Bernard Herrmann's Centennial

One of the greatest American composers of the 20th Century was Bernard Herrmann. As 2011 is his centennial year, I want to celebrate the man and his music.

Here are some favorites from his marvelous music for movies.

Jason and the Argonauts - One of the first films I saw as a kid that featured Herrmann's music.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - One of the loveliest scores ever to come out of Hollywood.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Can music take you on a ride into outer space? You bet it can.

Mysterious Island - William Stromberg conducts the MSO in this wild track called The Balloon.

White Witch Doctor - Hold on to your pith helmet when you hear this one!

On Dangerous Ground - Brace yourself for "Death Hunt," a ferocious piece performed by Esa Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

North By Northwest - Herrmann's fandango for Hitchcock's classic.

Obsession - "Giving it everything he's got" sums up Herrmann's ravishing score for this DePalma thriller.

Taxi Driver - One of Herrmann's final scores featuring a sweeping jazz sax solo.


Posted by Terrence Seamon on February 5, 2011.

When I Was A Kid

At the Movie Addicts group on LinkedIn, someone asked, What were some of your favorite movies when you were a kid?

When I think back to my kid days, the late 1950's to early 1960's, I was truly a movie (and TV) addict, watching just about everything that the New York stations had to broadcast, especially channels 5, 9 and 11.

I loved anything having to do with horror, ghosts, sci fi, adventure...you name it. And classic comedy, especially Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, even the Bowery Boys.

So here are some of the films that really resonated with me when I was a kid:

- The March of the Wooden Soldiers. To this day, I can sit and watch this timeless classic comedy with Laurel & Hardy and still laugh my butt off over their old jokes ("Good night, Ollie.")

- Mighty Joe Young. I still choke up during the climactic fire rescue scene.

- King Kong. A classic of cinema, period.

- The Wizard of Oz. Ditto my last comment. One of the top ten films of all time.

- The Time Machine starring Rod Taylor, with its excellent music score by Russell Garcia.

- Jason and the Argonauts. For mythic adventure and strange creatures, this one has it all, courtesy of animation master Ray Harryhausen and composer Bernard Herrmann.

- The Day the Earth Stood Still. When Patricia Neal approaches Gort the giant robot, to stop it before it destroys the Earth by saying "Klaatu barata nikto," you have one of the most terrifying moments in film history. Plus score by Bernard Herrmann.

- Hold That Ghost. One of Abbott and Costello's early efforts has gangsters, ghosts, and the Andrew Sisters!

- The Magnificent Seven. What a cast. What a story. What music (by Elmer Bernstein)

- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Maybe the best mix of comedy and horror ever. And the score by Frank Skinner is a favorite.

And one more I just remembered:

- The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. A Czech film with striking visuals that look like drawings come to life.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, July 10, 2010

Jason and the Argonauts

When I was a kid, I begged my dad to take me to see Jason & the Argonauts (1963) at the local movie theater. I could tell he wasn't enthused. But he relented and took me to see it.

It changed my life.

The creatures animated by the great Ray Harryhausen were among his very best, including the tormenting harpies, the giant man of bronze Talos, and the army of skeletons. Each scene is a classic of cinema.

Elevating these and other scenes is the music provided by the legendary Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann whose score for Jason is among his very best. From the opening theme with its strong pounding drums and triumphant horns, to the wild fandango that propels the battle with the skeletons, this is film scoring at its greatest, transporting you to a mythic place where you believe in seven headed hydras guarding a golden fleece.

Tom Hanks said, at an Oscar ceremony a couple years ago, that the greatest film ever made was Jason and the Argonauts. I agree.

Posted by terrence Seamon, July 3, 2010