Victor Young at Paramount, Volume II Ictor Young Could Do Anything Guises
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Victor Young at Paramount, Volume II ictor Young could do anything guises. The “Main Title” is classic War II correspondent whose French – whatever the genre of film, be Young, starting with a grand flourish, wife was killed by the Nazis, returning Vit adventure, five-hankie soap segueing directly into his main theme to France after the war to try and find opera, romance, mystery and noir, com- and then directly into a great Young his son. edy – his musical palette was distinct march. Those were the days when com- and his melodic sense of film scoring posers were really given the chance to Little Boy Lost has a superb Victor seemingly knew no bounds. He knew get a film off to a great start with their Young score, one that’s not very well when to underscore and when not to, music, something of a lost art in today’s known, but is right up there with his he knew how to occasionally interpolate moviemaking world. There’s a bit of best. Originally there were only three popular songs of the day (many writ- source music – some original, some surviving cues from this brilliant score, ten by him), and he knew how music standards – that Young uses excep- but in a last-minute bit of serendipity, needed to work to aid the storytelling of tionally well. almost all of it was found and so it’s the film, something that is not nearly as a real treat to be able to present just simple as it sounds. Throughout his ca- FOREVER FEMALE about everything from this Victor Young reer, he wrote some of the most memo- Next up is the 1953 film Forever Fe- classic. The score has everything that rable film scores of all time and most of male, starring Ginger Rogers, William made Victor Young one of the greats. them were written during his long asso- Holden, Paul Douglas and Pat Crow- ciation with Paramount Pictures. ley. It was based on the J.M. Barrie MY FAVORITE SPY play Rosalind, and the screenplay was Continuing our journey through Victor by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Ep- We close our second volume of Victor Young at Paramount, volume two of- stein, who happened to also pen a little Young scores with My Favorite Spy, a fers some truly wonderful scores, all of movie called Casablanca. The director 1951 Bob Hope comedy, directed by them seeing the light of day for the first was Irving Rapper (Now Voyager). The Norman Z. McLeod (who also directed time. They are a diverse gathering that comedy centers around an All About the Marx Brothers’ Horse Feathers and beautifully illustrates how he could write Eve-like situation of an older star still Monkey Business). It’s business as for any kind of story. trying to play way too young and all the usual for Hope, as a burlesque comic complications that come with it. The recruited to pose as an international THE PROUD cast seems to be having a grand time spy to recover some microfilm in Tang- AND PROFANE and the film has its delights, especially ier. Beautiful Hedy Lamarr is along for some of the choice lines delivered by the ride, as are character actors Frank Our leadoff score is to the 1956 Perl- Paul Douglas. Faylen, Mike Mazurki, Francis L. Sulli- berg-Seaton war film, The Proud and van, Arnold Moss and Morris Ankrum. Profane. Adapted from the novel The This time it’s Victor Young in full-out Young’s music suits the film perfectly, Magnificent Bastards by Lucy Hern- sparkling mode, beginning with a lilting underscoring the comedy and intrigue don Crockett, the film was directed and lovely waltz that then morphs into with panache and a grand sense of fun. and written by George Seaton, whose some fun big-city music. The score is Nobody did it better. distinguished film career included such like a glass of champagne – bubbly, wonderful films as The Miracle on 34th effervescent and sophisticated. Young — Bruce Kimmel Street, The Country Girl, Teacher’s really captures the allure of the theater Pet, The Pleasure of His Company, in his richly varied music. There are the The Counterfeit Traitor, 36 Hours and usual source cues sprinkled throughout Airport. The starry cast included William and they add immeasurably to the over- Holden, Deborah Kerr and Thelma Rit- all effect of the score. ter. The Proud and Profane was nomi- nated for two Academy Awards – Best LITTLE BOY LOST Art Direction – Set Direction, Black- and-White and Best Costume Design, Also from 1953 we have another Black-and-White. George Seaton film, Little Boy Lost, a drama starring Bing Crosby, based on Young wrote a memorable and beau- the novel by Marghanita Laski. The film tiful main theme for the drama, which is woefully unknown, which is a shame. weaves in and out of the score in many It’s a compelling film about a World .