FILM SCORE FRIDAY 6/27/03

GEORGE AXELROD 1922 - 2003

Writer-producer-director George Axelrod died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on June 21st. Raised in New York, he served in the Army Signal Corps in World War II, and sold his first radio play at the age of twenty. At age thirty, he had a Broadway smash with The Seven Year Itch, which ran for three years, and followed it up with the play Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? which he also directed.

Turning to film, he wrote more than a dozen films over the next thirty years. His most famous screenplays were his witty adaptations of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (which earned Axelrod his only Oscar nomination), and Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate (surprisingly, the dazzling dialogue in the scene where Janet Leigh first meets Frank Sinatra is straight out of the Condon novel). Shortly after, he wrote the offbeat comedy Paris When It Sizzles, whose premise was recently appropriated for the Rob Reiner film Alex & Emma.

Axelrod directed two films, Lord Love a Duck and The Secret Life of an American Wife, but neither was a boxoffice success (though Duck has a large critical following), and in 1971 he wrote his memoirs, "Where Am I Now That I Need Me?" He moved to Europe in the 70s, and his final films were adaptations of the spy thrillers The Holcroft Covenant (reuniting him with Manchurian director John Frankenheimer) and The Fourth Protocol. His reputation received a much deserved boost in 1988 when Manchurian Candidate was re-released theatrically to great acclaim (a Jonathan Demme remake is currently in the works, starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep in the Sinatra and Lansbury roles). He is survived by his sister, four children, and seven grandchildren.

PHFFFT! - Frederick Hollander
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH - Alfred Newman
BUS STOP - Alfred Newman, Cyril J. Mockridge
WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? - Cyril J. Mockridge
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S - Henry Mancini
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE - David Amram
PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES - Nelson Riddle
GOODBYE CHARLIE - Andre Previn
HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE - Neal Hefti
LORD LOVE A DUCK - Neal Hefti
THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE - Billy May
THE LADY VANISHES - Richard Hartley
THE HOLCROFT COVENANT - Stanislas Syrewicz
THE FOURTH PROTOCOL - Lalo Schifrin
 

For our readers who are a little confused by the recent epidemic of composer replacements, here's an update:

BAD BOYS II
OUT: Mark Mancina; IN: Trevor Rabin

EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
OUT: Michael Kamen; IN: Christopher Young

HULK
OUT: Mychael Danna; IN: Danny Elfman

THE IN-LAWS
OUT: Lalo Shifrin; IN: scattered cues by Klaus Badelt, John Powell

LARA CROFT, TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE
OUT: Craig Armstrong; IN: Alan Silvestri

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
OUT: Mark Isham; IN: Trevor Jones

OPEN RANGE
OUT: Basil Poledouris: IN: Michael Kamen

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
OUT: Alan Silvestri; IN: Klaus Badelt

TIMELINE
OUT: Jerry Goldsmith; IN: Brian Tyler

UPTOWN GIRLS
OUT: Lesley Barber; IN: Joel McNeely

As far as Kendall family projects go, it may not appeal to our readers as much as the complete Logan's Run, but it still has to be better than The New Guy. (And I apologize to Lukas, who may catch hell for that remark at the next family reunion)

My unofficial policy is to only list release dates for mainstream labels, plus a few soundtrack labels like Varese Sarabande and Silva. The reason is that with these labels, there is a greater than average likelihood that if one went to a big enough record score on the date in question (always a Tuesday, since that is the day of the week when CDs are normally released to stores) one would find the CD available.

However, most of the soundtrack labels -- Intrada, Percepto, Prometheus, Screen Archives, Marco Polo, Perseverance, Monstrous Movie Music, La-La Land, and Film Score Monthly -- do not tend to have such rigid and reliable release dates, the CDs often arriving days (or weeks) late, or sometimes even days early, and that's why I take them directly from "Date Unknown" to "CDs Available This Week." Also, many of them are largely unavailable in stores, so if you went to your local Tower or Amoeba on the day in question you'd just leave empty handed.

This gorgeously illustrated book (available for $75 in the U.S.) covers the entire history of matte painting, with special attention given to the remarkable work of the late Albert Whitlock (Earthquake, The Hindenberg), and comes with a CD-ROM featuring clips from several of the movies discussed, from Citizen Kane to Colossus: The Forbin Project.

Baby Doll - Kenyon Hopkins - DRG
Brubaker - Lalo Schifrin - Intrada Special Collection
The Buccaneer - Elmer Bernstein - DRG
Harlow - Neal Hefti - DRG
The Italian Job - John Powell - Varese Sarabande
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Harry Gregson-Williams - Dreamworks
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - Marco Beltrami - Varese Sarabande

Cet-amour la - Angelo Badalamenti - Score CD released on Milan in France
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - Edward Shearmur - Song CD on Sony
On_Line - Roger Neill - Song CD on Lakeshore with 3 score cues
28 Days Later - John Murphy - Score CD on Beggars XI

July 15
Johnny English - Edward Shearmur - Universal
July 22
Pirates of the Caribbean - Klaus Badelt - Disney
Seabiscuit - Randy Newman - Decca/UMG
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over - Robert Rodriguez - Milan
Date Unknown
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Jerome Moross - Film Score Monthly
All This and Heaven Too/A Stolen Life - Max Steiner - Marco Polo
Amerika - Basil Poledouris - Prometheus
The Appointment - Michel Legrand/John Barry/Don Walker/Stu Phillips - Film Score Monthly
Battle Cry - Max Steiner - Screen Archives/BYU
The Dreamer of Oz - Lee Holdridge - Percepto
The Hellstrom Chronicle - Lalo Schifrin - Aleph
Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Denny Zeitlin - Perseverance
Mighty Joe Young, etc. - Roy Webb, et al - Monstrous Movie Music
Our Mother's House/The 25th Hour - Georges Delerue - Film Score Monthly
Red River - Dimitri Tiomkin - Marco Polo
A Summer Place - Max Steiner - Screen Archives/BYU
This Island Earth, etc. - Herman Stein, et al - Monstrous Movie Music

June 29 - Bernard Herrmann born (1911)
June 29 - Ralph Burns born (1922)
June 29 - Bert Shefter died (1999)
June 30 - Stanley Clarke born (1931)
July 2 - Miklos Rozsa begins recording score to Plymouth Adventure (1952)
July 2 - Frederic Talgorn born (1961)
July 2 - Nathan Van Cleave died (1970)
July 3 - George Bruns born (1914)
July 3 - Jean Prodromides born (1927)
July 3 - Robert O. Ragland born (1931)
July 3 - David Shire born (1937)

ALEX & EMMA - Marc Shaiman

"Music is cutesy."

Todd McCarthy, Variety

HULK - Danny Elfman

"It's all about the conflict between fathers and their children, and at particularly tragic moments Danny Elfman's score includes the sounds of Eastern-sounding voices wailing lamentations."

David Edelstein, Slate.com

"'Hulk' begins with an onrush of images floating on Danny Elfman's manic yet lyrical score."

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

" [Director Ang] Lee divides the screens into panels, uses fanciful wipes and dissolves between scenes and fills us in on Banner's childhood in an elegant, lyrical series of images that invokes the feeling of turning the pages of a comic. (Danny Elfman's outstanding score forms the perfect accompaniment.)"

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

"Danny Elfman's fluid, mood-changing score underlines nearly every scene."

Todd McCarthy, Variety

MAY - Jaye Barnes-Luckett

"Shot in deep, vivid colors, the pic gets good mileage on the soundtrack from a creepy singsong lullaby."

David Rooney, Variety

"--and composer, Jaye Barnes-Luckett, whose mood-enhancing score is plaintive and unsettling."

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

This is not in response to a letter writer, but to a posting on the Message Board, from "Manderley."

Wouldn't it be great if the weekly FSM poll was signed by its creator. Then we'd know who to scream at, if necessary!

I'm a great John Williams fan, but my favorite Williams song (which I think was even nominated for an Oscar) isn't there, "If We Were In Love" (from the not-very-good film, "Yes, Giorgio").

As for John Williams' songs: Always great melodies, not always great lyrics.

I sincerely apologize for leaving out the Yes, Giorgio song, an inexcusable oversight. The only reason it happened was because, in researching the poll, I relied on my collection of Williams CDs and LPs, and on the Lone Eagle book Film Composers Guide. It slipped my mind that Williams had actually written a song for a movie someone else scored, an extremely rare occurrence among the top composers. (Though Hans Zimmer wrote the theme song for the upcoming Johnny English, score by Edward Shearmur)

There was also some discussion of whether the polls are used as a basis for deciding what CDs to release. They are not. They are simply intended as a pleasant diversion (as someone pointed out, many of the scores are owned by companies that would not make them available to a label like Film Score Monthly), and if nothing else the inevitable ballot stuffing would make them largely useless as a business guide.

And I'd like to thank Message Board writer Joe Esrey for pointing out I'd misspelled Williams' name in the poll (did no one else notice it, or were they just too polite to mention it?). I have since corrected it.

And as Message Board member "Joe28" pointed out, I also left out "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" from Amistad. Mea culpa, which is Latin for "my bad."

FROM: "Kristopher Gee"

I was just reading about music agencies in your FAQ section. You may have already addressed this elsewhere on your website, but just in case not:

Blue Focus music shop closes doors
May 13, 2003 - The Hollywood Reporter

After three years of operation, film music powerhouse Blue Focus Management has been dismantled. Blue Focus founders Richard Kraft and Laura Engel have moved on to form Kraft-Engel Management.

FROM: "Joseph Caporiccio"

It is so typical of Columbia to NOT put the Guns of Navarone song in their restored print - restored means restored and that should mean EVERYTHING in the original film. The Guns of Navarone song was NOT the Overture but it was used as exit music in the prints I've seen.
 
The Bye Bye Birdie title song was added at the last minute to showcase Ann-Margret. The director, George Sidney had a crush on her and wanted to put something extra in the film. Mr. Sidney paid for the number himself. The number was never finished as planned. Ann was supposed to sing the song against a background of newspapers with headlines about Conrad Birdie being drafted (this can be glimpsed in the original trailer) which is why she sings it against a blue screen background in the film.

The song was added so late that the choreographer, Onna White, had no idea it was even in the movie until she saw it at the world premiere!!

Though I live in N.Y. now, in 1976 I was in L.A. and the trade paper Variety, had a very small ad during the Oscar voting time to call up to hear a recorded message. I believe it was either Sammy Fain or Paul Francis Webster's voice imploring listeners to hear their song 'A World that Never Was' from the film ' Half a House'. I remember how strange it was to hear them thanking (us the listener) for at least giving their little unknown song a listen.

As far a 'KOTCH' is concerned, I saw it on its release and then when it came out on Video several years ago. It does indeed have a very catchy, hummable song by The Bergmans.

SUBJECT: Seen Kotch?
 
Actually, I have seen it, and remember it as an entertaining film.

Matthau plays an old retired guy who takes in a troubled young girl played by Deborah Winters (who had also played a troubled young girl in The People Next Door a year earlier; but she seemed to disappear from the screen not too long after this film).

I don't remember all the plot, but what sticks in my mind was a running gag about Kotch always leaving the toilet seat up (for quick usage) and not changing his M.O. after Winters starts living there.

Not a classic, but a good Matthau performance is always worth seeing.

SUBJECT: A Few Notes on Oscar Finalists Part 2
 
Listed are some corrections & notes on your excellent and informative column.

1) Fred Karlin's songwriting partner was Marsha Karlin, not Megan.

2) I have seen KOTCH. It's a nice, though the period is dated, character piece with Matthau as a loving grandfather refusing to be cast into a "home".

3) If Julie Andrews recorded a full-length version of "My Wishing Doll" (as she did for STAR), it has been unavailable to date. Not even on the new expanded soundtrack. It's possible there were recording company issues at the time or G.R. Hill recorded the sound live during filming (the latter is doubtful given a star of Andrews magnitude at the time.)

4) Thanks for the info regarding the choral version of "The Falcon and The Dove". I immediately ordered the CD from the Internet. My hobby is collecting all of the original Academy Best Song Nominees and Winners. I have all but 10 on CD. The original "Falcon" is one as is "A World That Never Was" from Half A House. This 1976 song is the only one in 59 years that I don't have. Does anyone have a copy? Has anyone ever seen it?

FROM: "Gary Chu"

Thank you very much indeed for bringing a lot of film music related stuff to us. Your apologetic and diplomatic attitude is always impressive and admired -- I mean that in a complimentary way!
 
With regard to your subject of Oscar Best Songs, I have always wondered about the taste and choices of Academy members and how can they miss such great masterpieces like Georges Delerue's INTERLUDE (vocal by Timi Yuro and lyrics by Hal Shaper - 1968) and Lee Holdridge's JEREMY (BLUE BALLOON - THE HOURGLASS SONG, music and lyrics by Joseph Brooks and vocal by Robby Benson - 1973)?? These 2 obscure film scores and songs were truly timeless classics. Again, I sincerely wish someone will finally realize and reissue as first time CDs which I have been awaiting for years. Kindly help if possible. However, please keep up your good work. Take care!!