Edward G. Robinson in The Red House (1947) |
Featuring History of Mystery/Detective Fiction and Other Literary Ramblings of Elizabeth Foxwell
Monday, December 02, 2024
Film Music Friday: Whodunits.
Monday, October 21, 2024
The return of Rinehart's The Bat.
On October 27, the Somerville Theatre (MA) will show the silent film The Bat (1926), directed by Roland West; it is based on the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood, which adapted Rinehart's The Circular Staircase (1908). A live score by Jeff Rapsis will accompany the film.
On November 1, AFI Silver Theatre (MD) will show the film with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model. Undercrank Productions has released a digital restoration of the film on DVD with a score by Model.
Rinehart made millions from The Bat. Review of the film from the 19 Jun 1926 Edmonton [Canada] Journal: "persistently challenging audiences to identify the arch criminal behind the stirring trail of mystery" ... a "peppery melodrama." The 16 Aug 1908 Baltimore Sun wrote regarding The Circular Staircase, "The story is well and vigorously written, the plot, barring a few inconsistencies, first-class, the dénouement unforeseen and the characters vivid and interesting."
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
New film music releases:
Goldfinger, The Talented Mr. Ripley
As Scott Bettencourt reports in Film Score Friday, there are two releases of potential interest:
• 60th anniversary edition of the score to the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964, composed by John Barry, La-La Land)
• Score to The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999, composed by Gabriel Yared, Music Box)
Monday, August 05, 2024
Film Music Friday: Chase films, Jerry Goldsmith.
"Top o' the world": James Cagney in White Heat (1949) |
Monday, July 22, 2024
Film Music Friday: Bernard Herrmann.
Catching up on Film Music Friday episodes from Kansas Public Radio, there's an episode on composer Bernard Herrmann, including excerpts from his scores for Psycho and North by Northwest.
Fan of the theremin? There's an episode on it, including an excerpt from Spellbound.
Prof. Leon Theremin with his eponymous device, 1928. NYPL |
Monday, July 15, 2024
More Albert Glasser scores (film noir).
Following the release of Albert Glasser's score for Ed McBain's Cop Hater are Glasser's scores for the films Please Murder Me (with Raymond Burr and Angela Lansbury, 1956) and Treasure of Monte Cristo (with Glenn Langan, Adele Jergens, and Steve Brodie, 1949).
Also of interest: Glasser's score for The Big Caper (with Rory Calhoun and James Gregory, 1957)
Monday, June 24, 2024
Film score to Ed McBain's Cop Hater.
Monday, June 10, 2024
Film score to Murder by Decree (1979).
As Scott Bettencourt notes in Film Score Friday, the score for the Sherlock Holmes film Murder by Decree (dir. Bob Clark, 1979) has been released by Howling Wolf Records. Holmes, played by Christopher Plummer, and Dr. Watson, played by James Mason, go on the trail of Jack the Ripper. The composers are Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza.
Monday, May 06, 2024
Arsène Lupin: Music and text.
• Listen to some samples from the soundtrack.
Monday, August 14, 2023
Newly released: Soundtrack to Hammett.
Just released by Silva Screen Records is John Barry's soundtrack to Hammett (dir. Wim Wenders, 1982), a film based on the book by Joe Gores; one screenwriter on the film was Ross Thomas. It stars the recently departed Frederic Forrest as Dashiell Hammett, who draws on his Pinkerton experience to assist a mentor with a new case. To hear some samples from the soundtrack, go here.
Monday, January 30, 2023
Henry Mancini and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy.
Monday, June 13, 2022
Kickstarter campaign to re-record Bernard Herrmann.
As Scott Bettencourt notes in Film Score Monthly, Intrada has launched a Kickstarter campaign to support a re-recording by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra of Bernard Herrmann's scores to Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground and Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Monday, March 14, 2022
New film score releases.
Also out, according to Film Score Daily: the Maurice Jarre-composed score to the spoof Top Secret!.
Monday, June 10, 2019
Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, and WQXR.
Ad for WQXR, 1963 |
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
John D. MacDonald's "The Deep End" (1964).
Monday, January 04, 2016
New CD: Film Noir at Paramount.
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Mystery in Swing (1940).
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
New releases: Poe, Woolrich film scores.
Clues 26.4 (2008), w/Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund from No Man of Her Own |
- Hugo Friedhofer's score for No Man of Her Own (film with Barbara Stanwyck based on I Married a Dead Man by William Irish, aka Cornell Woolrich)
- John Debney's score for Stonehearst Asylum (film with Ben Kingsley and Kate Beckinsale based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather")
Monday, September 29, 2014
University of the Air: Bernard Herrmann.
Bernard Herrmann, left, with chorale director Roger Wagner, center, and director Ralph Levy 1954 TV production of A Christmas Carol |
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Frank Drebin lives:
New Naked Gun soundtracks.
Good news for Frank Drebin fans: Film Score Monthly announced that La La Records has released a limited edition of Ira Newborn's scores for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, and The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.