John Barry - Composer

John Barry ( November 3, 1933 - January 30, 2011 )

John Barry is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and talented composers in cinema's history. He is most famous for his themes to the James Bond movies and his scores to Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves but his body of work extends well beyond these films. Bearing the true mark of a great composer, his scores are quite capable of standing on their own, apart from the film they were written for. 

"Ever since I was a child I've considered poetry and music to be two twin sisters, completely inseparable. Over the years I've always tried to develop a poetic universe of my own, not only for filmmakers but, through their films, for audiences too." - John Barry

When one thinks of film composers, it seems that John Barry's name was always ranked at the top, but few realize how great was the shift he had chosen to make in the persona he would assume in the music world. 

John Barry Prendergast was born in York, England in 1933 and spent his childhood working in a chain of cinemas that his father owned. He took up the trumpet when he served in the British Army and shortly after his discharge formed his own band - The John Barry Seven. The young Barry was greatly influenced by American jazz and rock n' roll and he wanted his band, modeled after Bill Haley and the Comets, to usher in a new era of music; of vibrant and youthful jazz and swing beats. Between 1957 and 1960, the band had a number of hits that were released through EMI's Columbia label and these were formative years for Barry himself. He loved arranging and composing music and other groups were asking him to arrange their music as well. 

EMI later hired Barry to arrange orchestral accompaniment for many of the studio's other signed artists, including teen sensation Adam Faith. When Faith was asked to make his first film, Wild For Kicks aka Beat Girl ( 1960 ), Barry came along to compose, arrange and conduct the score. This began a forty-year career in composing for films. 

Producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman caught wind of the young Barry's arranging talents and asked if he could work his magic on a theme for the first James Bond film they were making - Dr. No ( 1962 ). Monty Norman's opening theme needed some extra punch so Barry was paid £250 to rework it and was also given a promise to be contacted if another Bond film was to be made. Barry went on to write the scores for 11 Bond films, including the themes to Goldfinger and Thunderball. 

The success of his work on From Russia with Love ( 1963 ), Zulu ( 1964 ), and King Rat ( 1965 ) skyrocketed him to musical stardom. Barry was no longer the leader of a youthful rock n' roll band. Now, his music represented the "new sound" of film and by 1972 he was dressed in white tie and tails conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the Filmharmonic concert at the Royal Albert Hall, sharing the stage with the great Miklos Rozsa. 

Barry composed so many excellent scores throughout the 1960s and 1970s ( Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Deadfall, King Kong ) as well as the themes to the television series Vendetta, The Persuaders!, and Orson Welles' Great Mysteries. In the 1980s he was composing one beautiful theme after another, including the romantic classics Somewhere in Time and Out of Africa. His composing talent remained in high demand until his death at the age of 77 in 2011. 

Throughout his career, John Barry earned six Academy Award nominations, four BAFTA awards, ten Golden Globe awards, and won four Grammy awards. These were well-deserved accolades for such an accomplished composer. 

Signature Style

Barry's trademark stamp of excellence is a unique mixture of lush strings, very precise harmonic mechanisms and jazz elements. His melodies are often sensuous and usually involve complex key shifts. Barry was influenced by his love for jazz, big band music, and Russian romantic composers. Quite an intoxicating combination!


The Noteworthy Five

Goldfinger ( 1964 ) - This was the theme that set the bar for all James Bond films to follow. It was bold, brassy and extremely classy. The golden voice of Shirley Bassey increased its worth tenfold. 

Born Free ( 1966 ) - The theme to Born Free is a lovely musical salute to freedom and the yearning wild animals have for their native habitats. It sounds beautiful whether it is performed strictly as an instrumental or sung by the English singer Matt Monro. Notice how the french horns majestically sound the "Born Free" notes as the Columbia logo appears on the screen just prior to the introduction of the melody. 

The Lion in Winter ( 1968 ) -  Like his score to Zulu, The Lion in Winter is very menacing and yet it captures the atmosphere of its medieval setting beautifully. Without the presence of Barry's score, this film would be dreary indeed. The version linked here is an easy-listening adaptation by Percy Faith but Ferrante and Teicher also made an excellent cover on their album "Listen to the Movies".

Out of Africa ( 1985 ) - This one is truly breathtaking. The main melody does not make its entrance until nearly a minute and a half into the theme yet that seems to matter very little since the orchestration is so lush and sweeping. Like Bernard Herrmann, Barry loved french horns and used them profusely. 

Dances with Wolves ( 1990 ) - The John Dunbar theme to Dances with Wolves is one of those melodies that most everyone instantly recognizes, regardless of whether they have seen the film or not. The movie is set in the American West during the time of the Civil War and so John Barry implements motifs that evoke traditional American folk tunes, yet always remaining distinctly Barry in style. 

Highlights from his Discography

• Zulu ( 1964 )
• Goldfinger ( 1964 )
• King Rat ( 1965 )
• The Ipcress File ( 1965 )
• Born Free ( 1966 )
• Deadfall ( 1968 )
• The Lion in Winter ( 1968 )
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service ( 1969 )
• The Last Valley ( 1971 )
• Mary, Queen of Scots ( 1971 )
• Love Among the Ruins ( 1975 )
• The Day of the Locust ( 1975 )
• King Kong ( 1976 )
• The Black Hole ( 1979 )
• Somewhere in Time ( 1980 )
• A View to a Kill ( 1985 )
• Out of Africa ( 1985 )
• Dances with Wolves ( 1990 )
• Chaplin ( 1992 )

Henry Mancini - Composer

Henry Mancini ( April 16, 1924 - June 14, 1994 )

Henry Mancini was one of the most prolific film composers - and certainly the most famous - in Hollywood throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His popularity outside of the film community was due in no small part to the numerous albums he released as an independent artist ( 90 albums to be precise ). Mancini had a particular knack for jazz and some of his greatest film scores ( Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses, The Pink Panther ) combined lilting jazz with his signature smooth string arrangements. During his lifetime he was nominated for 72 Grammy Awards, 18 Academy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. Impressive indeed! 

Mancini was born in Cleveland, Ohio and took up music arranging at the young age of 12 years old having been introduced to music by his father, a flutist. After serving overseas in the Air Force during World War II, he joined up with the Glenn Miller-Tex Beneke Orchestra as a pianist/arranger, which is also where he met his wife, Ginny O'Connor, one of the original members of Mel Torme's Mel-Tones. 

In 1952, he was given a two-week assignment to work on the Abbott and Costello vehicle Lost in Alaska at Universal Pictures and ended up staying for six years, working uncredited on background music to numerous comedies and dramas for the studio. It was his scoring of the television series Peter Gunn ( 1958 ) that launched Mancini to musical stardom. This hard-core rock and roll jazz beat earned him an Emmy award and two Grammys, as well as a 30-year collaboration with writer/producer Blake Edwards.

Throughout the 1960s, Henry Mancini was one of the most sought-after composers of comedy films, working on such classics as The Great Imposter ( 1960 ), Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation ( 1962 ), The Pink Panther ( 1963 ), Man's Favorite Sport ( 1964 ), The Great Race ( 1965 ), and The Party ( 1968 ), as well as dramas like Breakfast at Tiffany's ( 1961 ), Experiment in Terror ( 1962 ), Charade ( 1963 ), Dear Heart ( 1964 ), and Two for the Road ( 1967 ). 

He continued his success throughout the 1970s and 1980s, tackling both film ( The Molly McGuires, Darling Lili, Oklahoma Crude, The Great Waldo Pepper, Victor/Victoria ) as well as television ( The Moneychangers, What's Happening!, The Thorn Birds ) while touring around the world giving concert performances. Mancini passed away in 1994 of complications arising from pancreatic cancer, but, today, his three children continue his legacy with their own music ( daughter Monica is a singer, son Chris is a composer ) and through concert tours performing the music of their father. 

Signature Style

Mancini's musical arrangements are vibrant, different, and downright fun. He infused jazz into traditional film music scoring, creating themes that were catchy as well as lush and beautiful. Many of his songs feature marimbas, xylophones, and saxophones...instruments not often heard in traditional movie music. When Mancini turned the romance on high he often utilized slow strings, tinkling piano keys, and gentle choral background singing. He was a maestro of every style. 

The Noteworthy Five 

Of all the composers that will be featured in our Behind-the-Screen series, Mancini is probably the most difficult composer to select just five scores from, since he made so many marvelous ones...and it's tempting to pick personal favorites!  Peter Gunn and The Thorn Birds should be included but since they were written for television we have omitted them. 

1. The Pink Panther ( 1963 ) - Undoubtedly, Henry Mancini's most famous piece...and it is one of the few tunes that can be recognized just by hearing two notes! Mancini's theme perfectly captured the slow stealth motions of the film's cat burglar, the "Phantom", infused with that iconic sassy brass.

2. Charade ( 1963 ) - Mancini set the tone for the film from the first few minutes : Getting chased by criminals is serious business, but when you have Cary Grant as an ally, running hard and fast can be fun. 

3. The Sweetheart Tree from The Great Race ( 1965 ) - Natalie Wood sings this beautiful love song in a sequence in The Great Race, but the original version - the player-piano styling - can be heard in the background throughout the film. It's a touching tribute to a bygone era. 

4. Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's ( 1961 ) - Another one of Mancini's enduring legacies. This is probably the most romantic  song to appear in a motion picture and it is certainly one of the most covered tunes of the 20th century. Andy Williams made "Moon River" a personal chart-topping hit in 1962. 

5. The Days of Wine and Roses ( 1962 ) - This theme features some gorgeous lyrics by Johnny Mercer, who had a long and fruitful collaboration with Mancini for years. You can hear Mancini's lovely chorus in this piece too. 


Highlights of his Discography

• The Glenn Miller Story ( 1953 )
• Peter Gunn ( 1958 ) 
• Mr. Lucky ( 1959 )
• The Great Imposter ( 1960 ) 
• "Baby Elephant Walk" from Hatari! ( 1962 ) 
• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation ( 1962 ) 
• Dear Heart ( 1964 ) 
• Man's Favorite Sport? ( 1964 )
• The Great Race ( 1965 ) 
• The Thorn Birds ( 198
• Mommie Dearest ( 1981 )
• The Great Mouse Detective ( 1986 )

The Film Music of Laurie Johnson

Most people are familiar with one particular piece of music that Laurie Johnson wrote, even if they do not recognize his name - The Theme to The Avengers, the ultra-cool British spy show of the 1960s. It's unique bongo beating beginning leads us into the tinkling of champagne glasses before the real theme begins....a delectable mixture of big band and mod London swing which captures the spirit of the show to perfection.

Although this is his most internationally recognized work of theme music, he wrote many other scores for popular films such as Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove ( 1965 ), First Men in the Moon ( 1964 ), Tiger Bay ( 1959 ) and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter ( 1974 ).

Laurie Johnson was born on February 7th, 1927, in Hampstead, England. After studying at the Royal College of Music he launched his music career at the young age of 19 by working as an arranger/composer for Ted Heath and his band, and later for bandleaders such as Jack Parnell and Ambrose.

Before venturing to the film industry he dabbled in creating dance arrangements of popular songs of the mid-50s at Pye Records ( later home to such artists as Tony Hatch, Petula Clark and the Kinks ).

In 1955 he began work as an arranger and orchestrator at some smaller film studios in London such as the Associated British Picture Corporation, until he worked his way up to getting assignments as a composer. His first full-fledged film production was a film called The Moonraker ( 1958 ) which starred English actors George Baker and Sylvia Sims. It wasn't until 1959 that he made his first big hit with the score for Tiger Bay, a suspense drama starring John Mills, Horst Bucholz and Hayley Mills. After a few more minor films such as I Aim at the Stars ( about the life of Werner Von Braun ), Operation Bullshine ( 1959 ), and Spare the Rod ( 1960 ), he hit his "prime" and began writing for film and television in such astounding succession.

One of his most beautiful songs is the "Romance" theme to Ray Harryhausen's First Men in the Moon ( 1964 ), a gentle "light classic" that captures the Victorian English country setting that the movie took place in and rather brings to mind the theme to another great H.G Wells film, The Time Machine ( 1960 ). Laurie Johnson had been working as an assistant to composer Bernard Herrmann on previous Charles Schneer fantasy productions such as Mysterious Island and Jason and the Argonauts so, when Herrmann declined to accept the assignment for First Men in the Moon, Johnson took the helm and did quite a magnificent job.

He entered the UK Singles Chart with "Sucu Sucu" the theme music to the television series Top Secret in 1961, and it was in television scoring that he was to be most prolific. Between 1965-1980 he worked on such wonderful series as The Avengers, The Professionals, The New Avengers, Shirley's World, and Thriller.

In the 1960s and 1970s he continued to be busy with film work, composing his own symphonies, as well as creating music for the theatre ( in 1967 he composed the music for a stage version of The Four Musketeers ). Hot Millions ( 1968 ) and Hedda ( 1975 ) are two especially lovely pieces dating from this period. 

In the late 1980s to early 1990s he composed the music to several TV movie adaptions of historical romance writer Barbara Cartland's novels including A Hazard of Hearts ( a beautiful score ) and The Lady and the Highwayman. But alas, in the realm of film and television Laurie Johnson has since ceased to be active. Currently he is still very much involved in his band The London Big Band which specializes in performing big band swing and pop music.

Max Steiner - Composer

Max Steiner ( May 10, 1888 - December 28, 1971 ) 

Max Steiner is universally acknowledged as the "father of film music", namely because his music had an extraordinary influence on the conventions and techniques of Hollywood film music for nearly a half-century after he created King Kong ( 1933 ), one of his earlier works and a score that helped make him one of the most sought after composers in the business. 

It was Steiner who pioneered using a grand Wagnerian leitmotif in title music and Steiner who synchronized the music with the action on the screen - a technique he undoubtedly learned from scoring silent films. Steiner also created what is now a standard in motion pictures - a complete score. But what Steiner is best remembered for, and what classic film fans are most grateful to him for, was his ability to turn a film into a spectacle through music...extremely powerful music. 

Steiner was born in Vienna and was a child musical prodigy ( he studied under Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler ). At the age of 17 he was serving as conductor for His Majesty's Theater in England. Within ten years he was in New York City conducting, orchestrating and arranging music for musical shows, working with Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, and Florenz Ziegfeld. 

Steiner's stage work attracted the attention of RKO Studios, who hired the composer in 1929 to arrange music for their upcoming picture, Rio Rita. Within a few years, Steiner became the studio's musical director. At first, this role consisted primarily of composing opening and closing music and incidental scoring in between but, in 1932, he collaborated with Merian C. Cooper and created one of the very first full feature scores for The Most Dangerous Game. His next work, King Kong, revolutionized the way music was utilized in film. Hollywood finally realized that it could become an integral part of a film's language, a subliminal force that could draw an emotional response from the audience. 

In the mid-1940s, Max Steiner moved to Warner Brothers studios where he remained for the rest of his career. All in all, Steiner composed nearly 300 film scores between 1929-1965 and was nominated for 24 Academy Awards for Best Music, winning three for his work on The Informer, Now Voyager, and Since You Went Away. 


Signature Style

Max Steiner established new conventions for every film genre that he composed music for :  the "tear-jerker" music that we come to associate with romances ( Since You Went Away, Dark Victory ); the mixture of folk tunes and patriotic melodies heard in westerns ( Dodge City, They Died with Their Boots On ); and the mammoth sound heard in historical epics such as The Charge of the Light Brigade and Gone with the Wind. 

Power and sweep; those are two words that can summarize Steiner's signature style. However, he beautifully balances this power that he brings to his music with a tenderness that could invoke tears with just a few draws of a violin string. His musical style could be playful too, as in the marvelous scores to Parrish and Marjorie Morningstar. 

The Noteworthy Five


King Kong ( 1933 ) - Steiner unleashed the raw power and beauty of the jungle with this intense theme filled with resounding brass. It remains one of the most influential film scores ever written. 

Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) - If King Kong is one of the most influential, then Tara's Theme ranks as one of the most iconic movie themes. Some critics are still upset over Steiner's loss at the Academy Awards to Herbert Stothart's The Wizard of Oz theme. 

Now, Voyager ( 1943 ) - For this title piece Steiner captured all of Charlotte's inner emotions pent up and just waiting to be released. Like a gust of wind blowing open a door, the music hits hard and then gently calms down. Bette Davis considered Max Steiner her favorite composer. 

Mildred Pierce ( 1945 ) - The raw emotions that all the characters wrestled with on film can be felt through listening to this score. Elmer Bernstein was clearly influenced by Steiner's work and his "Hollywood and the Stars" piece ( used as the Oscars opening theme for many years ) has elements that are reminiscent of Mildred Pierce. 

A Summer Place ( 1959 ) - The season of summer Steiner captured in 2 minutes and 29 seconds. This score is bright and cheerful and filled with youthful romance. Steiner would go on to score several other popular Troy Donahue films in the 1960s, including Rome Adventure. 


Highlights of his Discography

• King Kong ( 1933 )
• Little Women ( 1933 ) 
• The Informer ( 1935 ) 
• The Charge of the Light Brigade ( 1938 )
• Jezebel ( 1938 ) 
• Dark Victory ( 1939 ) 
• Gone With the Wind ( 1939 )
• Sergeant York ( 1941 )
• Now, Voyager ( 1942 ) 
• Casablanca ( 1942 ) 
• Since You Went Away ( 1944 )
• The Big Sleep ( 1948 ) 
• Johnny Belinda ( 1948 ) 
• The Caine Mutiny ( 1955 ) 
• A Summer Place ( 1959 ) 
• Parrish ( 1961 )
• Rome Adventure ( 1962 )

Herbert Stothart- Composer

Herbert Stothart ( Sept 11, 1885 - February 1, 1949 ) 

Herbert Stothart was one of the most distinguished film composers in Hollywood and justly so, for each and every one of the scores he wrote for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was sweeping, subtle and most importantly, fitting to the film that he was working on. 

Stothart grew fond of music as a child, when he was singing in a school choir in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While in college, he wrote a score for an amateur stage production which proved to be a success and this led to a full-time career as a composer in the vaudeville circuit. In 1917 he composed his first Broadway musical and by the mid-1920s had become one of the most successful musical composers. The music to Rose Marie, written in collaboration with Rudolf Friml, and the opera/ballet Song of the Flame, were two of his most popular compositions. 

Louis B. Mayer lured Stothart to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer shortly after the advent of talking pictures in the late 1920s and, within a few short years, Stothart became the studio's foremost film composer, being called upon to score the music to only their most prestigious productions. 

Stothart suffered a heart attack while vacationing in Scotland in 1947, but even this experience served to inspire him resulting in Heart Attack : A Symphonic Poem. He died shortly after of spinal cancer. Today, Stothart's legacy as one of the great Hollywood film composers is contestable among music lovers with many holding Stothart to blame for Max Steiner's Gone with the Wind score being passed over at the Academy Awards in 1939. 

Signature Style

Strings. Stothart strings to be precise. These beauties gave all of his music a lush, flowing tone which was occasionally punctuated with mellow horns. Like most Hollywood composers, Stothart frequently used leitmotifs from classical composers. Stothart shared some of his favorite musical elements in an article published in The New York Times on December 7, 1941:

"Bits of comedy can be heightened by little musical quirks in the woodwinds. Melodic violin strains heighten the effect of love scenes. Crashing chords and paraphrases of national anthems exalt an audience, as evidenced in Mutiny on the Bounty and Northwest Passage." 

The Noteworthy Five


Marie Antionette ( 1938 ) - A beautiful thematic composition. In this particular example, the music you hear is from the special premier overture, which was heard during the initial theatrical roadshow release. 

The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) - Stothart earned his one and only Academy Award for this iconic scoring, and he also became the first composer at M-G-M to win the golden statuette because of it. The use of the choir to produce the howling tornado winds is magnificent.

Random Harvest ( 1943 ) - A beautiful yearning theme, which accurately conveys the emotion that Greer Garson's character is experiencing. It is interpolated with the English wedding hymn O Perfect Love. 

National Velvet ( 1944 ) - When scoring a dramatic picture, Stothart believed that "a musical episode must be so presented as to motivate a detail of the plot and must become so vital to the story that it cannot be dispensed with." He illustrated this perfectly in his score to National Velvet. 

The Yearling ( 1947 ) - One of the best of Stothart's later works, the theme for The Yearling captured the experiences of a young fawn and the magic of the virgin woodland. Haunting spurts of choral voices echo like forest fairies. Strains of Frederick Delius' Appalachia: Variations on an Old Slave Song can also be heard within this score. 


Highlights of his Discography

• Queen Christina ( 1934 )
• David Copperfield ( 1935 ) 
• Naughty Marietta ( 1935 )
• Rose Marie ( 1936 ) 
• The Good Earth ( 1937 ) 
• Romeo and Juliet  ( 1937 ) 
• The Firefly - he also composed the famous "Donkey Serenade" ( 1937 )
• Waterloo Bridge ( 1940 )
• Northwest Passage ( 1940 )
• Mrs. Miniver ( 1942 )
• The White Cliffs of Dover ( 1944 ) 
• The Three Musketeers ( 1948 ) 

Ron Goodwin - Composer

Ron Goodwin ( Feb. 17, 1925 - January 8, 2003 ) 

Ron Goodwin was a prolific composer who scored over 60 feature films throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He got his start in the industry in the mid-1940s arranging music for popular British artists of the day such as Ted Heath, Geraldo, and the BBC orchestra, but within five years switched to conducting orchestras for recording companies such as Polygon Records. Later, he worked with George Martin at Parlophone Records where he was kept busy arranging and conducting music for over 300 recordings, including a series of Peter Sellers LPS and Goodwin's own music, released under the Ron Goodwin and His Concert Orchestra name. 

It was during the 1960s that Goodwin became the top-notch film composer that we know of today when he began work with MGM British film studios, scoring it big with the jaunty titular tune to Murder She Said ( 1961 ) and his excellent 633 Squadron ( 1964 ) theme. During the early 1970s Goodwin joined with the Walt Disney Studios and composed the themes to many of their British productions. 

For over thirty years, Ron Goodwin also toured the world performing film and popular music in concerts to vast crowds of enthusiastic listeners. 

Signature Style

Mr.Goodwin often arranged trumpets with string but his unique stamp is most probably his rousing war film themes, which utilized plenty of horns and his spunky "old English lady" music, which could be heard in the Miss Marple themes and The Alphabet Murders. 

The Noteworthy Five

Whirlpool ( 1958 ) - One of Goodwin's first film scores and such a lovely score this is.

The Trials of Oscar Wilde ( 1960 ) - A powerful and yet gentle theme wrapped into one. The clashing cymbals offset the beautiful strains of the strings.  

Murder, She Said ( 1961 ) - Simply unforgettable. A truly unique piece of music to fit a truly unique series of mystery films. 

633 Squadron ( 1964 ) - The famous six-beat three-beat theme, played on french horns. 

Where Eagles Dare ( 1968 ) - An epic score to match an epic adventure film. 


Highlights of his Discography

• The Trials of Oscar Wilde ( 1960 )
• Village of the Damned ( 1960 ) 
• The Day of the Triffids ( 1963 )
• Of Human Bondage ( 1964 ) 
• Operation Crossbow ( 1965 ) 
• The Alphabet Murders ( 1965 ) 
• The Battle of Britain ( 1969 )
• Frenzy ( 1970 )
• One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing ( 1975 )
• The Littlest Horse Thieves ( 1976 ) 
• Candleshoe ( 1977 )