Archive
THE SWAN – Bronislau Kaper
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In May of 1955 Don Schary, MGM’s Executive for Film Production, was seeking a film to showcase the studio’s marquee star, Grace Kelly. He believed he found the story and so bought the film rights to a Hungarian play entitled “A Hattyú, Vígjáték Három Felvonásban” (The Swan, A Comedy in Three Acts) written in 1914 by Ferenc Molnár. Schary took personal charge of production, allocating a budget of $3.094 million. John Dighton was hired to write the screenplay and Charles Vidor was tasked with directing. Joining Grace Kelly in the starring role of Princess Alexandra would be Alec Guiness as Crown Prince Albert, Louis Jourdan as Dr. Nicholas Agi, Jessie Royce Landis as Princess Beatrix, Brian Aheme as Father Carl Hyacinth, and Agnes Moorehead as Queen Maria Dominika. Read more…
TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
MGM Studios has suffered a string of loses and sought to recoup them with a film in a popular, money-making genre – Westerns. They came across the short story “Hangings for the Lucky” by Jack Schaefer, and purchased the film rights, which ultimately became this film: Tribute to a Bad Man. Sam Zimbalist was assigned production with a $2.8 million budget. Schaefer and Michael Blankfort would write the screenplay, and Robert Wise was tasked with directing. Casting was not smooth sailing as the star Spencer Tracy was fired by Wise for disrupting filming and Grace Kelly left her career to marry Prince Ranier III of Monaco. James Cagney was brought in for the starring role of Jeremy Rodock, and joining him would be Don Dubbins as Steve Millar, Stephen McNally as McNulty, and Irene Papas as Jocasta Constantine. Read more…
DIANE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Samuel Goldwyn of MGM was given a fifty-page manuscript titled “Diane de Poitiers” by John Erskine, which producer Edwin H. Knopft purchased in 1939. The project was given the green light to proceed, however financing delayed production until 1953 when Knopft renewed his effort and received the blessing of studio executive Don Schary to proceed. A $3.892 million budget was provided. Christopher Isherwood was hired to adapt Erskine’s story, and David Miller was tasked with directing. An impressive cast was assembled, which included Lana Turner as Dian de Poitiers, Pedro Armendáriz as King Francis I, Roger Moore as Prince Henri/King Henri II, Marisa Pavan as Catherine dé Medici, Sir Cedric Hardwick as Ruggieri, Torin Hatcher as Count de Brézé, Taina Elg as Alys, John Lupton as Regnault, and Henry Danelli as Gondi. Read more…
THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR – Hugo Friedhofer
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In the early 1950s, 20th Century Fox Studio executives committed to remaking several of their popular black and white films of the 1930s in DeLuxe Color Cinemascope. It was decided that the 1939 film “The Rains Came” would be refashioned as “The Rains of Ranchipur”. It would again be based on the 1937 novel “The Rains Came” by Louis Bromfield, with Merle Miller adapting the screenplay. Frank Ross was placed in charge of production, provided a budget of $2.9 million, and Jean Negulesco was tasked with directing. A stellar cast was assembled, including; Lana Turner as Lady Edwina Esketh, Richard Burton as Dr. Rama Safti, Fred McMurray as Tom Ransome, Michael Rennie as Lord Esketh, Joan Caufield as Fern Simon, and Eugenie Leontovich as Maharani. Read more…
PICNIC – George Duning
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Columbia Pictures took notice of the enormous success of the Broadway play “Picnic” by William Inge, which opened on February 19, 1953 at the Music Box Theater, ran for 477 performances, and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1953. The studio purchased the film rights in 1953 for $350,000, Fred Kohlmar was placed in charge of production with a budget of $3 million, Joshua Logan, the director of the Broadway stage production was tasked with directing, and Daniel Taradash joined William Inge in writing the screenplay. For the cast, the studio made the controversial decision to cast 37 year old William Holden, their marquee star, as 21 year old Hal Carter, joining him would be Kim Novak as Madge Owens, Rosalind Russel as Rosemary Sydney, Betty Field as Flo Owens, Cliff Robertson as Alan Benson, Nick Adams as Bomber, and Susan Strasberg as Millie Owens. Read more…
DODGE CITY – Max Steiner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1937 Studio executive Jack Warner decided to join the Western genre bandwagon following Paramount Pictures commercial success with “The Texas Rangers” (1936) and “The Plainsman (1936). In 1938 they believe that they had struck gold when they came across a story “Dodge City” by screen writer Robert Buckner. They purchased the film rights, Hal B. Wallis was assigned production with a $1.06 million budget, Michael Curtiz was tasked with directing, and Buckner would write the screenplay. Wallis struggled to find a leading man for the role of Wade Hutton, and decided to roll the dice with thirty-year-old Errol Flynn. Joining Flynn would be a fine cast, which included Olivia de Haviland as Abbie Irving, Ann Sheridan as Ruby Gilman, Alan Hale as Rusty, Henry O’Neill as Colonel Greenville M. Dodge, Bruce Cabot as Jeff Surrett, Victor Jory as Yancy, and Frank McHugh as Joe Clemens. Read more…
THE SON OF KONG – Max Steiner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Given the tremendous commercial success of King Kong in 1933, RKO executives decided to milk the cash cow and make an immediate sequel. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, the producers and directors of the first film were asked to again manage production, however Cooper’s enthusiasm was dampened when he was provided with a budget of only $269,000, which was half the budget of original, with the caveat that they had to have it in theaters within six months, for a Christmas 1933 release. Ruth Rose was tasked with writing the screenplay. She decided that the sequel could not duplicate the success of the first film, and so she made a creative decision; “If you can’t make it bigger, make it funnier”. The cast would include Robert Armstrong, who would reprise his role as Carl Denham. Joining him would be Helen Mack as Hilda Petersen, Frank Reicher as Captain Englehorn, John Marston as Nils Helstrom, Victor Wong as Charlie, and Ed Brady as Red. Read more…
THE ROSE TATTOO – Alex North
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Renowned director Hal Wallis saw opportunity with the Broadway production of “The Rose Tattoo” by Tennessee Williams, which opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York on February 3, 1951, ran for 306 performances, and won four Tony Awards. He stated in his memoirs that he saw its premiere and “knew at once that I had to buy it. It was sure to be a great success. Audiences would identify with its earthiness, its sexuality, its deeply felt emotions and naturalistic dialogue.” He purchased the film rights, and sold his vision to Paramount Pictures, who placed him in charge of production. Daniel Mann was hired to direct, and author Tennessee Williams would write the screenplay. For the cast, Williams was insistent on Italian actress Anna Magnani playing Serafina Delle Rose, and this would be her first English speaking role. Joining her would be Burt Lancaster as Alvaro Mangiacavallo, Marissa Pava as Rosa Delle Rose, and Ben Cooper as Jack Hunter. Read more…
QUENTIN DURWARD – Bronislau Kaper
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1951 MGM sought to capitalize on the huge commercial success of Robert Taylor in “Ivanhoe” with him starring in another period piece. To that end they chose to adapt the 1823 novel “Quentin Durward” by Sir Walter Scott. Pandro S. Berman was again assigned production with a $2.47 million budget, Robert Ardey and George Frooeschel were hired to write the screenplay, and Richard Thorpe was tasked with directing. For the cast, Robert Taylor would star in the titular role as the hero Quentin Durward, with Kay Kendall as Isabelle, Countess of Macroy, Robert Morley as King Louis XI, George Cole as Hayraddin, Alec Clunes as Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy and Duncan Lamont as Count Philip De Creville. Read more…
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE – Leonard Rosenman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Warner Brothers Pictures was looking for a vehicle to showcase their new, young contract actor James Dean. In 1954 they decided that they had finally found it with a 1944 novel by Robert M. Lindner, “Rebel Without A Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath”. They purchased the film rights, David Weisbart was assigned production with a $1.5 million budget, Stewart Stern was hired to write the screenplay, and Nicholas Ray was tasked with directing. For the cast, James Dean would star as Jim Stark, and joining him would be Natalie Wood as Judy, Sal Mineo as John “Plato” Crawford, Jim Backus as Frank Stark, Ann Doran as Carol Stark, Corey Allen as Buzz Gunderson, and William Hopper as Judy’s father. Read more…
OKLAHOMA! – Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Adolph Deutsch, Robert Russell Bennett, and Jay Blackton
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1943 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “Oklahoma!” opened on Broadway and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances. Studios began a bidding war to acquire the film rights in hope of capitalizing on the play’s phenomenal success. Eventually Magna Theatre Corporation prevailed, purchasing the rights for an astounding $1 million. It would take eleven years to get the project off the ground as the company insisted on using a new widescreen filming process called “Todd-AO”. Arthur Hornblow Jr. was assigned production with a $6.8 million budget, Sonya Levien and William Ludwig were hired to write the screenplay, Agnes de Mille would stage the choreography, and Fred Zinneman would direct his first, and only musical of his career. A fine cast was assembled, which included Gordon MacRae as Curly McLain, Shirley Jones as Laurey Williams, Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie Carnes, Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller, Rod Steiger as Jud Fry, Gene Nelson as Will Parker, and Eddie Albert as Ali Hakim. Read more…
THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY – Bernard Herrmann
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director Alfred Hitchcock took a liking to the 1950 black comedy novel “The Trouble With Harry” by Jack Trevor Story and purchased the film rights for $11,000. Hitchcock used his own production company to finance the film, with him overseeing production with a $1.2 million budget. He would also direct and hired John Michael Hayes to write the screenplay. For casting, Hitchcock embarked on an experiment – not hiring any established stars as he believed that many times a big star can hinder the narrative flow of his movie. As such, the cast included; Edmund Gwenn as Captain Albert Weiss, John Forsythe as Sam Marlowe, Shirley MacLaine in her acting debut as Jennifer Rogers, Mildred Natwick as Miss Ivy Gravely, Mildred Dunnock as Mrs. Wiggs, James Mathers as Arnie Rogers, and Royal Dano as Deputy Sheriff Calvin Wiggs. Read more…
SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD – Hugo Friedhofer
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1951 the New York Times declared the novel “The Nine Days of Father Sierra” (1951) by Isabelle Gibson Ziegler a “brief, tender and impressive novel”. Sensing opportunity to 20th Century Fox Studios purchased the film rights and prepared for production in 1952. The project however stalled and in 1955 was reassigned for production to Robert D. Webb and his wife Barbara McLean with a $1.5 million budget. Webb would also take on directing duties, and he hired Richard L. Breen to write the screenplay. Webb brought in a fine cast, which included Richard Egan as Lieutenant José Mendoza, Anthony Quinn as Captain Gaspar de Portolà, Michael Rennie as Father Junipero Serra, Jeffrey Hunter as Matuwir, and Rita Moreno as Ula. Read more…
THE LEFT HAND OF GOD – Victor Young
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Renowned 20th Century Fox producer Buddy Adler had a penchant for making films full of conflict, forbidden love, that were often set in exotic Asian locales. He saw opportunity after reading the 1951 novel “The Left Hand of God” by William Edmund Barrett and decided its story would translate well to the big screen. He sold his vision to CEO Darryl F. Zanuck and secured his blessing. Adler would oversee production with a $1.785 million budget, Edward Dmytryk was tasked with directing, and Alfred Hayes would adapt the novel and write the screenplay. A fine cast was assembled, with Humphrey Bogart as James Carmody, Gene Tierney as Anne Scott, Lee J. Cobb as Mieh Yang, Agnes Moorehead as Beryl Sigman, and E. G. Marshall as Dr. David Sigman. Read more…
REAR WINDOW – Franz Waxman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the success of his film Dial M For Murder in 1954, director Alfred Hitchcock embarked on his next project that would be based on a 1942 short story mystery thriller “It Had To Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich. It offered him a perfect ‘Hitchcock’ story to bring to the big screen and he secured financial support for Paramount pictures and Patron Incorporated to purchase the film rights. Hitchcock would personally manage production with a $1 million budget, direct, and John Michael Hayes was hired to write the screenplay. A stellar cast was assembled, including; James Stewart as Jeff Jeffries, Grace Kelly as Lisa Carol Fremont, Wendell Corey as Detective Tom J. Doyle, Thelma Ritter as Stella, and Raymond Burr as Lars Thorwald. Read more…
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