Ira Newborn (1949- ) is an American musician and composer, best known for his work composing motion picture soundtracks.

Among the many movies Newborn has scored or for which he’s written songs are Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mallrats, the smoky jazz score for Into the Night, for which he wrote music for B.B. King, and Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. He also stepped in as musical director and producer for The Blues Brothers. Newborn's many film credits also include a small acting role in Xanadu, in which he appears as a 1940's band leader. This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... For other uses, see Weird Science. ... Ferris Bueller redirects here. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Planes, Trains & Automoblies DVD cover Planes, Trains & Automobiles is an American comedy movie produced in 1987. ... Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. ... This article is about the 1985 film. ... Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is a 1994 wacky comedy movie, directed by Tom Shadyac. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Xanadu is a 1980 musical/romance film directed by Robert Greenwald. ...

Newborn’s most famous association may be as the soundtrack composer for the Naked Gun series of police satires starring Leslie Nielsen. Newborn’s brassy big band/blues theme song for the franchise first appeared on the TV series that inspired the movies, 1982’s Police Squad!. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is the first film in a series of comedy movies starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O.J. Simpson. ... Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11, 1926) is a Canadian born American comedian and actor. ... Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982. ...

Newborn has also worked in concerts, commercials, Broadway, and the recording industry as performer, arranger, composer and conductor.

Newborn is also a professor at New York University, from which he received his bachelor’s degree in 1972. Influenced by everything from Johann Sebastian Bach to James Brown to the Beatles, guitarist Newborn led and played in several musical groups before signing on as the musical director for the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal group that was established in New York City in 1972. ...

Among the many artists on whose records Ira Newborn has worked are Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Billy Joel and The Pointer Sisters. Besides contributing to the "blockbuster" status of many motion pictures, a number of his film scores have received "cult status." For Ray Charles, the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see Ray Charles (composer). ... For the author-illustrator, see Diana Ross (author). ... William Joseph Martin Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. ... The Pointer Sisters was an American vocal group and recording act that achieved great success during the 1970s and 1980s. ...