The Goldsmith Odyssey – Details, episodes & analysis

It's always a treat to hear from filmmakers who got to work directly with Jerry, and we're thrilled that director Jonathan Kaplan took the time to share his memories with us. In this wide-ranging Odyssey Interview, Jonathan tells David and Yavar about his father Sol Kaplan's career as a film composer, the thrill of watching Isaac Hayes perform the Truck Turner score, collaborating with Goldsmith on Love Field and Bad Girls, helping James Horner craft the main theme for Unlawful Entry, the budget limitations that led to Brad Fiedel creating a solo electronic score for The Accused, and so much more! This one is a lively, entertaining chat that's loaded with great stories (and plenty of musical illustrations), so we hope you’ll give it a listen.

Track List - Odyssey Interviews - Jonathan Kaplan on Sol Kaplan, Love Field, and Bad Girls

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Our intermittent exploration of Jerry Goldsmith's early radio work continues with a 2-for-1 special: an episode of CBS Radio Workshop that offers brief dramatizations of the Ray Bradbury short stories "Season of Disbelief" and "Hail and Farewell" (both of which are introduced by Bradbury himself). Your humble hosts David, Yavar, and Clark explore the rich, sensitive small-scale scores Goldsmith created for these stories, both of which contain memorable themes and compelling musical ideas. While all three members of the team regard "Hail and Farewell" rather warmly, "Season of Disbelief" prompts some strikingly different interpretations and spirited conversation. We've included the full presentation of both stories within the episode for your consideration, so you can form your own opinions on the matter. If you're looking for something to listen to attempting to grasp the rope of life, give this one a spin! Our hope is that it'll provide a bit of solace when the rope inevitably hisses through your fingers.

The Bradbury Show Track List!

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Better late than never, we offer a detailed Soundtrack Spotlight on Varese Sarabande's definitive presentation of Jerry Goldsmith’s memorably noir-tinged score for Harold Becker's City Hall! First, your humble hosts David and Clark are joined by liner notes writer Tim Greiving for a discussion of the film's modest virtues, the score's central ideas, the real-life experiences that informed the film's screenplay, the musical influence of Leonard Bernstein's On the Waterfront, and other topics. Afterwards, David and Clark explore the significant and subtle differences between the various film versions, album versions, and alternates this thorough score presentation has to offer. We hope you'll join us for a stroll down the corridors of power(ful film music)!

Here is your de-confusing City Hall Soundtrack Spotlight Track List!

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Pssssssst. Hey, pal. You know Studs, right? Studs Lonigan? No? You must be new around here. I mean, Studs is… ah, but why am I telling ya? You should hear it directly from his pals. Head down to the pool hall and look for three guys named Jens, Yavar, and Clark. If you see some shady-looking characters arguing about motifs, that’s probably them. Anyway, they’ll tell you all about Studs, and the movie director Irving Lerner made about Studs back in 1960, and the score Jerry Goldsmith wrote for that movie, and probably some other nonsense you didn’t even ask about. Hey, they mean well. Have you heard that score, by the way? I bet they’ll play some of it for you. Hot stuff, that record. Hotter than Studs himself, if we’re being honest, but you didn’t hear that from me. Anyway, what are you still doing here? Get outta here and go see the boys. Scram!

The Work: Here are the Discogs listings for the Studs Lonigan Quartet release and the Varèse Sarabande CD Club release. Also, if you are so inclined, you can obtain a Region 2 DVD of the film from Amazon.co.uk.

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Good news, Goldsmith fans: our latest trip to the musical mines has produced another Gold Nugget. Jens returns to Japan for an exploration of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra's 1998 concert album Jerry Goldsmith: Hollywood Symphonic Spectacular. Over the course of a music-heavy half-hour, Jens guides you through a serious of unique, spacious concert recordings of Goldsmith gems like Supergirl, The Swarm, The Omen, and more, offering cursory explanations of what makes some of these particular performances stand out. We hope you'll tag along for this look at a brief-yet-rewarding Japanese tribute to a great American composer!

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Howdy folks! We're saddling up and riding into Dodge City for an exploration of the long-running TV western Gunsmoke. Your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark take a look at three episodes from 1960, each highlighted by its own distinctive Goldsmith score. First up is “Doc Judge,” featuring a suspenseful score anchored by an ominous five-note theme. Next, we meet “The Blacksmith,” containing a lively, diverse score offering warmth, romance, suspense, and a bit of action. Last but not least is “The Wake,” which serves up a modest, playful score built around an instantly memorable main theme. Grab your six-shooter, dust off your ten-gallon hat, and join us as we cantor through one of the staples of classic television.

The Work: Gunsmoke: Season 5 Volume 2, Gunsmoke: Season 6 Vol 1.

Ron Burbella supplied us with his CBS EZ CUE disc and index (discussed in this Film Score Monthly thread) and with his reel-to-reel tape transfers. Bill Wrobel documented the mass of CBS Music Library stuff donated to UCLA, giving us a little more info on the tracks we’ve acquired.

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

In our second installment of Odyssey Interviews, Yavar has a conversation with film composer and conductor Cliff Eidelman. Eidelman is perhaps best known for his striking score for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and has scored such diverse projects as Leap of Faith, Triumph of the Spirit, The Meteor Man, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Eidelman has also written a variety of works for the concert hall, some of which will be featured on an album being released this fall. Over the course of this interview, Eidelman talks about his personal encounters with Jerry Goldsmith, the unique challenges of conducting Goldsmith's work, his current musical endeavors, and much more.

Note: Since this interview was conducted, the digital release date for Cliff Eidelman's "Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos" has shifted to early November instead of late October. For up-to-date information on Eidelman and his work, visit his website.

Music in this Episode:

• 00:00 - C2 Logo Fanfare (Goldsmith)
• 02:14 - Christopher Columbus: The Discovery - The Great Sea (Eidelman)
• 06:41 - Planet of the Apes - No Escape (Goldsmith)
• 10:02 - Rudy - The Final Game (Goldsmith)
• 17:49 - Alien - Breakaway (Eidelman conducting Goldsmith)
• 35:56 - Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country - Sign Off (Eidelman)
• 43:01 - The Tempest: Tone Poem for Orchestra (Eidelman)
• 47:01 - Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos (Eidelman)
• 49:01 - Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos (Eidelman)
• 52:45 - Night in the Gallery - Seduction and Mischief (Eidelman)
• 53:57 - Night in the Gallery - The Tempest and the Mysterious Clown (Eidelman)
• 56:24 - Being Dolphin 4D (Eidelman)
• 1:08:15 - Rudy - The Final Game (Eidelman conducting Goldsmith)

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

We are pleased to present the first installment of Odyssey Interviews, an occasional feature that will offer interviews with special guests who have some connection to Jerry Goldsmith and/or his music. In our debut interview, Yavar has a conversation with internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony. Slatkin maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting (he has conducted virtually all of the leading orchestras in the world) and is active as a composer, author, and educator. He has received 6 Grammy Awards and 33 nominations, and is a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of the Arts. Over the course of this interview, Slatkin discusses growing up in the world of film music, his family's relationship with Goldsmith, commissioning Goldsmith's Music for Orchestra, and much more.

For up-to-date information on Leonard Slatkin and his work, visit his website.

Music in this Episode:

• 00:00 - C2 Logo Fanfare
• 16:17 - Magic - Main Title
• 17:08 - Capricorn One - Break Out
• 21:03 - Christus Apollo - Part II
• 27:15 - Patton - No Assignment
• 41:23 - Music For Orchestra
• 56:05 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Leaving Drydock (Early Version)
• 58:37 - KSD News Theme (composed by Leonard Slatkin)
• 1:11:51 - Music For Orchestra

Also Discussed: The opening of How to Marry a Millionaire, KSDK TV 5 News Open

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

In the second and final part of our CBS Music Library Spectacular, returning guest W. David Lichty guides your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark through a remarkably diverse array of suites spotlighting a large portion of Goldsmith's contribution to the CBS music library. Over the course of this episode, you'll hear playful comedy, moody suspense, lush romance, chilling horror, and lots of other musical goodies. Even if you're a devoted Goldsmith fan, odds are high that the majority of this music will be new to you. Join us as we don our research caps and complete a sojourn into one of the most under-explored corners of Goldsmith's career! 

To follow along with David's custom suites, please consult this Google Doc for a thorough breakdown.

The Work: The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series (at Amazon).

David’s Bibliography:

Ron Burbella supplied us with his TransWorld 78s (discussed in this Film Score Monthly thread).

Martin Grams Jr. wrote The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. This gave names and running times for all of the tracks used in each episode. Note his excellent coverage in his sample section.

Dan Hollis supplied the time locations for all of the cues used in each Twilight Zone episode via his thread at Twilight Zone Cafe -> Twilight Zone, Etc. -> Classic Twilight Zone -> Musical Cues.

Bill Wrobel documented the mass of CBS Music Library stuff donated to UCLA, giving us a little more info on the tracks we’ve acquired. Even more helpful info was found in his piece "Television Works of Bernard Herrmann." You can find some of the TransWorld tracks used in the show on his YouTube channel. We also recommend his video on "Autumn Love."

Despite being uncredited, Gene Feldman supervised the Twilight Zone scores for all five seasons. Twilight Zone isn’t listed for him on IMDb, but Grams Jr.'s book may explain why, and Bill Wrobel's research seems to confirm that he was CBS’s guy for this process.

Please send your correspondence to mail@goldsmithodyssey.com.

Presenting an important campaign announcement from The Goldsmith Odyssey.

To vote in Intrada's new Kickstarter poll, go directly to this thread. If you haven't already signed up for their forum, you'll need to register. Even if you're already registered to purchase items from Intrada's store (store.intrada.com), a separate registration is required for the forum. To complete the process, you'll need the answer to their security question about their first release from 1985 (it's “Red Dawn”). You should then receive a confirmation e-mail allowing you to complete your registration (the e-mail should arrive instantaneously, so check your spam folder if you don't see it right away). When you're all done, head to the forum and cast your vote! Feel free to vote your conscience, which we assume will tell you to vote for Jerry Goldsmith.