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Four Emmys. Three Oscars. Two Grammys. One-half of a legendary songwriting team who made an enduring impact on the soundtrack of Hollywood.

Alan Bergman — whose collaboration with wife Marilyn resulted in dozens of indelible songs performed from everyone from Frank Sinatra to Barbra Streisand to Michael Jackson, and soundtracked everything from In the Heat of the Night to Severance — died Thursday at the age of 99. (Marilyn died in 2002.)

The Bergmans formed a formidable lyric-writing duo, teaming with several of the greatest composers of the 20th century, including Quincy Jones, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, and Marvin Hamlisch.

They received the Trustees Award from the Grammys in 2013 and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980; the couple also received the organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1997.

Here are 10 must-hear classics from their award-worthy songbook.

“Nice ‘n’ Easy” (1960)

Cowritten with Lew Spence, the swinging lead single...

The season 2 finale of Severance has officially dropped on Apple TV+, and it is remarkable. If you want the low-down on all the twists and turns, check out our full review. We're here to answer a simpler question: what songs did they play? Because they were memorable.

The first big musical moments happens after Mark has completed Cold Harbor. To celebrate, a not-quite-to-scale statue of Lumon founder Kier Eagan congratulates him before bringing out Mark's floor manager Mr. Milchick, who enters to the eerie tones of "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project."

If you immediately recognized this atmospheric, instrumental track but couldn't quite remember from where, then you probably watched basketball in the '90s: "Sirius" is the track that plays whenever the Chicago bulls make their entrance onto the court. I'm guessing Milchick is a fan.

Soon after, Mr. Milchick introduces a marching band from the Department of Choreography and Merriment,...

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Director Norman Jewison was on a roll in the late 1960s. After a handful of well-received small romantic comedies, he directed The Cincinnati Kid (1965) featuring Steve McQueen as a Depression-era poker player, followed by the Oscar Best Picture-nominated The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming (1966), and then the brilliant In the Heat of the Night (1967), which did win the Best Picture Oscar and landed Jewison a Director nomination.

His next project became a heist picture/romance, the story of which was pitched to him by Alan R. Trustman, a lawyer with no screenwriting experience. Jewison was intrigued, so, according to the excellent interview with the director that appears as a supplement on Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray edition of The Thomas Crown Affair, he gave Trustman a crash course in how to write a movie script. When it was completed,...

Cinema Retro issue #44 is now shipping to subscribers worldwide.

We present out first regular edition with a consistent theme throughout: "Girl Power!", as we celebrate female stars and films of the 1960s.

Diane A. Rodgers examines two of the first female action heroes of the big screen: Monica Vitti as Modesty Blaise  and Raquel Welch as super spy Fathom.

Mike Siegel provides a rare interview with Marianne Koch, who recalls filming A Fistful of Dollars with Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood.

Lee Pfeiffer presents an exclusive interview with Stefanie Powers about starring in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

Dawn Dabell explores the exotic world of the Emmanuelle films, the first attempt to present erotica from a female perspective.

Actress Pamela Green talks to Tim Greaves about the challenge of appearing in Michael Powell's notorious Peeping Tom.

Lee Pfeiffer analyzes the British comedy/drama Take a Girl Like You...

Michel Legrand, who died in Paris Saturday at the age of 86, was among the most renowned film composers and songwriters of our time. He won three Oscars and five Grammys, and many of his songs have entered the pantheon as among the greatest of the 20th century. Here are 10 great film music moments from the career of this French genius:

1. “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964). The close collaboration of Legrand and filmmaker Jacques Demy produced this stunning, all-sung romantic drama about a star-crossed couple. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and ultimately earned five Oscar nominations (three of them for the score). “I Will Wait for You” was the biggest song hit that emerged and quickly became a standard:

2. “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967). Legrand and Demy reunited for this splashy, colorful musical that added Americans Gene Kelly and George Chakiris to the usual French cast. The tuneful score...

Michele Legrand, the French composer who won three Academy Awards, has died at age 86. Legrand originally hit the big time as a crooner and pianist with his 1954 album "I Love Paris" which went on to be an international sensation, selling more than 8 million copies. Other hit albums followed and he began to score feature films. With more than 200 films to his credit, Legrand's style of scoring films would is considered "old school" today, employing lush, romantic melodies that have included some of the most memorable film scores of all time. He first gained international attention in film scoring with the 1964 French production "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", a romance in which literally every word of dialogue was sung. The film earned him three Oscar nominations and the best known song from the film, "I Will Wait for You" became a major hit that was covered by many artists. He would also...

Michel Legrand, Oscar-winning film composer and pianist, whose memorable works included the score for the 1960s film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair, died Saturday at his home in Paris, his publicist told Agence France-Presse. He was 86.

Legrand won three Academy Awards, five Grammys and two top awards at the Cannes Film Festival among other honors. Known for his haunting, often jazz-tinged scores, he received his first Oscar in 1968 for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair. Sung by Noel Harrison in the film, the song was later recorded by Dusty Springfield and many others. That was followed by two more Oscars in 1971 and 1983 for best original scores, for Summer of ’42 and Yentl, respectively.

In his film work, LeGrand has worked with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Richard Brooks, Claude Lelouch, Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand,...

It’s a Brit sex comedy that addresses the basic facts about boy-girl petting — and not much else. A noted ‘adult’ role for Hayley Mills, it pairs her with an unlikable Oliver Reed, trying his damnedest to affect natural charm. Was Reed the reason Hayley chose as her next picture a story about a lady studying penguins?

Take a Girl Like You

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date June 19, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Hayley Mills, Oliver Reed, Noel Harrison, John Bird, Sheila Hancock, Ronald Lacey, Penelope Keith, Imogen Hassall, Pippa Steel, George Woodbridge.

Cinematography: Dick Bush

Film Editor: Jack Harris, Rex Pyke

Original Music: Stanley Myers

Written by George Melly

Produced by Hal E. Chester

Directed by Jonathan Miller

Wait a minute — when exactly did they finally stop calling young women, ‘birds?’

When the Hollywood studios all but collapsed at the end of the 1960s,...

The year now ending marks another 12-month period of losing talents who have given television viewers entertainment or information ... and some of those passings, even more sadly, came as major and untimely shocks. Zap2it remembers:

Paul Walker: The actor best-known for the "Fast & Furious" movies had career roots in such TV shows as "Who's the Boss?" "Highway to Heaven" and "Touched by an Angel."

James Gandolfini: He projected so much older as mobster Tony Soprano, many were surprised to learn the three-time Emmy winner only was in his 30s and 40s when he played the part.

Cory Monteith: As Finn Hudson on "Glee," the Canadian-born performer touched fans of all ages both in life and afterward.

Jean Stapleton: Forever TV's top "dingbat," the "All in the Family" actress earned three Emmys as lovably daffy Edith Bunker.

Jonathan Winters: The improvisation genius who inspired his...

Actor and singer of The Windmills of Your Mind, a huge 1960s hit that won an Oscar

Noel Harrison, who has died aged 79 following a heart attack, was the son of the actor Sir Rex Harrison and followed his famous father into show business. He pursued a varied career on stage and in film and television, but it was as a musician that he achieved his moment in the spotlight. In 1968 he recorded the song The Windmills of Your Mind for the soundtrack of the Steve McQueen/Faye Dunaway film The Thomas Crown Affair and it became a top 10 hit in the UK the following year.

"Recording Windmills wasn't a very significant moment," he recalled. "It was just a job that I got paid $500 for, no big deal. The composer, Michel Legrand, came to my home and helped me learn it, then we went into the studio and recorded it,...

Noel Harrison as agent Mark Slate in The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.

 

Noel Harrison, who rode the wave of "British Invasion" music to U.S. shores in the 1960s, has died at age 79. The son of legendary actor Rex Harrison, Noel took a different path than his famed father. At the height of his career, he dropped out of show business to do construction work because he disdained living the life of a celebrity.  He was also a championship skier at one time. At his peak, Harrison's well-received folk songs won him loyal followers and some of the songs charted as hits. His biggest splash came when he recorded "The Windmills of Your Mind", the classic title song for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair" starring Steve McQueen. The song won an Oscar and is still "covered" by artists today. In terms of acting, Harrison only dabbled in the field. He...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Producer Norman Felton has passed away at age 99. Born in London, Felton emigrated to America as a teenager and became a successful TV producer.  By the mid-1950s, he was directing episodes of such high profile series as Robert Montgomery Presents and The Alocoa Hour. In the early 1960s, he produced the smash hit Dr. Kildare TV series, a spin-off of a successful 1940s film franchise. The show made Richard Chamberlain a star. Another series, The Lieutenant, was not successful but one of the stars, Robert Vaughn, impressed Felton. In 1964, Vaughn co-starred with David McCallum in the Bond-inspired TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The show ran until 1968 and became an international phenomenon, spawning 8 feature films derived from two-part episodes. Felton also produced the less successful Girl From U.N.C.L.E. spin-off starring Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison. Felton remained active in the TV industry through the 1970s before retiring.

The Warner Archive has released every episode of The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. on two DVDs. The show ran only one season beginning in September 1967. It starred Stefanie Powers as April Dancer, Noel Harrison as Mark Slate and Leo G. Carroll, carrying over his role of Alexander Waverly from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn guest-starred in what many consider to be the best episode of the series, the bizarre Mother Muffin Affair starring Boris Karloff in drag. To order click here...