Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to a transfer of an acetate I have that contains some music by David Amram. I first discovered the name David Amram back in 1962 when I purchased a Columbia stereophonic album entitled Hollywood’s Greatest Themes with Percy Faith and his orchestra. That album remains my favorite movie theme album ever. I played it over and over again, which, coincidentally, was the name of one of the selections (from Jumbo). It also had wonderful versions of Maria from West Side Story, Love Theme from El Cid, Moon River, King of Kings, It Might as Well Be Spring, Ben-Hur, Too Late Blues, I Enjoy Being a Girl, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Light in the Piazza. But my favorite track was the theme from Splendor in the Grass. I became addicted to it, playing it repeatedly – I couldn’t get enough. I’d never heard music like that, with those kinds of chord progressions and harmonies. It was a beautiful rendition with a gorgeous sax solo (I’ve never found a listing of the musicians). I instantly took note of the composer’s name – David Amram. I remember going to Wallichs Music City and looking through their massive Phonolog catalog – every record store had them – trying to see if there’d been a soundtrack release from the film. No luck. But I did find that Stan Kenton had done the theme on a 45rpm release (never on LP – a shame), so I found that and while it was very Kenton-esque, I played that thing to death, too. Then later that year, I saw The Manchurian Candidate and as soon as the main titles came on after the prologue, and I heard those harmonies, I knew instantly it was David Amram and, a few moments later, there was his credit. Of course, I searched for that soundtrack, too, but alas, there was none, although I did buy a Martin Denny album that had the theme. Then one day at Discount Record Center on Wilshire and La Cienega, I was thumbing through soundtracks and found a Columbia stereophonic album entitled The Young Savages – I’d never seen the film but noted it was the same director as The Manchurian Candidate, John Frankenheimer. And the composer? David Amram. I got it home as quickly as I could and played it. One side was more like source music but the other side was all the dramatic scoring cues and there, instantly, were his trademark harmonies. Sadly, for the movies, he didn’t have much more of a career. He did write a score of Seven Days in May, but the producer tossed it in favor of a very short Jerry Goldsmith score. I can’t imagine why, really. And just as I’m typing this, side two of the acetate has begun and guess what it is? Splendor in the Grass, the original soundtrack recording – just the theme, sadly. His only major film after that was Elia Kazan’s The Arrangement. I did buy all his classical albums, which I enjoyed. Some of his classical works have Eastern influences and jazz influences.
Cut to around 1997 or thereabouts. I’m about to make an album of movie themes with composer Fred Karlin and I was determined to have Splendor in the Grass. I was put in touch with Mr. Amram and we had several wonderful conversations and he was delighted we were doing the theme and that I was such a fan. He faxed me the sheet music for the theme and signed it to me. A couple of years later, there was a production of On the Waterfront on Broadway, for which Mr. Amram provided the music – we issued that, and he was thrilled, and it was a wonderful incidental score for the play. He’s still with us at ninety-two.
Now I’m listening to his violin concerto, which is excellent. Otherwise, I did watch two motion pictures last evening. The first was a no-budget film that came out here in LA in January of 1962 – The Devil’s Hand – released on a double bill with Blood Lust via a very new company called Crown International. What’s truly amazing is that it got a decent release, playing decent theaters all around town, including the Iris in Hollywood – that would become the Fox and is where The First Nudie Musical played its first-run engagement along with Mann’s Westwood. The Devil’s Hand was actually filmed in 1959 and not released until late 1961 in some outlying venues. It was a no-budget affair I would never have even given a second thought to, but dear reader ChasSmith had alerted me to the fact that towards the end there was a lovely shot of one of my three childhood movie theaters – the Picfair. I watched that shot on YouTube but didn’t watch the movie. It’s a terrible film with a few interesting things – Robert Alda is the lead, and the villain is Neil Hamilton, who’s very good. It’s a devil worship thing. There are several other fun location shots – Westlake Park at the beginning, and then the doll shop where the devil worshippers worship, was on 7th Street and Coronado. Amazingly, the gate they pass through, and the building is still there, looking exactly as it did. Interestingly, it was a mere ten blocks from my father’s restaurant, which was around the corner on 8th Street – the film location’s address was 2534 and the restaurant was 3474. For the Picfair shot, they’re coming out of a building that says “Belmont Hospital” at 5907 and we’re looking east to Fairfax, which is where the Picfair was – corner of Pico and Fairfax. I was able to date the week it was shot because I Want to Live is playing at the Picfair – a one-week engagement that began on January 28, 1959. While they’re sitting in their car, we can see the south side of Pico and a motel at 5917 – that building is still there, just not a motel. As to Belmont Hospital, well, no, the building was actually Carthay Studios, where the film’s interiors were shot. I passed by there all the time in those days and dreamed of going inside and filming. Years later, I did get to – I used to think it was for the two This Is the Life episodes I did in 1971, but I found those scripts and those shot at Keywest Studios in Hollywood. So, I’m pretty sure what I shot at Carthay was a commercial. That entire block has been razed and sits vacant. I hate when they do that. Anyway, it was fun to watch it. Lousy copy, but still.
The other film was an Eyetalian giallo, dubbed into English, entitled The Black Belly of the Tarantula. Very typical fare starring Giancarlo Giannini. I enjoy most of the giallos from that period – they’re all basically the same – killer in black hat and raincoat and gloved, doing mayhem.
Yesterday was okay. I was up at eight-thirty after less than six hours of sleep, out the door by nine so she of the Evil Eye could do her thing. I went to Uncle Bernie’s Deli and had eggs benedict – very good. Then I came back to my area, stopped at the ATM, then put gas in the motor car – what used to be the most expensive gas station of them all, a Shell, is now a Sinclair and the cheapest I’ve seen. Paying cash it was 5.17, which is about forty cents less than any other station in the Valley. I did some errands and then cam home.
I answered e-mails, had telephonic calls, did some web series-related stuff and never got around to writing the commentary, which I must at least start today and hopefully finish. I found little ME time. Then I began my viewing. At some point, I had a little chicken sandwich delivered and that was pretty okay. The rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven-thirty and then at two we have our rehearsal, which will go until five-thirty, so a long afternoon. After that, I’ll eat something, then spend the evening writing the commentary.
Tomorrow, we have a catch-up rehearsal for those who missed last Friday’s rehearsal – three people. Tuesday is our stumble-through, and then Wednesday we have sound check and show, after which some of us will have a proper meal. Thursday, the helper person will come and we’ll finish up the perk stuff, then the helper can take all of it and begin shipping. And then, one week later, I fly to New York to shoot the web series. My brain is on overload with all there is to do before that. I’m hopeful we’ll be finished casting by Tuesday or so.
And in the annoyance arena, the Internet went down ten minutes ago and who the HELL knows how long it will stay down.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven-thirty, have a long rehearsal day, eat, write and finish commentary, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, always happy to reacquaint myself with the music of David Amram.