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EASTER PARADE – Irving Berlin, Johnny Green, Roger Edens
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio was intent on making a new musical to showcase their stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. Irving Berlin’s song “Easter Parade,” which inspired the movie, was first sung in his 1933 Broadway revue “As Thousands Cheer” by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb. Arthur Freed was place in charge of production with a $2.655 million budget, Charles Walters was tasked with directing, the trio of Sidney Sheldon, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett were hired to write the screenplay. Judy Garland would star as Hannah Brown, but casting went off the rails when Gene Kelly broke his ankle. Luckily, he was able to coax Fred Astaire to come out of retirement and take the role of Don Hewes. Cyd Charisse had to be replaced as she tore ligaments in her knees, so Ann Miller took the role of Nadine Hale. Joining them would be Peter Lawford as Jonathan Harrow III. Read more…
THE RAZOR’S EDGE – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
20th Century Fox executive Darryl F. Zanuck decided that the 1944 novel “The Razor’s Edge” by W. Sommerset Maugham would be his next passion project, which would showcase the studio’s star, Tyrone Power. He purchased the film rights in March of 1945 for $250,000 plus 20% of the net profits. Zanuck took personal charge of production with a $1.2 million budget, tasked George Cuckor with directing, but later fired him over creative differences, replacing him with Edmund Gouling. Zanuck also collaborated with writer Lamar Trotti to write the screenplay. An exceptional cast was hired, including Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell, Gene Tierney as Isabel Bradley, John Payne as Gray Muturin, Ann Baxter as Sophie MacDonald, and Clifton Webb as Elliott Templeton. Read more…
THE KILLERS – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Successful producer Mark Hellinger decided to setup his own production company after departing Warner Brothers. He had recently paid Ernest Hemingway $36,750 for the film rights to his 1927 novel “The Killers,” which he intended to be his company’s inaugural effort. He would oversee production, Universal Pictures would manage distribution, Robert Siodmak would direct, and Anthony Veiller would write the screenplay. Hellinger assembled a fine cast, including Edmond O’Brien as Jim Reardon, Burt Lancaster in his acting debut as Pete Lund/Ole “Swede” Anderson, Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins, Albert Dekker as “Big Jim” Colfax, Jack Lambert as “Dum-Dum” Clarke, and Sam Levene as Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky. Read more…
HANGOVER SQUARE – Bernard Herrmann
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Actor Laird Cregar saw opportunity for a film adaptation of the popular 1941 novel “Hangover Square,” a murder melodrama by Patrick Hamilton. He convinced 20th Century Fox executive Darryl F. Zanuck to purchase the film rights, Robert Bassler was assigned production with a budget of $1.145 million, Barré Lyndon was hired to write the screenplay, and John Brahm was tasked with directing. A fine cast was recruited, including Laird Cregar as George Harvey Bone, Linda Darnell as Netta Langdon, George Sanders as Dr. Allan Middleton, Faye Marlowe as Barbara Chapman and Alan Napier as Sir Henry Chapman. Read more…
COVER GIRL – Jerome Kern, Ira Gershwin, Morris Stoloff, Carmen Dragon
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Columbia Pictures wanted to showcase their star Rita Hayworth, the most popular pinup girl for American soldiers in WWII, and chose a musical romantic comedy to be adapted from the story “Cover Girl” by Erwin Gelsey. Arthur Schwartz was assigned production, Charles Vidor was tasked with directing, and Virginia Van Upp was hired to write the screenplay. Gene Kelly was on loan from MGM and was given creative control and would also manage choreography. Rita Hayworth would star as Rusty Parker. Joining her would be Gene Kelly as Danny McGuire, Lee Bowman as Noel Wheaton, Phil Silvers as Genius, and Jim Falkenburg as Jinx Faulkenberg. Read more…
MR. SKEFFINGTON – Franz Waxman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Executive Jack L. Warner of Warner Brothers decided that the popular American Book of The Month Club novel “Mr. Skeffington” (1940) by Elizabeth von Arnim could be successfully adapted to the big screen. He purchased the film rights and would manage production along with the Epstein brothers, Julius and Philip. A $1.521 million budget was provided, the Epstein brothers would write the screenplay, and Vincent Sherman would direct. Casting was a challenge in that studio stars Merle Oberon, Hedy Lamar and Paul Henreid all turned down offers. Eventually Bette Davis accepted the role of Fanny Trellis Skeffington. Joining her would be Claude Rains as Job Skeffington, and Richard Waring as Trippy Trellis. Read more…
THE UNINVITED – Victor Young
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
During WWII Hollywood began to explore a new genre – paranormal or supernatural themed films. When Irish author Dorothy Macardle’s 1941 novel “Uneasy Freehold” was published in the United States as “The Uninvited” producer Charles Brackett believed he had found a story that needed to be brought to the big screen. He sold his vison to Paramount and would oversee production, Lewis Allen was tasked with directing, and the team of Dodie Smith and Frank Partos would write the screenplay. For the cast, Ray Milland would star as Roderick “Rick” Fitzgerald, joined by Ruth Hussey as Pamela Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp as Commander Beech, Cornelia Otis Skinner as Miss Holloway, and Gail Russel as Stella Meredith. Read more…
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director Billy Wilder conceived of WWII film adapted from the 1917 play Hotel Imperial: Színmú Négy Felovonásban by Lajos Bíró. He sold the idea to Paramount Pictures, and secured the film rights. B. G. DeSylva was assigned production with a budget of $855,000, Wilder would direct, and he and Charles Brackett would write the screenplay. Casting was problematic as Wilder’s choice of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman failed to materialize. So, he cast Franchot Tone as Corporal John Bramble/Davos, Anne Baxter as Mouche, Akim Tamiroff as Farid, Erich von Stromheim as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, Peter van Eyck as Lieutenant Schwegler, and Fortunio Bananova as General Sebastiano. Read more…
THE MARK OF ZORRO – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Darryl F. Zanuck, vice-president of production at 20th Century Fox, decided to remake the popular 1920 silent film “The Mark of Zorro”, which starred Douglas Fairbanks. The story was first published in 1919 as a five-part magazine serialized novel called “The Curse of Capistrano” by Johnston McCulley, which after the film’s success was republished as a novel titled The Mark of Zorro. Zanuck would oversee production with a $1 million budget, Rouben Mamoulian was tasked with directing, and John Tainto Foote would write the screenplay. The studio’s star Tyrone Power would head the cast as Don Diego Vega AKA Zorro, joined by Linda Darnell as Lolita Quintero, Basil Rathbone as Captain Esteban Pasquale, Montagu Love as Don Alejandro Vega, J. Edward Bromberg as Don Luis Quintero, and Gale Sondergaard as Inez Quintero. Read more…
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS – Victor Young
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the enormous success of the first animated film, Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, Paramount Studios decided to cash in with its own film. It decided to base the new film on Part One of Jonathan Swift’s classic 1726 novel “Gulliver’s Travels”. In a joint venture, Paramount and Fleisher Studios placed Max Fleisher in charge of production with a $700,000 budget, his brother Dave Fleisher would direct, and the team of Dan Gordon, Cal Howard, Ted Pierce, Edmond Seward and Isadore Sparber would write the screenplay. The voice cast would include Sam Parker as Gulliver, Pinto Colvig as Gabby and Snitch, Jack Mercer as Prince David, King Little, Twinkletoes, Snoop, Horses and the Royal Chef, and Ted Pierce as King Bombo and Sneak. Read more…
THE RAINS CAME – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Darryl F. Zanuck 20th Century Fox Studios vice-president of production came upon the 1937 novel The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield and decided its story of redemption set in India would translate well to the big screen. He purchased the film rights, assumed oversight of production with a budget of $2.5 million, tasked Clarence Brown with directing, and hired Philip Dunne and Julien Josephson to write the screenplay. For his cast, Myrna Loy would star as Lady Edwina Esketh, with Tyronne Power as Major Rama Safti, George Brent as Tom Ransome, Brenda Joyce as Fern Simon, Nigel Bruce as Lord Albert Esketh and Maria Ouspenskaya as Maharani. Read more…
TOMBSTONE – Bruce Broughton
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Very few events in the colorful and sometimes fanciful history of the American West capture the imagination like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The event did take place, in the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, and it did see the brothers Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp, plus their friend Doc Holliday, shooting it out with a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys, led by Ike Clanton. The real gunfight lasted just seconds, resulted in the deaths of three Cowboys, and was probably no different from many of the other gunfights that were regular occurrences in the old west. However, for some reason, the Gunfight, the story of the Earp family, and the subsequent Earp Vendetta Ride, have become near-mythical events in the romantic history of the period. Tombstone was at least the eighth film to depict these events on the silver screen, after such legendary western movies like 1946’s My Darling Clementine starring Henry Fonda, 1957’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and 1967’s Hour of the Gun starring James Garner. Read more…
GOLDEN BOY – Victor Young
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1938 Columbia Pictures bought the film rights to the play Golden Boy by Clifford Odets for $100,000, intending to showcase their star Jean Arthur with Frank Capra directing. However, when Capra was unavailable, Rouben Mamoulian was tasked with directing, which resulted in cast changes. William Perlberg was assigned production and the team of Lewis Meltzer, Daniel Taradash, Sarah Mason and Victor Heerman wrote the screenplay. Barbara Stanwyck was cast to star in the film as Lorna Moon, with Adolphe Menjou as Tom Moody, Joseph Calleia as Eddie Fuseli, and Lee J. Cobb as Papa Bonaparte. In an audacious decision, Mamoulian decided against studio wishes, to cast the young William Holden (21 years old) in his first acting role as Joe Bonaparte, a decision that ended up launching his career as a young heart throb. Read more…
STAGECOACH – Richard Hageman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director John Ford came upon a short story, “The Stage to Lordsburg” by Dudley Nichols, which inspired him for his next film project, and whose film rights he purchased for $2,500. Yet he had difficulty securing financial backing as the studios believed “A” western pictures were out of vogue, and they had no confidence that John Wayne could carry the film. Ford was insistent on retaining Wayne and eventually hammered out a deal with independent producer Walter Wanger who would manage production with a $531,374 budget. Ford would direct and Dudley Nichols was hired to write the screenplay. A fine cast was assembled, including Claire Trevor as Dallas, John Wayne as Ringo Kid, Andy Devine as Buck, John Carridine as Hatfield, Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone, Louise Platt as Lucy Mallory, George Bancroft as Marshall Curley Wilcox, Donald Meek as Samuel Peacock, Berton Churchill as Henry Gatewood, and Time Holt as Lieutenant Blanchard. Read more…
IF I WERE KING – Richard Hageman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1937 Paramount Pictures studio executives were seeking a period piece as a vehicle to showcase studio star Ronald Coleman. They found their story with the 1901 biographical novel and play titled “If I Were King” by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Frank Lloyd was placed in charge of production with a $1 million budget, would also direct, and Preston Sturges was hired to write the screenplay. Ronald Coleman would star as Francois Villon, joined by Basil Rathborne as King Louis XI, Frances Dee as Katherine DeVaucelles, Ellen Drew as Huguette, Bruce Lester as Noel le Jolys, and C. V. France as Father Villon. Read more…
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