded a cover ten years later, and “Unchained Melody” has been a pop hit ever since.
“it was composed by Dmitri Tiomkin”
Thanks for that clarification, Dimitri Tiomkin also wrote the theme for “The High and the Mighty,” a masterpiece as rar as I’m concerned.