“The Sniper” is a 1952 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk, written by Harry Brown and based on a story by Edna and Edward Anhalt. Producer was Stanley Kramer who hired George Antheil to score the film. “The Sniper” marks the first collaboration between Kramer and Antheil.
The producer was also the first to hire director Edward Dmytryk after his encounters with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Dmytryk had first been named to the Hollywood blacklist and had a jail term for contempt of Congress. He chose to testify in April 1951, and named fellow members of leftist organizations from his brief time with the Communist Party. Afterward he went into political exile in England for a time. As "punishment" for his earlier association with Communist groups, Dmytryk was assigned to direct Adolphe Menjou, who had been one of the most fervent supporters of HUAC in Hollywood. Despite their history of political differences, the two got along fairly well during filming. After making this film, Adolphe Menjou, a very vocal anti-communist, was asked why he chose to work with director Edward Dmytryk. Menjou replied, "Because I'm a whore".
The Cast: Adolphe Menjou as Police Lt. Frank Kafka Arthur Franz as Edward "Eddie" Miller Gerald Mohr as Police Sgt. Joe Ferris Marie Windsor as Jean Darr Frank Faylen as Police Insp. Anderson Richard Kiley as Dr. James G. Kent Lilian Bond as Mrs. Fitzpatrick Mabel Paige as Landlady Marlo Dwyer as May Nelson Geraldine Carr as Checker Wally Cox as Laundry Worker Charles Lane as drunk in a bar Jean Willes as passerby on sidewalk Karen Sharpe as unnamed teenager on drugstore stool
Along with Fritz Lang's "M", "The Sniper" is an early example of a thriller in which a psychopathic killer is the driving force of the plot.
The film was shot on location in San Francisco, though the city is not named in the film.
Arthur Morton orchestrated George Antheil’s score. Morris Stoloff conducted the music, energetically performed by the Columbia Pictures Orchestra. The film features a couple of source music (“Pennies from Heaven” and “Plaisir d’amour”) not composed by Antheil. None of Antheil's score has been released on record.
Synopsis: A sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown psychopath.
This video contains music with some dialogue & sound effects.
Suite & Scenes
0:00 Prologue 0:36 Main Titles 2:32 Intro 2:52 Dress Delivery – Eddie's Hatred 3:32 Piano Source #1 “Pennies From Heaven” 3:54 Piano Source #2 “Plaisir D'Amour” 4:02 Leaving Early – Eddie Is The Sniper 4:40 Music From The Theatrical Trailer
Nice list of FSM topics about Antheil. Oh, but you seem to have left out any topic about an actual Antheil RELEASE. We've done a few, you know. Are those not worth listing? I don't get it.
Music from THE SNIPER was re-used in a number of Columbia movies, including THE GIANT CLAW, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD, and THE WEREWOLF.
The orchestra consisted of 43 players. In addition to the non-Antheil cues you mentioned, other music in THE SNIPER came from George Duning (Jump Jazz #3), Marlin Skiles (Love Is a Merry-Go-Round), Bob Wright-Chet Forrest, and Will Beitel. The original short scores for THE SNIPER are located in the Mischa Bakaleinikoff Collection at USC.
I'm focusing on those Antheil threads I've started.
Why? I should think, what with being the Antheil lover you appear to be, you'd want people to know what they can actually purchase on CD. There isn't much available beyond what we've released. Again, I don't get it, but I don't get a lot of things.
Music from THE SNIPER was re-used in a number of Columbia movies, including THE GIANT CLAW, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD, and THE WEREWOLF.
The orchestra consisted of 43 players. In addition to the non-Antheil cues you mentioned, other music in THE SNIPER came from George Duning (Jump Jazz #3), Marlin Skiles (Love Is a Merry-Go-Round), Bob Wright-Chet Forrest, and Will Beitel. The original short scores for THE SNIPER are located in the Mischa Bakaleinikoff Collection at USC.
Thanks alot, MMM, for your most valuable information about the sniper score!
I'm glad to read that the score also exists in the Bakaleinikoff collection. The George Antheil papers at UCLA have some if not all of it, too (Box 1, Folders 7-9).
I wasn't aware that Duning and the others you named also contributed music to this film.
Do you know if there's any Antheil-related material in the Ernest Gold collection (scores or even recordings)?
I'm asking because Gold orchestrated a couple of Antheil's scores and conducted some, too (you already know this, of course).
I'm focusing on those Antheil threads I've started.
Why? I should think, what with being the Antheil lover you appear to be, you'd want people to know what they can actually purchase on CD. There isn't much available beyond what we've released. Again, I don't get it, but I don't get a lot of things.
Because my series focuses on seldomly discussed film music by George Antheil -- with the exceptions of "Ballet mécanique" and "The Pride and the Passion", Antheil's film music is largely overlooked and remains almost completely unreleased. This is especially true when it comes to stereophonic rerecordings. Beware, your few Antheil releases won't be overlooked when the time has come.
If you write me at monstrous@earthlink.net I can send you a pdf of the film's cue sheets. I don't believe there's any Antheil material in Ernest's collection.
I'm focusing on those Antheil threads I've started.
Why? I should think, what with being the Antheil lover you appear to be, you'd want people to know what they can actually purchase on CD. There isn't much available beyond what we've released. Again, I don't get it, but I don't get a lot of things.
And great releases they are, too! I am quite fond of Dementia, as well as the bonus piece.
