Having a lazy Fourth? Enjoy these portraits (and snapshots) of the “Dean of American Composers,” Aaron Copland!
Copland assists Leonard Bernstein in a demo record of music from Bernstein’s “Fancy Free” (for Jerome Robbins):
Rare home movies of Copland on a wintry day in New York City in 1938:
Documentary, “Aaron Copland: A Self Portrait”:
PHOTO: Copland portrait by Gordon Parks
Happy Independence Day! Concerned about social distancing? Alienate everyone by making electronic music with hot dogs.
Get ready to chimp-out with another Classic Ross Amico double-feature.
First, at 6:00 EDT, I’ll be your host, as we assert our independence, with selections from “The Patriot” (John Williams), “George Washington Slept Here” (Adolph Deutsch), “Revolution” (John Corigliano), and “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot” (Bernard Herrmann), on the tenth anniversary of “Picture Perfect,” on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Then, at 7:00 EDT, some apes may be more equal than others, but “Planet of the Apes” is far and away the best of the original film series. Join Roy Bjellquist and me as we hash over this nihilistic classic that begins with the tiniest of American flags and concludes with – well, you probably already know. So much for Liberty. “Planet of the Apes” will be the focus of the Facebook live-stream “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.”
As usual, I’ll be pouring on the love for composer Jerry Goldsmith (pictured, below, in an unusually light mood). We’ll also discuss the film’s evolution, its themes and social commentary, its accolades and influence, along with a banana boat full of behind-the-scenes trivia.
Better pour yourself a stiff one. Everything will be revolting – from Jack Benny to Jack Lord, to a bare-chested Heston and our scintillating simian conversation.
Happy Friday, and God bless America!
https://www.facebook.com/roytiediescificorner/
PHOTOS: Benny & Jerry
COVID may have robbed us of a “Picture Perfect” tenth anniversary celebration. Luckily, there’s something else to make noise about! On the eve of Independence Day, we’ll drown our disappointment with an hour of cinematic fifes and drums.
We’ll hear selections from the 2000 film “The Patriot,” in which slow-burning pacifist Mel Gibson is pushed too far by ruthless British officer Jason Isaacs and reverts to his bloody French and Indian War ways. Wow! Who knew Mel had a temper? By the end of the film, he is literally waving the flag to John Williams’ triumphant score.
In a somewhat gentler spirit, but no less subtle, we’ll also hear a suite from the 1942 Jack Benny-Ann Sheridan fixer-up comedy, “George Washington Slept Here,” based on the play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman – not really about the Revolution, beyond the fact that the ramshackle Pennsylvania farm house purchased by a transplanted New York couple is alleged to have been the resting place of the Revolution’s most famous general. The music is by Adolph Deutsch.
What happened with “Revolution?” The 1985 film seemed to have everything going for it. The director was Hugh Hudson, whose “Chariots of Fire” was the big winner at the 1981 Academy Awards; its star was Al Pacino; and its composer was John Corigliano, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his Symphony No. 2 and an Academy Award for “The Red Violin.” Yet “Revolution” bombed horribly – so horribly that Pacino gave up making movies for the next four years! James Galway plays the flute and penny whistle on the film’s soundtrack, as he would later for the more successful “The Lord of the Rings.”
Finally, we’ll hear music from the longest continuously-shown film in cinematic history, “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot,” created exclusively for the tourist attraction of Colonial Williamsburg. The film features future “Hawaii Five-O” star Jack Lord, and the score is by none other than Bernard Herrmann.
Here’s a clip from “Williamsburg,” with some of Herrmann’s music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VXfVhenXQ
We celebrate Independence Day this week – and ten years of “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies – this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
PHOTO: George Washington wagers he can crack a walnut with his bare hand in “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot”
TAKE YOUR STINKING PAWS OFF ME, YOU DAMNED DIRTY APE!!!
Now that I’ve got that out of my system… I hope you’ll join Roy Bjellquist and me tomorrow night, as we do our best to tarnish Independence Day with the most perverse shout-out to Lady Liberty, ever, courtesy of Rod Serling and “Planet of the Apes.” The original 1968 twisteroo classic will be our focus on the next “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.”
We’ll discuss the film’s heavy-handed (but still thought-provoking) social commentary, behind-the-scenes minutiae from the Forbidden Zone, lantern-jawed Charlton Heston, and Jerry Goldsmith’s literally hooting, “primitivist-future” film score.
IT’S A MADHOUUUUUUUUUUUUSE!!!!!!!”
Go bananas for “Planet of the Apes!” We’ll be monkeying around, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT, on the next Facebook live-stream of “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner!”
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