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THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS – Franz Waxman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Studio executive Jack Warner decided that the history-making tale of Charles A. Lindbergh’s pioneering transatlantic flight needed to be brought to the big screen. He assigned production to Leland Hayward with a $3 million budget, tasked Billy Wilder with directing (who also assisted with the screenplay), and hired screenwriters Charles Lederer and Wendell Mayes to adapt Lindbergh’s autobiographical account in his 1953 book The Spirit of St. Louis. Casting the lead role was problematic, as Warner’s choice of John Kerr was turned down by the actor, who was offended by Lindbergh’s pro-Nazi sympathies and antisemitism. James Stewart lobbied for the role and was chosen by Wilder despite Warner’s misgivings that, at 47 years of age, he was too old for the role, given that Lindbergh was 25 years old when he made the flight. Joining Stewart would be Murray Hamilton as Bud Gurney and Patricia Smith as Mirror Girl. Read more…
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