Ann Mason Stockton, 89; L.A. Harpist Performed in More Than 800 Movies

Ann Mason Stockton, 89, a Los Angeles-based harpist who played for Frank Sinatra on one of his first films and went on to perform in more than 800 movies, including Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” died of heart failure Aug. 11 at her home in West Los Angeles, said her daughter Martha Flournoy.

Born Oct. 30, 1916, in Santa Barbara, Stockton was a child prodigy who gave her first performance at age 8. She studied with Alfred Kastner, first harp with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and served as the Philharmonic’s second harpist from 1936 to 1941.

The bulk of her career was in film, radio and TV, however. She played in “Las Vegas Nights,” the 1941 film with Sinatra singing in Tommy Dorsey’s band. She got a screen credit for her solo in John Huston’s 1987 film version of James Joyce’s short story “The Dead.”