The Miracle Worker Illiam Gibson’S the Miracle Worker , Her Costumes (She Didn’T Win Either)
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The Miracle Worker illiam Gibson’s The Miracle Worker , her costumes (she didn’t win either). Not nom - The Miracle Worker has been released twice based on Helen Keller’s autobiogra - inated at all was the film’s composer, Laurence before on CD – once on a composer promo Wphy, The Story of My Life began its Rosenthal. One can’t really argue with the five and once by Intrada. The latter edition sold out journey in 1957 as a Playhouse 90 live broad - choices that were made for best original score very quickly. It’s always a tough call when cast. The broadcast starred Teresa Wright as that year – they included Maurice Jarre’s doing a rerelease of a limited edition title, but Helen’s teacher, Annie Sullivan, and Patty Mc - Lawrence of Arabia (the winner), Bronislau in the case of The Miracle Worker there was Cormick as Helen, and was directed by Arthur Kaper’s Mutiny on the Bounty , Franz Wax - no question – the music deserves to be heard Penn. Two years later, Gibson adapted his tele - man’s Taras Bulba , Jerry Goldsmith’s Freud , by the widest audience possible and because play for the stage and The Miracle Worker , and Elmer Bernstein’s To Kill a Mockingbird – of its quick sellout it never really had a chance again directed by Arthur Penn, opened on great scores all. But they should have created beyond the film music collector market. For this Broadway at the Playhouse Theater on Octo - a sixth slot for Rosenthal, because his music release, we have done what we hope are ber 19, 1959. It was an unqualified smash, run - for The Miracle Worker is a true masterpiece some improvements to the sound. The previ - ning 719 performances. The play version of film scoring. ous releases both had kind of a reverby faux starred Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and stereo spread that wasn’t part of the original Patty Duke as Helen Keller, along with Torin Laurence Rosenthal was born November 24, session sound - we’ve gone back to the basics Thatcher as Captain Keller, Patricia Neal as 1926 and began scoring films in 1955 with a as there was nice room ambience in the orig - Kate Keller, and in support, James Congdon, low budget (really low budget) programmer inal recordings and the score takes on a more Michael Constantine and Beah Richards. The called Yellowneck . But he found steadier work immediate sound without the extra reverb. On play did well at the Tony Awards, winning for on Broadway, writing incidental music for plays the previous releases there was a tape crimp Best Play (over Lorraine Hansbury’s A Raisin (A Clearing in the Woods, Rashomon, Becket) , problem in the opening notes of the main title in the Sun, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man , Paddy and doing dance arrangements for such – we’ve happily fixed that, and we’ve fixed a Chayefsky’s The Tenth Man and Lillian Hell - Broadway musicals as The Music Man, few other dropouts and other anomalies. Also, man’s Toys in the Attic) , Best Actress (Anne Goldilocks, Take Me Along , and Donnybrook! But we include two bonus tracks that were not on Bancroft), Best Direction, and Best Stage soon Hollywood came calling again, and in either CD. Unfortunately, the sound is not op - Technician. Surprisingly and somewhat 1961 Rosenthal wrote a great score for the film timal but we felt that the music is so good in shockingly, Patty Duke wasn’t even nominated version of A Raisin in the Sun . That was fol - those two cues (one of which, as you’ll hear, – she did, however, win a Theatre World lowed by his two brilliant scores for 1962 films: was obviously rescored for the film as it differs award. Anne Bancroft was replaced during the The Miracle Worker and Requiem for a Heavy - from the originally recorded cue) that we hope long run by Suzanne Pleshette, but Patty Duke weight . After that, he began a prolific film ca - you’ll forgive the not-so-hot sound just to hear stayed for the entire run. reer, scoring such movies as Becket, Hotel more of this incredible score. Paradiso, and The Comedians , then moved into In 1962, The Miracle Worker came to the television where he was also very prolific, The Miracle Worker has had a strong life after screen, once again adapted by William Gib - scoring any number of TV movies, episodic the film version. It’s been filmed for TV twice son, directed by Arthur Penn and with Anne and mini-series, while still doing features. Dur - now – first in 1979 with Patty Duke playing Bancroft and Patty Duke recreating their stage ing the 60s he also found time to write a Annie Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert as Helen, roles. Also in the cast were Victor Jory, Inga Broadway musical called Sherry! , the musical and then by the Disney Channel in 2000, with Swenson, Andrew Prine and Beah Richards. version of Kaufman and Hart’s The Man Who Alison Elliot as Annie and Hallie Kate Eisen - The film was a hit with critics and the praise Came to Dinner . berg as Helen. There was a 1984 made for TV was loud and long for Bancroft and Duke. In - sequel called Helen Keller: The Miracle Con - terestingly, the studio didn’t really want either Rosenthal’s score for The Miracle Worker is, tinues , which starred Blythe Danner as Annie actress – according to legend, the studio to put it plainly, a miracle. His grasp of what and Mare Winningham as Helen. And in 2010 would have provided a bigger budget for the makes The Miracle Worker tick and his ability there was a Broadway revival starring Alison film if Elizabeth Taylor played Annie Sullivan. to capture that in musical terms is uncanny. Pill as Annie and Abigail Breslin as Helen. In And Duke, at fifteen, was considered too old Beginning with the haunting main title as we 1982, playwright William Gibson wrote his own to play Helen. Thank heaven Penn held firm meet Helen Keller and enter her dark world, sequel called Monday After the Miracle , which about the cast, but because he did, the budget and continuing through a series of cues that was directed by Arthur Penn and starred Jane of the film was only around $500,000. capture every nuance of character and drama Alexander as Annie and Karen Allen as Helen. – never overstating, always illuminating, and It opened on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill 1962 was certainly one of the greatest years ultimately as moving a score as has ever been Theater and closed after only four perform - in the history of cinema, with an amazing num - written. There are no words that can capture ances. It was turned into a TV movie in 1998, ber of films that would go on to become movie what Rosenthal achieves in the film’s penulti - which starred Roma Downey as Annie and classics. And The Miracle Worker is high on mate cue, “The Miracle/ The Keys,” other than Moira Kelly as Helen. that list. It is a brilliantly directed film, with two to say it is one of the greatest fusions of image of the greatest female performances ever cap - and music and emotion ever created. It is the But it’s the 1962 film version that is indelibly tured on film. The Academy Awards thought key reason that sequence is one of the most etched into memory – those performances, so, too, rewarding Anne Bancroft and Patty emotional ever put on film – there is never a that direction, and that amazing score by the Duke with Oscars for Best Actress and Best dry eye as the music swells and Annie Sullivan amazing Laurence Rosenthal. Supporting Actress (at the time, Duke was the shouts, “She knows, she knows.” It is, and for - youngest actress to ever win the award). Penn give the hyperbole, one of the greatest mo - — Bruce Kimmel and Gibson were also nominated (but didn’t ments in all of film. take home the prize), as was Ruth Morley for.