John Morris, 1926-2018
Composer John Morris died on January 25, 2018, at his home in Red Hook, New Jersey, following complications from a respiratory infection. He was 91.
John Leonard Morris was born in October 1926, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After his family moved to Kansas while he was young, Morris continued studying piano, and by the late 1940s he moved back to the New York City are, where he studied at both Juilliard School and at The New School. He pursued a career as a concert pianist and musical director before transitioning to composing for theater and film. Morris began his long and fruitful collaboration with writer-director Mel Brooks in the late 1950s, and together they worked on two musicals, Shinbone Alley (1957) and All-American (1962).
Morris and Brooks continued to work together when Brooks brought his play ‘Springtime for Hitler’ to the big screen as The Producers in 1967, and their collaboration continued through a string of hits including Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), and Spaceballs (1987), among many others. His deft orchestral parodies and lovingly crafted pastiches matched Brooks’ irreverent humor beat for beat.
Morris’s music for Blazing Saddles earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for the title theme, while his score for The Elephant Man (1980), a dramatic departure from his comedic work, earned widespread critical acclaim and a BAFTA nomination. His other important works for film include scores for box office hits such as The Woman in Red (1984), Clue (1985), and Dirty Dancing (1987). He also composed for television, notably the 1970s miniseries Scarlett and The Adams Chronicles.
In addition to his film work, he wrote music for Broadway, including A Time for Singing (1966), and he served as a conductor for numerous theatrical productions.
He was survived by his wife Francesca, his daughter Bronwen, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren
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