Cinema Classics : Songs and Themes from the Silver Screen
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5202
Cinema Classics : Songs and Themes from the Silver Screen
1 Tara’s Theme (from the film "Gone With The Wind") (Max Steiner)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 3954 1961
2 "The Magnificent Seven" – Theme from the film (Elmer Bernstein)
AL CAIOLA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV/United Artists 45-POP 889 1961
3 "Ben-Hur" – Prelude (Miklos Rozsa)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF 16400 1962
4 "The Waltz Of The Toreadors" – Theme from the film (Richard Addinsell)
PINEWOOD STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KEN JONES
Parlophone 45-R 4906 1962
5 "Exodus" – Main Title from the Film (Ernest Gold)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25424 1962
6 "Friendly Persuasion" (Thee I Love) (theme from the film) (Dimitri Tiomkin)
RONNIE ALDRICH, Piano and THE DREAMERS
Decca 45-F 11283 1960
7 Look For A Star (from the film "Circus Of Horrors") (Mark Anthony, real name Tony Hatch)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25322 1960
8 On The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (from the film "The Harvey Girls") (Harry Warren; Johnny Mercer, arr. Roland Shaw)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4048 1959
9 The Café Royal Waltz (from the film "The Trials Of Oscar Wilde") (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R 4892 1962
10 Moon River (from the film "Breakfast at Tiffanys") (Henry Mancini)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SML 60688 1962
11 "Picnic" – theme from the film (George W. Dunning)
RUSS CONWAY, piano, with TONY OSBORNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA and THE RITA WILLIAMS SINGERS
Columbia SCX 3388 1961
12 "Three Coins In The Fountain" – Title music (Jule Styne; Sammy Cahn, arr. Roland Shaw)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4048 1959
13 "Mon Oncle" – Themes from the film (Franck Barcellini)
Film soundtrack : orchestra unidentified
Fontana TFE 17175 1958
14 Johnny’s Tune (from the film "Some People") (Ron Grainer)
GORDON FRANKS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R4929 1962
15 "It’s Great To Be Young" –Title music (Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA with THE CORONETS
Columbia SEG 7639 1956
16 "The Dam Busters" – March (Theme from the film) (Eric Coates)
ERIC COATES AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Pye Nixa N 15003 1955
17 Lady Barbara (from the film "Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N.") (Robert Farnon)
THE LONDON FESTIVAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Delyse DS 6057 1960
18 "The Brothers Karamazov" – Love Theme (Bronislau Kaper)
HELMUT ZACHARIAS AND HIS MAGIC VIOLINS
Polydor LPHM 46091 1958
19 "The Razor’s Edge" Film Music (Alfred Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
20 "Invitation" - Theme from the film (Bronislau Kaper, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 577 1954
21 "The Robe" – Love theme from the film (Alfred Newman)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 4033 1962
22 "Light In The Piazza" – Main Theme from the film (Mario Nascimbene, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8583 1962
23 "King Of Kings" – Miracles of Christ (Miklos Rozsa)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF 16400 1962
24 "The Big Country" – Title music (Jerome Moross)
JEROME MOROSS Conducting Studio Orchestra
London / United Artists HA-T 2142 1958
Stereo: tracks 1, 3, 5, 7-12, 17, 21-23 ; rest in mono.
The title of this collection may raise a few eyebrows when the tracklisting is perused. Film buffs each have their own particular favourites when it comes to ‘classic’ movies, and the lists that regularly appear of ‘the very best films of all time’ often make one wonder whose opinions have been sought! Undoubtedly some of the films represented in this CD were outstanding, and have stood the test of time. Some others were very popular in their day, but for various reasons they have slipped from the conscious memory of many of us. Should this banish their music to perpetual oblivion? The listener will have to decide, when hearing some of the titles that are probably forgotten.
There is certainly nothing ‘forgotten’ about the first piece of music. From the 1930s onwards Hollywood film producers were blessed with a small group of very talented composers who were skilled at this new art form, and one of the finest was Viennese-born Max Steiner (full name Maximillian Raoul Walter Steiner, 1888-1971). Although his score for "Gone With The Wind" (1939) was nominated for an Oscar, it was the film itself that received the ultimate accolade. In all Steiner had 20 nominations, gaining the Oscar for three films: "The Informer" (1935), "Now Voyager" (1942) and "Since You Went Away" (1944) – a suite from this last film conducted by Steiner is on Guild GLCD5158. The version of Tara’s Theme conducted by Cyril Ornadel (1924-2011) benefits from a great arrangement by the English arranger and conductor, Brian Fahey (1919-2007), who provided many of the orchestrations for the Starlight Symphony recordings of the 1950s and 1960s.
New Yorker Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004) was also nominated for an Oscar (but didn’t win) for his score for "The Magnificent Seven" (1960). Nevertheless it was one of his most popular works, perhaps only eclipsed by his music for "The Great Escape" (1963). His career spanned fifty years, during which he composed music for hundreds of television and film productions. The version of the theme tune played by the guitarist, arranger and composer Al Caiola (Alexander Emil Caiola, born Jersey City 1920) was a hit in 1961. He has regularly played the guitar on many recording sessions by the top popular orchestras and singers.
Miklos Rozsa (1907-1995) is represented in this collection with his work for two prestigious films, "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "King Of Kings" (1961). He was born in Budapest and studied music in Germany, before moving to France in 1931. In 1935 he relocated to England, where he worked on several films for Alexander Korda’s London Films. His last project was "The Thief Of Baghdad" in 1940, and production was transferred to America from wartime Britain. Rozsa remained in the USA, and became an American citizen in 1946. This was a year after his great success with the film "Spellbound" (the theme is on Guild GLCD5135). His music on this CD is performed by The Cinema Sound Stage Orchestra, a name used by the American Miller International Company on their bargain basement priced Essex, Somerset and Stereo Fidelity labels. The recordings usually employed various European symphony and radio orchestras and were linked by the name of Joseph Francis Kuhn (1924-1962) who composed, arranged, scored or conducted most of the early ones.
From big budget American movies, the spotlight now shifts to a modest British production "The Waltz Of The Toreadors" (1962) which starred Peter Sellers. Muir Mathieson (1911-1975) conducted the score for the film soundtrack, but the English conductor Ken (Kenneth Victor) Jones (b. 1924) is in charge of the Pinewood Studio Orchestra on our recording. The music was in the safe hands of Richard Addinsell (1904-1977), one of the most famous British film composers of the last century, whose Warsaw Concerto from the film "Dangerous Moonlight" (1942) was the theme which spawned countless similar works in the ensuing years.
The film "Exodus" (1960) was criticised for being too long, but its composer was rewarded with an Oscar. Ernest Gold (Ernst Sigmund Goldner, 1921-1999) was born in Vienna, like Max Steiner, and he moved to the USA in 1938 to escape the Nazis. During a long and successful career, which stretched from 1945 to 1992, he wrote almost 100 film and television scores, and also composed classical works including a piano concerto, string quartet and a piano sonata. The main theme is played by the Billy Vaughn (1919-1991) Orchestra which was usually known for more pop-oriented arrangements. Vaughn began his career playing piano and singing baritone in the group ‘The Hilltoppers’, before joining Dot Records as musical director where he accompanied many of the label’s top singers. He became one of the most successful orchestra leaders during the rock’n’roll era, and from 1955 to 1970 he managed to get 36 titles into the USA Top 200.
Two tracks later Vaughn conducts a piece by the English composer Tony (Anthony Peter) Hatch (b. 1939), who enjoyed his first taste of success with Look For A Star which came from the British film "Circus of Horrors" (1960), although the main score was composed by Franz Reizenstein. By then film producers were asking for a pop song during the closing credits, and Hatch’s opus reached the charts in both Britain and America. Later he would achieve considerable fame with songs for Petula Clark, and with his second wife Jackie Trent he wrote the famous theme for the Australian TV soap "Neighbours".
Dimitri (Zinovievich) Tiomkin (born in the Ukraine, 1894-1979) received his musical training in Russia, then moved to Berlin following the Revolution to continue his studies. A spell in Paris working as part of a piano duo brought an offer of work from the USA in 1925, where he settled for a while in New York. His wife found work in Hollywood supervising dance numbers for MGM, and he soon discovered his niche writing for films. Dimitri’s aspirations to be a top concert pianist were suddenly terminated by a broken arm in 1937, but by then his future career was secure. He became recognised as one of the top film composers, noted for his expansive style which gained him 22 Academy Award nominations resulting in four Oscars. The song from "Friendly Persuasion" (1956) was a big hit for Pat Boone, and our version features an early recording by the British pianist Ronnie Aldrich (1916-1993) under his own name.
On The Atcheson, Topeka And The Santa Fe from the 1946 MGM musical "The Harvey Girls" (1946) deservedly won an Oscar, thanks to a polished performance by Judy Garland (1922-1969). The same description applies to the superb arrangement by Roland Shaw (1920-2012) for our version conducted by Frank Chacksfield (1914-1995), who fronted a top English orchestra that had the distinction of reaching the top of the US charts with his Decca 78 of Ebb Tide. The same team returns later with the title theme from "Three Coins In The Fountain" (1954) – another Oscar winner.
Ron (Ronald Alfred) Goodwin(1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, whose tuneful music reached the furthest corners of the world. As he gained recognition for his original compositions he became in demand for film scores, and the success of "The Trials Of Oscar Wilde" (1960) undoubtedly enhanced Goodwin’s reputation. This led to major commissions in the following years, like "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy" (1972).
If you were forced to list the finest film songs of the 1960s, Moon River would surely feature among them. But it was only one of a string of hits by Henry Mancini (born Enrico Nicola Mancini, 1924-1994), who had a knack of composing flowing, and sometimes quirky, melodies that became immensely popular. Our version by David Carroll (born Rodell Walter ‘Nook’ Schreier, 1913-2008) fully respects the appeal of this delightful piece.
Russ Conway (Bristol-born Trevor Herbert Stanford, 1925-2000) was a largely self-taught British pianist who recorded a string of hit records for EMI’s Columbia label in the 1950s. His ‘reward’ was a number of prestigious albums featuring full orchestras, resulting in accomplished performances such as the theme from the 1955 film "Picnic", in which he is accompanied by the Tony Osborne (1922-2009) Orchestra.
"Mon Oncle" (1958) featured the French actor Jacques Tati reprising his popular character Monsieur Hulot in a film originally denounced by some critics, but which eventually proved a big success. The soundtrack music by Franck Barcellini features the title theme and another variation called Adieu Mario. An English language version of the film, released as "My Uncle", was nine minutes shorter, and slightly different from the original French release, with French signs replaced in English – no doubt for the benefit of American audiences.
Gordon Franks was a conductor who became well-known in Britain thanks to his regular broadcasts on the radio: he also made a number of records including several LPs of popular instrumental themes. His version of Johnny’sTune from the small-budget British film "Some People" (1962) compares favourably with the recording for wind ensemble by the tune’s composer, Australian-born Ron Erle Grainer (1922-1981) who spent most of his professional career in England. Although prolific in films and television, his most enduring music is the theme for the BBC TV series "Doctor Who", first screened in 1963.
Ray (Raymond Stuart) Martin (born Raymond Wolfgang Kohn in Vienna, 1918-1988) fled from the Nazis and settled in England before the outbreak of World War 2 where he became known as ‘Ray Martin’. He was one of the biggest names in British popular music during the 1950s, due to his work on radio, television, films and especially the recording studios. The film "It’s Great To Be Young" (1956) was a big hit at the time, which brilliantly captured the atmosphere of mid-1950s Britain in the pre-Beatles era. With top stars (John Mills, Cecil Parker) and a fine supporting cast it is not surprising that it has stood the test of time. Ray Martin provided the music, which was carefully used at intervals throughout the film. The opening sequence featured Ruby Murray singing You Are My First Love, which then dissolved into the rousing Ray Martin title music, heard in this collection.
Eric Coates (1886-1957) is widely regarded as the foremost English composer of light music during the first half of the 20th century. Towards the end of his life he wrote one of his most enduring works, the march from the film "The Dam Busters" (1954). In actual fact the producers approached his publishers for a march to use as the title music in the film (the main score was the work of Leighton Lucas), and it so happened that Coates’ famous march was already written, and waiting to be performed.
Like Coates, another major influence on the popular music scene was Canadian-born Robert Joseph Farnon (1917-2005) – acknowledged by many as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers of his generation. His melodies such as Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world. His first important film assignment was for "Spring In Park Lane" (1948), and it was hardly surprising when Warner Bros commissioned him to write the score for their prestigious maritime saga "Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N." (1951). The stars were Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo, and Farnon’s music reflected the attraction they both felt for each other, as well as the many dramatic swashbuckling scenes throughout the film. The Lady Barbara theme became a charming work divorced from the film, although our version comes from a concert suite that the composer later based on his score. Towards the end of his life Gregory Peck stated that this was one of his favourite films, and it still regularly appears on television.
The Polish-born composer Bronislau Kaper (1902-1983) worked in the musical theatre in Germany and France before settling in the USA where he tended to concentrate on films and television. In this collection he is represented with two film themes: "The Brothers Karamazov" (1954) and "Invitation" (1952). The theme from the former receives a suitably romantic tour-de-force from Helmut Zacharias (1920-2002), while Percy Faith (1908-1976) performs the theme from "Invitation" with the sophistication we have come to expect from this master of light orchestral music. Faith returns with the theme from "The Light In The Piazza" (1962) by Italy’s foremost film composer (possibly after Nino Rota) Mario Nascimbene (1913-2002).
Alfred Newman (1901-1970) also features in two film scores: "The Razor’s Edge" (1946) and "The Robe" (1953) which was the first film to be screened in CinemaScope, and for which Newman made an extended version of his famous Twentieth Century Fox fanfare. The composer conducts the former, while Cyril Ornadel returns for the Love Theme from "The Robe".
This collection of film music concludes with the memorable theme from "The Big Country" (1958). It was composed by Jerome Moross (1913-1983) and won him an Academy Award nomination. Born in New York, Moross initially concentrated on classical music, including a symphony which was premiered under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham in 1943. Later he worked in films and television, and was highly regarded within the profession. For this collection the original 1958 mono recording has been used, rather than the later "rechanneled stereo" version, which has a noticeably inferior sound balance.
David Ades