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Posted: |
May 27, 2009 - 8:20 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....(--And . . . Donen?)..... I once worked with Stanley Donen, and another time with the late Peter Donen, his son. I asked Peter this question. Peter pronounced his own name "Donnen" and he said the family, including Stanley, always thought this was correct. However, Peter also said that he once asked his father, Stanley, why he generally pronounced it "Dough-nen" and Stanley told him that he'd decided he'd better pronounce it "Dough-nen" because, early in his career, people would spell his name in articles and reviews about him in print as Stanley "Donnen" if he didn't. And yet, on the other hand, I've heard various people who worked with him, including Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, pronounce it either way. This will be a question for the ages, and the real answer is that he probably used EITHER pronunciation at one time or another.
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I think you've all missed the true significance of this box set, which is that Lukas and company have finally released the score from a film that had its premiere in my home town, New Canaan, Connecticut. I'm referring to THE GIRL IN WHITE, based on the life story of one of my best friend's relatives, which is why the film opened first in our little town. But seriously, folks, the Raksin box is yet another of the countless dreams come true for which I have FSM to thank. (That's the difference, I guess, between Manderley and me. I dream, but he pesters. If that's what it took, I guess I have to thank Manderley, too!) However briskly it may or not have been selling, this collection's existence is simply NECESSARY. Raksin was a major American 20th Century composer and cultural figure, and the scores heard in this FSM release represent an important portion of his work. I guess whether or not one purchases this beautiful box can be summed up by paraphrasing what was said about spirituality in the Fox film of Werfel's SONG OF BERNADETTE: To those who don't appreciate Raksin's contribution to film music, no persuasion is possible; to those who do appreciate it, no persuasion is necessary. *** (My only quibble: All these years I've hoped FSM would release the PAT AND MIKE music with its brilliantly clever main title use of sports sound effects for percussion -- and when they finally present us with PAT AND MIKE, they give us the main titles without the sounds! If the complete composite track didn't exist, couldn't FSM have just used the titles off the actual film -- or would that have been legally prohibited?)
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This is one of those threads I seem to have killed by posting on it. But I'm bumping it back up on the pecking order because I still would like to know the story behind the PAT AND MIKE main titles. C'mon, Lukas, you've had enough time by now to rest up after the Open House...
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I'm sure Lukas will chime in when he gets the chance. I do remember discussing this issue with both Lukas and Marilee Bradford about 9 months ago, and seem to recall that the answer is simply that what's heard on the CD was what was recorded by Raksin -- the sound effects department must have added the tennis and golf noises later.
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The sixty dollar price tag is why it hasn't sold out? Foolish, when, as has been pointed out, it comes to only twelve dollars for each very-well-filled disc. Here's one case in which the expression "do the math" is particularly poignant. Pity all those who have thus far passed on the rare opportunity this set represents. How many copies are left?
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I'm sure Lukas will chime in when he gets the chance. I do remember discussing this issue with both Lukas and Marilee Bradford about 9 months ago, and seem to recall that the answer is simply that what's heard on the CD was what was recorded by Raksin -- the sound effects department must have added the tennis and golf noises later. This is more or less what happened. Sorry I don't have a better explanation. Lukas
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You may not have a great explanation, but boy, do you have a great box of music you've shared with us. Full of dreams come true, and many revelations on top of that. Thanks, Lukas, for another superb contribution to the preservation of the Art and Craft.
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