 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In 1966 Robert Lansing starred in this series about about an under cover agent who is discovered and while running for his life, stumbles upon a man who could easily be his identical twin. The twin, thought to be the spy, is shot dead. Lansing takes the man's place at the request of the late man's wife, to continue to handle affairs and continue to work under cover.
It's your basic spy drama for a series. Though the series wasn't exactly anything amazing, it certainly could have gone on another season.
For the second pilot, British composer Frank Cordell composed the score and the series' theme. Cordell provided a more traditional orchestra score with brass and woodwinds, though some more modern choices were included here and there. Also included is the cimbalom. It's a delightful score if you enjoy TV scoring from that period.
If hte moderator will allow me, I'll post a link to excerpts I ripped from it.
Apparently not happy with the choice in composer still, they plowed through to a third composer, Nelson Riddle, who scored the third episode and maybe the second one (from the used pilot on). While inherently nothing is wrong with his scoring, it just didn't work for the show at all. It was a little too old fashioned, mixed in some modern (at the time) rhythms including at one point during a chase cue "Batman" leap to mind immediately, at time overpowered scenes and like his "Batman" work it just kept changing and going on but not in a good "Batman" way.
The second episode, assuming it was him (the first TV movie that combined the first four episodes, only credited Cordell, Riddle and Fried for the musis used), was the better as some of the touches reminded me of Rosenman -- who would have been a perfect choice for the series in my opinion.
Riddle used the cimbalom too, but it was almost exclusively used for breif quotes of Cordell's theme music.
Again not happy apparently, they plowed through to a fourth composer, they're final choice, Gerld Fried. He stuck with the series all the way to the end. Sometimes a series has a composer who helps define the show's sound and just "fits" -- Fried was this show's such composer.
Fried's scoring was more dramatic and more percussive and had good use of the cimbalom (especially for dramatic effect). The choices were more of a '60's spy drama than what Cordell had done. Not to impune the previous composer's work, but Fried's work was infectious, highly injoyable and included a nice find: what I consider to be one of the best dramatic/action cues in any TV series I have yet to hear -- that's a high platu to reach. Thye cue in question can be heard in this TV movie which was nothing more than an edit of four episodes of the series (that he scored):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtCgDrxLQMM (at about in 16:40 -- it lasts somewhere about five minutes, with a short lull where it's dialed down real low)
What's not common knowledge, however, is that the pilot was not hte first pilot for the series. The show actually had a failed one that's been lost to obscurity. Directed by the same guy who did the vast majority of them it had some chances: Lansing may not have been in it and the cinematographer and editor on it didn't do any of the rest of the series (suggesting the studio wanted changed), but also of note: it was scored by Jeff Alexander.
I don't remember where I found it, but one of the universities has a listing for his score (I don't recall if it was paper work or the recording -- maybe both).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Aug 29, 2015 - 1:38 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
CindyLover
(Member)
|
Apparently not happy with the choice in composer still, they plowed through to a third composer, Nelson Riddle, who scored the third episode and maybe the second one (from the used pilot on). While inherently nothing is wrong with his scoring, it just didn't work for the show at all. It was a little too old fashioned, mixed in some modern (at the time) rhythms including at one point during a chase cue "Batman" leap to mind immediately, at time overpowered scenes and like his "Batman" work it just kept changing and going on but not in a good "Batman" way.
Cue remembrances of "The Concrete Overcoat Affair" from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - I guess spies and Riddle didn't mix.
Again not happy apparently, they plowed through to a fourth composer, they're final choice, Gerald Fried. He stuck with the series all the way to the end.
Spies and Gerald Fried, on the other hand... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, that's Cordell's theme music. That's the opening credits.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pretty srue that's a cimbalon. A zither doesn't sound right when you compare the two in videos. by the way -- check out this guy playing a zither:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Px_HOquN0
I don't know about black markets. I do know, however, that the pilot is on youtube and the two TV movies which just edit together episodes, are up as well, making a total of about nine episodes up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
