jakeem
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Posts posted by jakeem
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1 hour ago, lilypond said:
What a comprehensive tribute, JAKEEM-- good job! This is what I love about TCM forums.
I never realized Bricusse co-wrote "What Kind of Fool Am I?" with Anthony Newley, nor so many of the other interesting facets of his lengthy career that you bring out. Fascinating.
Thank you so much! I learned about Bricusse's contributions thanks to Sammy Davis, Jr. I couldn't find his performance of "Talk to the Animals" at the 1968 Oscars, but here's a version he did on ABC's 1960s variety show "The Hollywood Palace."
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The British songwriter and producer Leslie Bricusse, known for his creation of popular songs for stage and screen productions, died Tuesday at the age of 90.
His death in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France was announced on Instagram by his longtime friend, Dame Joan Collins -- the actress who once was married to Bricusse's frequent collaborator Anthony Newley (1931-1999). Collins called Bricusse “one of the giant songwriters of our time.”
The cause of death was not mentioned.
Bricusse was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (winning twice), nine Grammys (with one win) and four Tonys,
He and Newley were inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1989.
Briscusse is survived by his wife, the actress Yvonne "Evie" Romain, their son Adam and several grandchildren.
At the fifth Annual Grammy Awards, held on May 15, 1963, Bricusse and Newley won Song of the Year honors for "What Kind of Fool Am I?" -- one of their songs from the 1962 stage musical "Stop The World - I Want To Get Off." They were the first Brits to win the songwriting Grammy.
Bricusse and Newley's song "Feeling Good" -- from their 1964 stage musical " The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd" -- became a celebrated 1965 recording by Nina Simone -- and a favorite song for numerous "American Idol" hopefuls through the years.
Bricusse, Newley and composer John Barry co-created "Goldfinger," the theme for the 1964 James Bond thriller starring Sir Sean Connery. It was the first of three Bond themes performed by Dame Shirley Bassey, and it became the Welsh singer's signature song. In a 2004 American Film Institute survey of the Top 100 movie songs of all time, "Goldfinger" came in at No. 53.
Three years later, Bricusse and Barry created the title theme for another 007 film. "You Only Live Twice" was performed by Nancy Sinatra, and it became a No. 3 hit on Billboard's adult contemporary chart.
Bricusse's first Academy Award win was for the 1967 song "Talk to the Animals" from "Doctor Dolittle." Sir Rex Harrison, who played the title character in the film based on Hugh Lofting's children's books, performed the tune in the picture. A year later, the Best Original Song Oscar went to "The Windmills of Your Mind" by Michel Legrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman from "The Thomas Crown Affair." That song was performed in the movie by Noel Harrison, Sir Rex's son -- giving the Harrison family an unprecedented, back-to-back achievement.
Bricusse's Oscar was accepted by Sammy Davis. Jr. (pictured below with presenter Barbra Streisand) who earlier performed "Talk to the Animals" during the 1968 Oscar telecast. Davis included many Bricusse-Newley songs in his repertoire.
The 1969 musical remake of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" -- which starred Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark -- earned Bricusse and John Williams an Academy Award nomination for Best Score of a Musical Picture. Among the numbers performed in the production were "What a Lot of Flowers" and "Fill the World with Love." The two songs were recorded by actor Richard Harris --O'Toole's longtime friend and sometime drinking companion -- and included in his 1970 LP "The Richard Harris Love Album."
Bricusse spearheaded the production of "Scrooge," the 1970 musical version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" that starred Albert Finney in the title role. Bricusse served as the movie's executive producer, adapted the movie's screenplay and provided compositions for the music score. Directed by Ronald Neame ("The Poseidon Adventure"), the production received four Oscar nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Terence Marsh, Robert Cartwright and Pamela Cornell), Best Costume Design (Margaret Furse), Best Original Song ("Thank You Very Much" by Bricusse) and Best Music, Original Song Score (Bricusse, Ian Fraser and Herbert W. Spencer).
The beloved 1971 fantasy film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" -- it's being remade for the second time -- featured an Oscar- nominated score by Bricusse, Newley and Walter Scharf. The movie's star, Gene Wilder, performed the song "Pure Imagination." Another song, "The Candy Man," was later recorded by Sammy Davis, Jr., and it became his only No. 1 hit song.Bricusse reteamed with John Williams for the memorable flying sequence in 1978's blockbuster hit "Superman," Bricusse wrote the lyrics for "Can You Read My Mind?" -- recited by Margot Kidder, the actress who played Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve as The Man of Steel.Bricusse and another music great, Henry Mancini, won their final Academy Awards for "Victor/Victoria," the 1982 musical comedy starring Dame Julie Andrews as a struggling British coloratura soprano named Victoria Grant who became the toast of Paris by posing as a singing female impersonator named Victor. In effect, that made her a woman posing as a man posing as a woman. The songwriters shared the award for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score.
My heart is aching today because one of the loves of my life is gone. Leslie Bricusse was my friend for more than fifty years - years filled with warm embraces, a strong shoulder & a guiding hand. Sending love to Evie, Adam & all of their friends tonight. May God treat him well.
RIP Leslie Bricusse, 90. Songwriter extraordinaire, and a delightful man. Penned many of the greatest movie lyrics incl Bond themes from Goldfinger & You Only Live Twice, and had one of the great showbusiness marriages to his beloved Evie for more than 60 years.
RIP Leslie Bricusse. My next door neighbor for many years. Wrote lyrics for so many memorable songs. Love to Evie and the family.Songwriters around the world mourning the loss of the great Leslie Bricusse, creator of hit shows, hit records, many immortal standards. Music's Candy Man who ruled his world with charm and modesty. RIP.-
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British Independent Film Awards 2021 New Talent Longlists Unveiled-
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M. Night Shyamalan Named 2022 Berlin Film Fest Jury President
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Also, 'Indiana Jones 5' has been pushed by almost a year, from July 29, 2022, to June, 30, 2023More: http://thr.cm/u6rAzF4
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Disney has pushed back its 2022 Marvel slate#DoctorStrange
in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6
#Thor
: Love and Thunder on July 8
#AntMan and the Wasp: Quantumania on July 28More details: http://thr.cm/u6rAzF4 -
Mel Brooks Is Coming to Hulu With "History of the World Part II" -
#Arrebato, #IvanZulueta's 1979 Spanish freakout about getting possessed by film itself, has been restored and reissued (it's playing tonight at #SanFrancisco's @roxietheater). Trippy, unpredictable and transgressive a/f, it's understandably one of #PedroAlmodovar's faves.
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Feinberg Forecast: The Oscars Landscape in Mid-October
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Iranian Director Panah Panahi’s ‘Hit the Road’ Wins London Film Festival Top Prize
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Box Office: #HalloweenKills
Opens to Killer $50.4M Despite Dual Peacock Launch
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.@CriticsChoice's @JoeyBerlin: "This seems like a hostile move by the HFPA, given that we had already announced that the CCAs will take place on that date, and given that the HFPA had at no time laid claim to Jan. 9, 2022, even before its current problems" -
The HFPA's efforts to push ahead with the Globes prior to resolving its differences with those boycotting it may well further antagonize those constituencies...
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Golden Globes: HFPA Will Attempt to Hold Ceremony in 2022 Without NBC and Despite Ongoing Boycott
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Like #RidleyScott's best film, #ThelmaandLouise, #TheLastDuel has a good script, disturbing but righteous feminist critique of male brutality/idiocy, & lots of hair (though mostly bad this time). #JodieComer, #MattDamon, #AdamDriver & #BenAffleck all do bold, unsafe work.
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The best thing about the new #HalloweenMovie is how it turns the old peasants-storming-the-castle horror movie trope into a Jan. 6 mob attack sort of thing. #JamieLeeCurtis spends too much time hospitalized.
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#ToddHaynes' #TheVelvetUnderground #documentary on #AppleTVPlus is excellent cultural history that still didn't convince me #LouReed's #AndyWarhol-backed band was as good as his later solo work.
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3 hours ago, sagebrush said:
While watching EYES WITHOUT A FACE this afternoon, I realized I failed to write a centennial birthday post for Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein Frauenberg (Alida Valli) who was born on May 31st, 1921 in Pola, Italy!
Valli was memorable in one of the greatest-ever movie endings. Classic cold-shoulder treatment.
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10 hours ago, sagebrush said:
Happy centennial birthday to Ivo Livi (Yves Montand), born on October 13th, 1921 in Monsummano Terme, Italy!
I'm surprised that no one has filmed a story about Montand and his relationship with Marilyn Monroe during the shooting of their 1960 romance with music, "Let's Make Love." But who would they ever get to portray Montand's actress-wife Simone Signoret?
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The influential and mesmerizing 1992 music #documentary #DeepBlues is back and just as wonderful as ever. Journalist #RobertPalmer introduced the world to such #Mississippi masters as #JuniorKimbrough, #RLBurnside and #JessieMaeHemphill, and life's been better since.
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#ClaudiaLlosa's #FeverDream, on #Netflix today, makes motherhood an often sensual and constantly unnerving experience. Environmental horror meets folkloric witchcraft with tragic doses of parental psychosis. Smart art for #Halloween.
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Great acting all around in the school massacre reckoning four-hander #MassMovie. You still may find it hard to watch.
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#scifi legend #RobertSilverberg's time-traveling romance #NeedleInATimestack comes to the screen with most of its intelligence and emotional angst intact, but little passion.
Songwriter-producer Leslie Bricusse (1931-2021)
in General Discussions
Posted
As far as I can tell, Newley had nothing to do with "Victor/Victoria." It was strictly a Mancini-Bricusse production. The movie's showstopping song was "Le Jazz Hot!," which also was used in the 1996 Broadway version of "Victor/Victoria." Unfortunately, the stage musical always will be remembered because of a Tony Awards flap. Dame Julie Andrews was the only person nominated for the production, and she declined it in a show of solidarity. She still needs a Tony for EGOT status.