“The Twentieth Century” (later renamed “The 21st Century”) was a documentary television program. It was initially sponsored by the Prudential Insurance Company, and ran on the CBS network from 20 October 1957 until 4 January 1970. It was hosted by Walter Cronkite. The original program ran for nine seasons from 1957 until April 1966. On 20 January 1967, the show, now sponsored by Union Carbide ("The Discovery Company"), was renamed “The 21st Century”. After three seasons it was cancelled.
The program was revived in the 1990s with the new title “20th Century with Mike Wallace”. It was produced by CBS News Productions in association with A&E Network. The History Channel premiered the new program on September 14, 1994. Television news journalist Mike Wallace hosted this hour-long series taking a look back at some of the most important historic events and issues of the 20th century from the civil rights movement to the World Wars to the war against tobacco companies. 166 episodes were produced and aired in the years 1994-2005.
The opening and closing theme music was written by composer George Antheil. Alfredo Antonini conducted the music. Curiously, Antheil received no screen credit – but Antonini did. Various versions of Antheil’s monumental TV theme were recorded during the shows many seasons. – “The 21st Century” didn’t feature Antheil’s theme at all, by the way. The program had electronic sounds for the main titles. But for “20th Century with Mike Wallace” George Antheil’s emblematic theme was back in, this time refashioned in a more contemporary sounding arrangement by Peter Fish.
The program used to present filmed reports on news and cultural events that were considered by the people behind the camera as important for the development of the 20th century. The show did not just present the events, but also interpreted them. Such subjects as World War I and major assassinations were presented in a certain context.
For decades, none of the music featured in this TV program was released on record (as far as I know). Not even George Antheil's iconic title theme has been released anywhere outside the show -- not even thinking of a long overdue rerecording of the theme with modern technology.
In 2020, however, selections of some scores from various episodes have been compiled on a limited CD release (Kritzerland 20038-6). The CD contains just one track with music composed by George Antheil. The rest of the CD program features music by Darius Milhaud, Gail Kubik and others. Unfortunately, that CD release does not contain the main theme. (By the way, this release has not yet been listed on the Discogs database, and the data on Soundtrackcollector.com is quite incomplete.) Antheil's score on the compilation is from "Liberation of Paris" (erroneously titled on the Kritzerland release as “Liberation of France”). It's the 15th episode from season 2 which aired on February 1st, 1959. "Liberation of Paris” is one of the last episodes Antheil scored before his premature death, and, it's the last episode he scored that aired during his lifetime. The composer died on February 12, 1959.
The following video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “The Incredible Turk”, the 17th episode of the show’s second season aired on February 15, 1959 (three days after Antheil death). The music in this video contains only minor sound effects. By the way, the original score for “The Incredible Turk” was not composed by Antheil but Alan Hovhaness.
0:00 Main Titles 0:29 End Titles
This video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “Ireland: The Tear and the Smile, Part 1”, the 13th episode of the show’s fourth season aired on January 29, 1961. – Clinton Elliott composed the episode’s underscore.
This video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “Frank Lloyd Wright”, the 16th episode of the show’s fifth season aired on February 18, 1962. The archival music in this video suffers from some distortions. The Main Titles contain sound effects at the beginning. – George Kleinsinger composed the episode’s underscore.
0:00 Main Titles 0:20 End Titles
This video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “End Of An Empire”, the 23rd episode of the show’s fifth season aired on April 15, 1962.
0:00 Main Titles 0:20 End Titles
It’s not quite clear how many episodes of the program George Antheil actually scored. The available data, at least to me, seems incomplete and needs further verification. Currently, there is no Antheil scored episode to be found on YouTube. Based on the info on IMDB and in the George Antheil Papers at UCLA, I could establish that the following twelve episodes have been scored by Antheil.
The list might not be complete:
(Season, Episode, Airing Date, Title)
S 1, Ep 1 20 Oct. 1957 Churchill, Man of the Century*/** S 1, Ep 2 27 Oct. 1957 Guided Missile* S 1, Ep 10 29 Dec. 1957 The Windsors* S 1, Ep 11 19 Jan. 1958 War in Spain* S 1, Ep 13 2 Feb. 1958 D-Day Buildup S 1, Ep 14 9 Feb. 1958 D-Day Attack* S 1, Ep 19 16 Mar. 1958 Gandhi* S 1, Ep 26 4 May 1958 War in China*
S 2, Ep 9 21 Dec. 1958 Mission Outer Space* S 2, Ep 11 4 Jan. 1959 The Remagen Bridge* S 2, Ep 15 1 Feb. 1959 Liberation of Paris* S 2, Ep 18 22 Feb. 1959 Freedom for the Philippines
* Score stored in the George Antheil papers at UCLA
** According to the online-inventory of the George Antheil papers at UCLA, there seems to be an alternate title for the episode, or, it is a completely different score to a program to which I could not find any further information. The title is “A Little Mouse of Thought”.
I would gladly buy any of the documentary scores that still exist for the 20th Century TV series. That and John Addison's score to CENTENNIAL are the only TV productions I am interested in.
I would gladly buy any of the documentary scores that still exist for the 20th Century TV series.
Mario Nascimbene´s music for the 1965 episode SIEGE OF LENINGRAD exists and I have it on CDR for many years. It´s a quite impressive large orchestral score in Nascimbene´s typical symphonic style and by listening to it you might almost think he had composed this music for a large-scale epic, but not for a TV series. Only one track of Nascimbene´s SIEGE OF LENINGRAD ("The Final Battle" with 3 1/2 minutes) has been released on DRGs "Nascimbene Anthology" compilation CD in 1996, but the complete score has a duration of about 25 minutes and the tapes should exist in the Nascimbene archives in Orsogna.
I would gladly buy any of the documentary scores that still exist for the 20th Century TV series.
Mario Nascimbene´s music for the 1965 episode SIEGE OF LENINGRAD exists and I have it on CDR for many years. It´s a quite impressive large orchestral score in Nascimbene´s typical symphonic style and by listening to it you might almost think he had composed this music for a large-scale epic, but not for a TV series. Only one track of Nascimbene´s SIEGE OF LENINGRAD ("The Final Battle" with 3 1/2 minutes) has been released on DRGs "Nascimbene Anthology" compilation CD in 1996, but the complete score has a duration of about 25 minutes and the tapes should exist in the Nascimbene archives in Orsogna.
Stefan, orchestral scores for documentaries whether for film or television are something that interests me very much. I am sure the vast majority of them I have never heard before but that is OK. Music from historical subjects are always exciting.
I would gladly buy any of the documentary scores that still exist for the 20th Century TV series.
Mario Nascimbene´s music for the 1965 episode SIEGE OF LENINGRAD exists and I have it on CDR for many years. It´s a quite impressive large orchestral score in Nascimbene´s typical symphonic style and by listening to it you might almost think he had composed this music for a large-scale epic, but not for a TV series. Only one track of Nascimbene´s SIEGE OF LENINGRAD ("The Final Battle" with 3 1/2 minutes) has been released on DRGs "Nascimbene Anthology" compilation CD in 1996, but the complete score has a duration of about 25 minutes and the tapes should exist in the Nascimbene archives in Orsogna.
That's good to know as I wasn't aware of that Nascimbene release -- I've usually avoided such compilations. Maybe there are even more releases by other composers flying below the 'soundtrack radar'.
This video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “The Sailing Oysterman”, the 9th episode of the show’s eighth season aired on February 7, 1965. The archival music in this video suffers from distortions. It’s unknown, by the way, if Antonini actually conducted these later versions of Antheil’s theme, or if they have just been reedited, maybe even remixed to fit the needs of the time.
0:00 Main Titles 0:21 End Titles
This video presents George Antheil’s theme for the opening and closing credits as featured in “Man of the Month - Ho Chi Minh”, the 7th episode of the show’s ninth season airing on January 30, 1966. The opening theme is considerably shorter than all the previous versions presented here.
0:00 Main Titles 0:10 End Titles
Here is a list of all episodes aired during season one and two – note that Antheil only wrote scores for “The Twentieth Century” program during those two seasons, and none for season three.
Season 1 (1957-1958)
S 1, Ep 1 20 Oct. 1957 Churchill, Man of the Century [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 2 27 Oct. 1957 Guided Missile [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 3 3 Nov. 1957 Story of the F.B.I. [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 4 10 Nov. 1957 Toward the Unexplored: The Flight of the X-2 [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 5 17 Nov. 1957 Mach Busters [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 6 24 Nov. 1957 Brainwashing [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 7 1 Dec. 1957 Vertijets [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 8 8 Dec. 1957 Middle East Smoke Screen [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 9 15 Dec. 1957 Mussolini [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 10 29 Dec. 1957 The Windsors [Music by George Antheil] ? 5 Jan. 1958 Where We Stand [Music by n.n.]* S 1, Ep 11 19 Jan. 1958 War in Spain [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 12 26 Jan. 1958 The Face of Crime [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 13 2 Feb. 1958 D-Day Buildup [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 14 9 Feb. 1958 D-Day Attack [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 15 16 Feb. 1958 Crime and the Committee [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 16 23 Feb. 1958 Enter with Caution: The Atomic Age [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 17 2 Mar. 1958 Trial at Nuremberg [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 18 9 Mar. 1958 Hiroshima [Music by Gail Kubik] S 1, Ep 19 16 Mar. 1958 Gandhi [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 20 23 Mar. 1958 Class of '58 [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 21 30 Mar. 1958 Riot in East Berlin [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 22 6 Apr. 1958 Victory Over Polio [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 23 13 Apr. 1958 F.D.R.: Third Term to Pearl Harbor [Music by Ulysses Kay] S 1, Ep 24 20 Apr. 1958 Ceiling Unlimited [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 25 27 Apr. 1958 The Crowded Air [Music by n.n.] S 1, Ep 26 4 May 1958 War in China [Music by George Antheil] S 1, Ep 27 11 May 1958 Auto Biography [Music by n.n.]
Season 2 (1958-1959)
S 2, Ep 0 28 Sep. 1958 October Classic [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 1 26 Oct. 1958 The Red Sell: The Propaganda Mill [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 2 2 Nov. 1958 The Red Sell: Report from the Targets [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 3 9 Nov. 1958 Rockne of Notre Dame [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 4 16 Nov. 1958 The Russo-Finnish War [Music by Paul Creston] S 2, Ep 5 23 Nov. 1958 Peron and Evita [Music by Darius Milhaud] S 2, Ep 6 30 Nov. 1958 The Addicted: Profile of a Young Addict [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 7 7 Dec. 1958 The Addicted: Criminal or Patient? [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 8 14 Dec. 1958 Revolt in Hungary [Music by Paul Creston] S 2, Ep 9 21 Dec. 1958 Mission Outer Space [Music by George Antheil] S 2, Ep 10 28 Dec. 1958 Woodrow Wilson: The Fight for Peace [Music by Harold Shapero] S 2, Ep 11 4 Jan. 1959 The Remagen Bridge [Music by George Antheil] S 2, Ep 12 11 Jan. 1959 Jet Carrier [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 13 18 Jan. 1959 The Delinquents: A Boy Named Bob [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 14 25 Jan. 1959 The Delinquents: The Highfields Story [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 15 1 Feb. 1959 Liberation of Paris [Music by George Antheil] S 2, Ep 16 8 Feb. 1959 The Frozen War [Music by Paul Creston] S 2, Ep 17 15 Feb. 1959 The Incredible Turk [Music by Alan Hovhaness] S 2, Ep 18 22 Feb. 1959 Freedom for the Philippines [Music by George Antheil] S 2, Ep 19 1 Mar. 1959 Generation Without a Cause: Self Portrait [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 20 8 Mar. 1959 Generation Without a Cause: The Searchers [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 21 15 Mar. 1959 Burma Road and the Hump [Music by Darius Milhaud] S 2, Ep 22 22 Mar. 1959 The Silent Sentinel [Music by Gail Kubik] S 2, Ep 23 29 Mar. 1959 The Times of Teddy Roosevelt [Music by George Kleinsinger] S 2, Ep 24 5 Apr. 1959 From Kaiser to Fuehrer [Music by n.n.] S 2, Ep 25 12 Apr. 1959 Submarine [Music by Ulysses Kay] S 2, Ep 26 19 Apr. 1959 Stalingrad [Music by Georges Auric]
* It’s questionable if and where this episode really fits in (source IMDB).
As I’ve already laid out in Part I, “The Twentieth Century” was revived in the 1990s with a different title: “20th Century with Mike Wallace”. CBS News Productions in association with A&E Network produced the new series that premiered on The History Channel on September 14, 1994 with television news journalist Mike Wallace hosting. 166 episodes were produced and aired in the years 1994-2005.
For the revival program, “20th Century with Mike Wallace”, Peter Fish delivered a new, more contemporary sounding arrangement of Antheil’s emblematic theme. The end credits of “20th Century with Mike Wallace” also contains his piece but Fish extended it with newly fashioned music, cleverly adapting Antheil’s theme to fit the credit’s longer duration. Antheil received no screen credit – on the other hand, Fish is listed in the end credits as arranger of the theme.
A brief note on Peter Fish: American musician and composer Peter Scott Fish was born on August 2, 1956 in Providence, Rhode Island. The 64 year old died this year, on May 22, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. A multi-time Emmy Award winner, Fish is mostly remembered for songs and theme music he wrote for Warner Brothers, CBS, NBC, PBS, HBO, and New York 1.
The following video presents both, the main and end titles music as arranged by Peter Fish for “20th Century with Mike Wallace”, and as a bonus, the opening theme is repeated, this time featuring Mike Wallace’s trade mark like introduction: “I’m Mike Wallace, and this is the 20th century.”
0:00 Main Titles 0:21 End Titles 1:06 Main Titles with Mike Wallace’s Introduction
And the final video puts the so-called "bumper music" on display as arranged by Peter Fish. This distinctive six-second piece was used between commercial breaks.
One wonders if Fish’s estate has some tapes of the revamped Antheil theme just in case no material can be found at CBS or where ever.
George Antheil’s “Ballet mécanique” might be considered as his greatest, and most enduring achievement. But I argue that his theme from “The Twentieth Century” and “20th Century With Mike Wallace” has been heard and appreciated by far more people in the entire world than any other composition of his. The legacy of that TV theme will go on.
Part IV (End) George Antheil’s “Ballet mécanique” might be considered as his greatest, and most enduring achievement. But I argue that his theme from “The Twentieth Century” and “20th Century With Mike Wallace” has been heard and appreciated by far more people in the entire world than any other composition of his. The legacy of that TV theme will go on. * * *
I would guess I hadn’t seen The Twentieth Century since its original broadcast, but as soon as I saw the topic header the main title music instantly came to mind. A dramatic and memorable composition.
