Music in the Movies

[Princess of Tap]

This thread will have questions about the music in the movies. What would movies be like without music-- Especially music by Max Steiner, Erich Korngold, Franz Waxman or Henry Mancini.

 

Even when movies were silent, they weren't really silent, they had movie scores. In the small town, there might be a pianist to accompany the movie, while in the big cities they had pipe organs and sometimes orchestras.

 

1st Question--

 

A short work for piano and orchestra was written for a wartime movie in Great Britain about the invasion of Poland by the Nazis.

 

This piece of music has become well-known apart from the movie, and it is often performed in classical music concerts and recorded extensively.

 

What makes this movie unique is that it has two different titles - - 1 for the British audience and one for the American audience.

 

If you can identify this piece of music, then you shouldn't have any trouble naming the two titles for the movie.

[Princess of Tap]

Hint: Hitchcock's male lead in Young and Innocent, also appeared in the movie in question.

[Princess of Tap]

Hint#2-- It's a piano concerto.

[Azure]

I think it's the Warsaw Concerto, which was written for the British film Dangerous Moonlight (known as Suicide Squadron in the U.S.)

[Princess of Tap]

I think it's the Warsaw Concerto, which was written for the British film Dangerous Moonlight (known as Suicide Squadron in the U.S.)

I think you're right. And isn't it beautiful music?

 

Azure, your turn--

[Azure]

Thanks, Princess.

 

 

Next:  "White Christmas" was (and still is) the most popular song from Holiday Inn.  However, another song from the film was expected to be the big hit.  Which song was it? 

[DJBeacon]

"Easter Parade"?

[Azure]

"Easter Parade"?

 

No, but that was a good guess.  Here's a hint -- It wasn't a holiday-related song. 

[Princess of Tap]

Thanks, Princess.

 

 

Next: "White Christmas" was (and still is) the most popular song from Holiday Inn. However, another song from the film was expected to be the big hit. Which song was it?

Be careful it's my heart

[Azure]

Be careful it's my heart

 

Yes, that's correct.  Good job, Princess.

 

By the way, Princess, there is a thread like this that already exists -- the "Do You Know This Song?" thread.  To be honest, I don't really think that we need two threads that are so similar.  The games board is already quite crowded.  Someone else brought this issue up on another recently-created thread.  If the song thread is occupied, there are several other general trivia threads that can be used.  At least one of them is usually open. 

[Princess of Tap]

Yes, that's correct. Good job, Princess.

 

By the way, Princess, there is a thread like this that already exists -- the "Do You Know This Song?" thread. To be honest, I don't really think that we need two threads that are so similar. The games board is already quite crowded. Someone else brought this issue up on another recently-created thread. If the song thread is occupied, there are several other general trivia threads that can be used. At least one of them is usually open.

Azure--

 

I've been on this website since 2009. I know about the other thread very well because I've contributed to it on many occasions.

 

If you would look at my original post you will see that this is not about a Bing Crosby song, This Thread is more about scoring of movies. And I would include silent movies as well.

 

I'm looking for questions that have to do directly with the entire score or a particulatheme that is cut from a score.

 

We would be looking for questions having something to do with Bernard Herrmann Henry Mancini, Korngold, Max Steiner etc.

 

I'm looking for questions that have to do with music that is scored in the entire film.

 

The Warsaw concerto was a choice because it is part of the entire score and it became a classical music favorite.

 

And so many of these composers started in classical music but that's what we're leaning toward here, particularly instrumental themes from movies.

[Princess of Tap]

Max Steiner was famous for scoring Warner Brothers movies. But his biggest success was not at Warner's.

 

He won an Academy Award and the highest accolades of his profession for writing this film score.

 

Can you name the film and the studio where it was produced?

[MilesArcher]

Before he worked at Warner's, Steiner was the musical director at RKO, where he won an Oscar for scoring "The Informer" in 1935.  He also won for the haunting score for "Now, Voyager" (1942) at Warner's, and for "Since You Went Away" (1944) at Selznick International.  His best known score may have been for "Gone With The Wind" (1939) at Selznick International, but he lost the Oscar that year to Herbert Stothart, who scored "The Wizard Of Oz" at MGM.  Yes, Princess, I had to look them up.

[Princess of Tap]

Before he worked at Warner's, Steiner was the musical director at RKO, where he won an Oscar for scoring "The Informer" in 1935. He also won for the haunting score for "Now, Voyager" (1942) at Warner's, and for "Since You Went Away" (1944) at Selznick International. His best known score may have been for "Gone With The Wind" (1939) at Selznick International, but he lost the Oscar that year to Herbert Stothart, who scored "The Wizard Of Oz" at MGM. Yes, Princess, I had to look them up.

Miles,

 

You're out of the woods

You're out of the dark

You're out of the night

Step into the sun

Step into the light

 

MGM Music Man Herbert Stothart wrote the score for the Wizard of Oz, but Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen wrote the individual Tunes. However, they all collaborated on Optimistic Voices.

 

Gone With the Wind won 12 Academy Awards, but apparently, although Max Steiner's GWTW score is the AFI'S #2 film score of all time, it did not win the Oscar for that one.

 

Arlen and Harburg also won the Oscar for writing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

 

Miles, hope you didn't work too hard looking up this question. It was an opportunity for both of us to learn something.

 

If I could edit the question now, it would be simply that he was nominated for the Academy Award, the rest of it stands.

 

Miles, I stand pleasantly corrected and it's still your turn--

[MilesArcher]

Princess, it wasn't a whole lot of research, because I got it all from one source.

 

Now, a classical piece by Tchaikovsky is played often in the score of a movie that featured Ethel Barrymore.  Can you name the piece and the movie?

[Princess of Tap]

Princess, it wasn't a whole lot of research, because I got it all from one source.

 

Now, a classical piece by Tchaikovsky is played often in the score of a movie that featured Ethel Barrymore. Can you name the piece and the movie?

None but the Lonely Heart is a movie starring Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore.

I've heard of it but never seen it.

 

But I'm aware that my second-favorite 19th century classical composer Tchaikovsky wrote a romance under the same title in the key of D flat major.

 

Considering chronology Tchaikovsky must have come before the movie.

 

Now I have got to see this movie. I always put this one off because it sounded like it was a little too close to Cary Grant's real life and it might not be too much fun to watch.

 

The movie score by Constantin Bakaleinikoff and Hanns Eisler was nominated for the Academy Award.

 

Miles, very classy classical question.

[MilesArcher]

Your answer is correct, Princess.  The official title was Romance No. 6, Op.6, and of course "None But The Lonely Heart' is the title of both the musical piece and the movie.  Years ago, I bought a 78 rpm record of the song at a yard sale.  This was way before I had even heard of the movie.  Here is a recording for your listening pleasure:

 

 

 

As you can see, Princess, I watch more than cowboy movies.  It's your turn.

 

 

[Princess of Tap]

This composer never gave up his serious classical music career, even though he won several Academy Awards for scoring movies. His Works were played by Major symphony orchestras during his lifetime.

 

If that wasn't enough, the music from one of his film scores became an inspiration for a legendary and innovative pop rock hit record in the 1960's.

 

When you name this Academy Award-Winning composer, can you also name his movie score, which inspired the Top 40 hit?

 

Brownie points if you can name the rock and roll hit as well.

[Princess of Tap]

This composer never gave up his serious classical music career, even though he won several Academy Awards for scoring movies. His Works were played by Major symphony orchestras during his lifetime.

 

If that wasn't enough, the music from one of his film scores became an inspiration for a legendary and innovative pop rock hit record in the 1960's.

 

When you name this Academy Award-Winning composer, can you also name his movie score, which inspired the Top 40 hit?

 

Brownie points if you can name the rock and roll hit as well.

 

Hint-- The composer wrote scores for Billy Wilder.( This is a hint - - the score in question is not from a Billy Wilder movie.)

[Princess of Tap]

Hint#2-- -This composer won an Oscar for a Blockbuster legendary movie. The movie won a total of 11 Oscars.

[MilesArcher]

I believe that would be Miklos Rozsa.  1959 was a big year for him.  He composed the score for "Ben-Hur" and "The World, The Flesh, And The Devil".   The latter film was just shown on TCM earlier today.  His scores for Billy Wilder movies include "Five Graves To Cairo", "Double Indemnity", and "The Lost Weekend".  The "Dragnet" TV theme, "Dum Da Dum Dum" was written by Rozsa for the 1946 film "The Killers".

[Princess of Tap]

Of all the Hitchcock scores, I think Spellbound is second only to Vertigo.

 

Well, Miles you scored again, it's all yours--

[MilesArcher]

In a forties musical, Jose Iturbi plays part of a classical piece for Frank Sinatra.  Frank recognizes it as a popular musical piece of the day that was a hit for a big band.  That big band played their version of the piece in another forties musical.  Can you name the musical piece and the two movies that I referred to?

[Princess of Tap]

In a forties musical, Jose Iturbi plays part of a classical piece for Frank Sinatra. Frank recognizes it as a popular musical piece of the day that was a hit for a big band. That big band played their version of the piece in another forties musical. Can you name the musical piece and the two movies that I referred to?

 

I'm not very big on big band music - - but Ferde Grofé wrote the Grand Canyon Suite.

 

He also wrote something called the Mississippi Suite-- that last movement was made into a popular song called Daybreak with lyrics by Harold Adamson.

 

Frank Sinatra recorded it with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and I believe he probably sang it in MGM's Thousands Cheer.

 

I don't know where else this song appeared.

[MilesArcher]

Nice try, Princess, but my music piece was by Tchaikovsky.  The big band that had a popular version later employed Merv Griffin as a singer.  The movie with Frank Sinatra and Jose Iturbi also featured Kathryn Grayson.  The movie with the big band also featured George Murphy, and was made prior to the Sinatra movie.