Saturday, September 30, 2017

30 Who Are Those Composers? ~ Elmer Bernstein




Elmer Bernstein was born in New York City, New York on April 4, 1922. His parents were Edward and Selma, both Ukrainian immigrant parents. He was originally destined for a career in classical music. As a young pianist, he gave his first concert at the age of 15 in New York’s Steinway Hall. Encouraged by Aaron Copland, he undertook composition studies with several important teachers including Roger Sessions and Stefan Wolpe and was educated at the Walden School and New York University. He served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II.

Among his early composition work were scores for United Nations radio programs and television and industrial documentaries. His original scores for films range over an enormous variety of styles, with his groundbreaking jazz score for “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955), light musical comedies such as his Oscar-winning “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (1967) score, and perhaps his most familiar score, for the western “The Magnificent Seven” (1960). “I really loved the Westerns,” said Bernstein. “They were fun to do, because they addressed themselves to a particular kind of Americana which started with Aaron [Copland]. Also, in my early years, I spent a lot of time with American folk music. It was like discovering a magic world. I think a lot of that stuck with me; it was part of my musical heritage.”

Elmer Bernstein was more than a composer—he was an explorer—always intrigued by the potential of creative collaborations and applying his musical dexterity to different media. Trips to Broadway earned him Tony nominations for best musical score in 1967 for How Now Dow Jones and in 1983 for Merlin. One of his songs for How Now Dow Jones, “Step to the Rear,” even became a hit, as sung by Tony Roberts:

On August 18, 2004, surrounded by family at his home in Ojai, California, Elmer Bernstein lost his battle with cancer. He was 82. His memorial service, held in October at Paramount Pictures, saw an attendance of over 300 friends, family members, and colleagues, but he was mourned by millions. The world had lost one of its most celebrated and beloved composers, but the music lives on, for new generations, in live concerts, film, television, and the internet.


BERNSTEIN, Elmer [4/4/1922, New York City, New York, U.S.A. - 8/18/2004, Ojai, California, U.S.A. (cancer)] – production manager, composer, conductor, songwriter, musician (piano), actor, married to authoe Pearl Glusman [1921-2017] (1946–1965) father of producer, composer, actor Peter Matthew Bernstein [1951-    ], director, writer, actor Gregory Eames Bernstein [1955-    ],  married to Eve Adamson [1939-    ] (1965–2004) father of composer Emily Adamson Bernstein [1968-    ], Elizabeth Campbell Bernstein [1971-    ].
Return of the Magnificent Seven – 1966
Guns of the Magnificent Seven - 1969
Cannon for Cordoba – 1970

Special Birthdays



Rudolph Jugert (director) would have been 110 today, he died in 1979.












Michel Lemoine (actor) would have been 95 today, he died  in 2013.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Spaghetti Western Trivia ~ Fighting Joe Bugner




Hungarian born Joe Bugner, who played the sheriff in “Buddy Goes West” starring Bud Spencer. Bugner a heavyweight boxing champ in Europe who fought — and went the distance with — Muhammad Ali on two occasions.


RIP Andreas Schmidt



German actor who was seen in such TV series as from "Tatort", "Police 110" and " Sommer vorm Balkonsummer", has died at the age of 53. Schmidt born in Heggen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on November 23, 1963, died in Berlin on September 28th after a long illness. He played the role of Slave Trader Bill in the 2012 Euro-western “The Adventures of Huck Finn”.

Tin Star



Tin Star – U.K. title
A bosszú csillaga – Hungarian title
Gwiazda szeryfa – Poland title
Seriful – Romanian title
Tin Star – English title

A 2016 British, Candian co-production [Kudos Film and Television (London)]
Producer: Allison ackson, Diederick Santer, Matt Stevens
Director: Gilles Bannier, Marc Jobst, Alice Troughton
Story: Rowan Joffé
Teleplay: Rowan Joffe           
Photography: Dale McCready, Paul Sarossy [color]
Music: Adrian Corker
Running time: 60 minutes x 10 nepisodes
 
Cast:  
Jim Worth/Jack Devlin – Tim Roth
Gagnon - Christopher Heyerdahl
Randy - Lynda Boyd
Joe - Myles Peterman
Whitey Brown (Oliver Coopersmith), derrickhand (Chad Stanley Martin), McMoney (Mike Kovac (Michael Kovac). oil executive (Ray Pearson), Constable Denise (Sarah Podemski), Godswill (Tobi Bamtefa), George Tchortov (Boner), Constable Nick McGillen (Ryan Kennedy) Reverend Gregoire (Kevin Hanchard), Johnny (Stephen Walters), barfly (Dan McDougall), Frank (Ian Puleston-Davies), Scooterman (Jay Chahley), Elizabeth Bradshaw (Christina Hendricks), Helen (Leanne Best), barfly (Leslie Hucul), executive (Bud Klasky), Angela Worth (Genevieve O'Reilly), Simon (Jack Veal), Anna Worth (Abigail Lawrie), Petey Worth (Rupert Turnbul), Lyle Sr. (Nicholas Campbell), Ray Laskamin (Joseph Whitebird), Hal Laskamin (Owen Crowshoe), Dr. Suzy Bouchard (Rachael Crawford), Lyle Jr. (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), Wild Hair Lady (Sheryl Guillaume), Timothy Whiteknife (Gerald Auger), school principal (Valerie Planche), Raylene (Kara Francisco), general store cashier (Nathan Alexis), senior executive (Victor Atelevich), Malcolm (Geoff Bell), journalist (Dave Matthew Boddy), oil workers (Paul Braaten, Jeff Hanni), mechanic (Dave Burchill), Officer Lightfoot (Lorne Cardinal), receptionist (Kim Faires), Sally Tybalt (Edie Inksetter), neurosurgeon (Chengis Javeri), wealthy woman (Jammie Leong), oilworker (Marnie Madden), Chelsea (Shawna O'Connell), gate security guard (Luigi Riscaldino), Jacob Minahik (Ray G. Thunderchild), bathtub hooker (Jessica Zhang), bar girls (Rachel Bonney, Audrey Astle), biker (Don Walker), townswoman (Alice Creed), pupil (Jessica Nelson)
With: Simon North
Stunt coordinators:  Steven McMichael, Leslie McMichael
Stunts: Eugene Brave Rock, Chris Olson


Former London police detective Jim Worth is the new police chief of Little Big Bear, a small town in the Canadian Rockies, where he has moved with his family to escape his past. The influx of migrant workers because of a new big oil company, headed by the mysterious Mrs. Bradshaw, forces Worth to confront the resulting wave of crime that threatens the town. Worth's stand against the criminals results in vigilante groups attacking him and his family, leading Worth to slip into his violent alter-ego, Jack Devlin, to exact revenge.

Episode Listing: Season 1 - 1. Fun and (S)Laughter, 2. The Kid, 3. Comfort of Strangers, 4. Jack, 5. Bait, 6, Cuckoo, 7. Exposure, 8. ?, 9. ?, 10. My Love is Vengeance
Season 2 – 1. ?