Movies Broadway Singers and Beyond Internet Radio Station Hosted by Sherry
As I put this show together, my greatest regret was that I only had two hours for the show. Last night, in my art room, I listened to John Barry’s The Dove and I thought, I need to put that one on the show. Then I remembered . . . that boat had already sailed.
Some of my favorite music of all time are movie soundtracks, and I have so many that I could actually do a show that would last for days. Oh well, get ready for more.
On Thursday, May 15th, at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific time, Movies Broadway Singers and Beyond Pays Tribute to Movie Soundtracks. It was hard to choose, but these are some of my favorites.
I was a little girl when The High and The Mighty came to the theaters. I love this movie. John Wayne plays First Officer Dan Roman, the hero of this story. As the pilot, Robert Stack, panics, it is up to the Duke to keep everyone calm and try to figure out how to save a doomed airliner. It was rumored that Spencer Tracy was supposed to play this part, but he backed out. How lucky for the viewers that Spencer made this choice, and that John Wayne took the role.
They say that this movie inspired the young people of that time to become pilots and flight attendants. (At the time, they were called stewardesses and they were proud of it.) The High and the Mighty was also memorable, for me, because of the way the Duke walks off at the end, humming the theme song with Dimitri Tiomkin’s haunting theme playing in the background. When I grew up, this was one of the first soundtracks I had to have in my collection.
The score from The Bad and the Beautiful by David Raksin, matched the power of this film. All of the characters like Lana Turner, Barry Sullivan and Walter Pigeon, had to come to grips with the fact that, although Kirk Douglas’ character lacked “the sensitivity chip”, without him, their lives would have been much different and not as illustrious. I have often reflected how odd it is that they never remade this movie. Somehow, I pictured Michael Douglas, in a remake of this film, playing the part of Jonathan Shields, like his father had done in the early 50s. In truth, there are many movies that should never be remade, because the original actors were so brilliant and charismatic that the movie is truly a classic. Movies like Robin Hood with Errol Flynn, Gone with the Wind with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, are so memorable that no remake could ever compare to them. Such is the case with The Bad and the Beautiful.
I was in my early teen years when I sat in a darkened theater and watched gorgeous Debbie Reynolds and hunky Tony Curtis fall in love in The Rat Race. To me, though, the most powerful part of the movie was Sam Butera’s powerful theme. Even now, it gives me goose bumps to think about it.
The score for The Wind and the Lion captures the large scope of the story. The music by Jerry Goldsmith goes in many directions and is beautiful. The soundtrack to Airport, by Alfred Newman, really packs a punch. These are classic examples of how perfect soundtracks can embellish a movie and make it even more exciting. Long after you see the film, you just might want to own the soundtrack.
Every now and then, there is a movie that is a little gem. It is not an extravaganza or a movie that receives a lot of publicity, but ohhhh, it can capture your heart. It is this way with Life as a House. Many of my friends who have seen this movie, always remember it. The music by Mark Isham was wonderful.
So, I hope you can join us for our show. You will hear these wonderful soundtracks and so many more. Again, I apologize if I have left out your favorite. We are in the same boat; I’ve left out some of my favorites too. Tune in and enjoy this one. Let me know what you like.
Sayonara (this is a clue),
Sherry
