Great post, Phil. This is an interesting story. Have a Happy New Year.
Kirby McDaniel On Dec 31, 2014, at 4:34 PM, Phillip Ayling <mro...@earthlink.net> wrote: > Greg, > > Forbidden Planet is a great choice. Greg, as you are a guitarist and you also > mention the amazing music in Forbidden Planet, I thought I would write a bit > about the score for the film that is not well known. In 1956, MGM, which was > the Production Company behind Forbidden Planet, had a full-time and tenured > Symphony Orchestra on staff at the studio. During this time all of the other > major Hollywood studios also had their own unique full-time staff orchestras > per agreements with the Musicians Union ( American Federation of Musicians). > > MGM also had its own group of famous composers and arrangers on staff from > the 30’s through the 60”s. Before David Rose became famous as the composer > for Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and songs like Holiday for Strings > and The Stripper, he was doing arrangements and rehearsal piano work at MGM. > In fact, it was during this time at MGM that the considerably older David > Rose became involved with the teenage Judy Garland. Though still married he > gave Judy Garland an engagement ring on her 18th birthday, which was kept > under wraps at the time by MGM. Later, after his own divorce from Martha Raye > became final, David Rose then became Judy Garland’s first husband. > > Anyway, after various composers were considered and approached about doing > the score for Forbidden Planet, eventually the assignment fell to David Rose. > David Rose and the MGM Orchestra recorded music for Forbidden Planet, but > almost all of it is now lost. Dore Schary who was head of MGM, didn’t > particularly like Rose’s melodic approach and threw the score out. It is not > clear if Dore Schary had ever expressed to David Rose his desire to have an > avant-garde type of score for the film. > > Anyway, Dore Schary had secretly engaged the husband and wife team of Louis > and Bebe Barron who were involved in early experiments with electronic music > to do some demos of electronic music for the film. They worked on it for many > months. The Barron’s used early synth-type gear of their own design, ring > modulators, reverb and tape delay effects to create the unique sonic > landscape that we hearin Forbidden Planet. > > When Schary decided to use the Barron’s work in Forbidden Planet instead of > the score from David Rose and the MGM Orchestra, the Musicians Union objected > because they felt it wasn’t ‘real music’. Their real concerns were also about > future employment for the MGM Orchestra as well. The MGM Symphony would > eventually be dissolved about 12 years later. > > The Barron’s work was the very first electronic “sound design” style score > and even they weren’t sure what to call it. Nonetheless, the original screen > credit was supposed to read: > “Electronic Music by Louis and Bebe Barron” > > The Musicians Union was furious and they absolutely did not want the credit > to have “music” in it. They had an ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement > with MGM that gave them standing on the issue. Legal on both sides worked out > a settlement and the Barron’s final credit on the film was as “Composer(s): > Electronic Tonalities”. > > While that may not seem like a big change, it was. Absence of the word > “music” meant that this revolutionary score for this big budget and now > iconic Sci-Fi film couldn’t even be nominated for an Academy Award for music, > let alone win. Contrast that with the synth/sound design score of Trent > Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network, which in my opinion is far > from revolutionary or even great in context for the needs of the film. That > score was both nominated and won the Academy Award for music a couple of > years back. > In the case of Forbidden Planet, it isn’t about the “Robber Barons”, but > rather the BARRONS was robbed! > > Best Wishes and Happy New Year to All > > > > From: MoPo List [mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of Gregory > Douglass > Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 8:40 AM > To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU > Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION > > Pardon me for weighing in late on this question, but it has been the busiest > December EVER for this self-employed guitar picker (21 live shows total, and > that’s with no New Year’s Eve gig!) Add a recently acquired bad cold to the > mix and you get a guy whose recreational computer time has been minimal. > Unquestionably, the film that completely hooked me on cinema, the > horror/sci-fi genre, AND movie posters, all during one trip to the El Rey > theater in Walnut Creek, CA when I was six, was “Forbidden Planet”. I can > recall snippets of films that my parents took me to prior to that, but I > remember every moment of this sic-fi classic. While some of the Freudian > subtleties were obviously lost on me…or maybe not, come to think of it…the > sheer spectacle of the film left an indelible impression on me. When Robbie > the Robot came into the picture, my Freak Flag was being stitched inside my > six-year old psyche; by the time the monster from the Id came into terrifying > view, the Freak Flag was completely unfurled and blowing proudly in the > smoke-filled confines of the little theater my dad lovingly referred to as > “The Flea House”. > I recently re-watched the film in HD, and it did not disappoint. Given the > context of the time period, the special effects were beyond brilliant, and > the “music” is still so radical that I can honestly say I’ve never again > heard anything like it. As I walked out, I saw the 40X60” poster from the > film with the iconic image of Robby holding Anne Francis, and I wanted to > wake up every morning looking at it. Crap. Still have never owned any > significant poster size from this title and, given the present price range on > even a title card, it STILL probably ain’t gonna happen. But I still have the > fabulous memory of the 90 minute gift from MGM that permanently altered and > enriched my inner landscape. > A belated and heartfelt Happy Holidays to all my fellow poster dorks out > there. 2014 was the best year ever for this old geek, and 2015 promises to be > even better…..hell, maybe that “Forbidden Planet” poster will finally be in > my hands after all! > Greg Douglass > In wet, beautiful Escondido, CA > On Dec 23, 2014, at 11:41 AM, Susan <filmfantast...@msn.com> wrote: > > It is a great question Kirby. For me there are so many, but two movies that > had a huge impact on me as a child were Them and Whatever Happened to Baby > Jane...just couldn't shake those movies for years. The movie that had the > most impact on me overall and led to my career in writing and film was To > Kill a Mockingbird, which is still my favorite film to this day. It always > amazes me that this southern woman, who grew up in the Depression south, had > such an amazing spirit to write this story and it impacts me every time I > watch it..it is still a film for me that, after a stressful day at work, I > can go home and it brings me solace...Happy Holidays everyone.........Sue - > Hollywood Poster Frames > > Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:03:15 -0500 > From: vma...@earthlink.net > Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION > To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU > > > Kirby, > > Great Question, > > When I was a kid visiting my grand parents in CT while on summer vacation, my > grandfather to me to Town (Mancheser, CT) and he dropped me off at the local > theatre (single screen, of course) and I saw Wm.Wellman's "The Next Voice You > Hear" w/ James Whitmore and Nancy Reagan.(1950) I am not sure what moved > me,but that movie has stuck with me all these years and still now and then, > pick it up and watch it. Perhaps as a child it opened up a great deal of > questions for me and the manner it was delivered. > > Number two is and early film; not sure when I saw it, but it, the love and > generosity of the theme "stuck with me" again, all these years. "Sunday > Dinner For A Soldier" w/ Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, Jane Darwell and Charles > Winniger (1944). > > Let's just say, I loved the films and didn't remember them for a week or so > after leaving the theatre, but remember them until this > day....................Vaughn > -----Original Message----- > >From: Kirby McDaniel > >Sent: Dec 23, 2014 10:06 AM > >To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU > >Subject: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION > > > >Mopolians, > > > >Is there a film that CHANGED YOUR LIFE? Maybe not in a big way, but somehow > >affected a change in you permanently? > > > >This is not a “best-movie-you’ve-ever-seen” question, although the best > >movie you’ve seen may in fact qualify. > > > >And you may have more than one - but just pick one that stands out in your > >experience. > > > >It’s really hard to know. It’s easy to say that movies changed my life - I > >think that collectively they help to shape us, but that’s > >not what I’m fishing for here. > > > >I mean a film that SHIFTED something in you, maybe good, maybe not-so / > >maybe big, maybe small. So that you could say “after I saw X, I never liked > >this, or I loved this, or I never felt the same about thus and such.” > > > >Think about it. > > > >I’m not necessarily asking you to post your answer, either. This could be > >something private for you. It’s just a question I thought about recently. > > > > > >Kirby McDaniel > >MovieArt Original Film Posters > >P.O. Box 4419 > >Austin TX 78765-4419 > >512 479 6680 mobile 512 589 5112 > >www.movieart.com > >https://www.facebook.com/movieart.austin.texas > >http://www.pinterest.com/movieartaustin/ > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > > > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > Kirby McDaniel movieartaus...@gmail.com Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
