He was a successfull writer of popular songs, and Broadway theater music in New York City when he was hired to move to Hollywood, California and write movie music in 1928 for the new medium of sound film.
He was a successfull writer of popular songs, and Broadway theater music in the 1920s, originally doing this as a sideline to his financially sucessfull career in California real estate. In 1928 he was hired to to work in Hollywood by MGM and write movie music for the new medium of sound film.