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 Posted:   May 8, 2014 - 1:43 PM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

After the passing of Armando Trovajoli (1917 - 2013), Fred Katz (1919-2013) and Roman Vlad (1919 - 2013) last year, is Richard LaSalle (b. 1918) the only composer of film & TV music who was born prior to 1920 and still with us?

 
 
 Posted:   May 8, 2014 - 2:05 PM   
 By:   kirksworks   (Member)

I don't know the answer to that but I'm glad someone even mentioned LaSalle. He had an interesting style, quite fluid and he was a good choice for fantasy and science fiction. Two scores of his I enjoy: THE TIME TRAVELERS, MERMAIDS OF TIBURON. He also did TWICE TOLD TALES.

 
 Posted:   May 8, 2014 - 2:06 PM   
 By:   Justin Boggan   (Member)

I don't know, but Morricone is close, born in 1928.

Funny thing -- I was just adding some missing credits for LaSalle today on IMDb. I added episode scores (four of them, that's all I could find) to a TV show called "run Joe, Run". I actually was surprised by how much I enjoyed the scoring I heard, and liked his opening theme as well (and it's Leonard Rosenman tone pyramid opening). I'd fancy a CD of score from that!

 
 
 Posted:   May 8, 2014 - 2:15 PM   
 By:   musicalpyramid   (Member)

I enjoyed his 70s disaster movie scores to FIRE! and FLOOD

 
 
 Posted:   May 8, 2014 - 2:28 PM   
 By:   musicalpyramid   (Member)

On the subject of oldest living composer, how about:

Roy Douglas

Born 12 December 1907

Not high profile or particularly well known, but none the less scored some wartime films...

 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 12:57 PM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

On the subject of oldest living composer, how about:

Roy Douglas

Born 12 December 1907

Not high profile or particularly well known, but none the less scored some wartime films...


Thanks, much.

I usually am familiar with British composers, but I've never encountered the name of Roy Douglas before.

Didn't imagine that there is any composer born before 1910 still with us.

Roy Douglas is over age 106!

 
 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 1:04 PM   
 By:   Thor   (Member)

On the subject of oldest living composer, how about:

Roy Douglas

Born 12 December 1907

Not high profile or particularly well known, but none the less scored some wartime films...


Yes, I think he's the oldest living composer in the world, actually, regardless of idiom (film music or otherwise). Hard to beat that.

 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 1:07 PM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

I don't know, but Morricone is close, born in 1928.


Actually, there's quite a number of living composers born after 1920.

The recent passing of British composer Antony Hopkins (1921-2014) led me to think of this thread.

For those interested, here's my listing of film & TV composers born in the '20s who are still with us:

Dudley Simpson (1922)
William Kraft (1923)
Kenneth V. Jones (1924)
Gerard Schurmann (1924)
Ken Thorne (1924) - deceased July 9th, 2014
Antoine Duhamel (1925)
Johnny Mandel (1925)
Mikis Theodorakis (1925)
David Lee (1926)
Laurence Rosenthal (1926)
Laurie Johnson (1927)
Jean Prodromides (1927)
Gerald Fried (1928)
Ennio Morricone (1928)
Giorgio Gaslini (1929)
Andre Previn (1929)
Peter Sculthorpe (1929)
Marc Wilkinson (1929)

This is not 100% comprehensive, though, and I'm probably omitting some people (and my apologies to those I've forgotten to include).

 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 1:20 PM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

I don't know the answer to that but I'm glad someone even mentioned LaSalle. He had an interesting style, quite fluid and he was a good choice for fantasy and science fiction. Two scores of his I enjoy: THE TIME TRAVELERS, MERMAIDS OF TIBURON. He also did TWICE TOLD TALES.

I like his DIARY OF A MADMAN, too, as well as his one episode score for the PLANET OF THE APES television series.

 
 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 1:30 PM   
 By:   JamesSouthall   (Member)


Actually, there's quite a number of living composers born after 1920.


Agreed. As a group I'm sure we can name them all. I'll start off:

Brian Tyler
Rupert Gregson-Williams
Randy Newman
Kelvin S. Wheelbarrow
Mychael Danna

 
 
 Posted:   May 9, 2014 - 1:37 PM   
 By:   TerraEpon   (Member)



I usually am familiar with British composers, but I've never encountered the name of Roy Douglas before.


Well he orchestrated an obscure little piece called The Warsaw Concerto...

 
 
 Posted:   May 10, 2014 - 7:44 AM   
 By:   dan the man   (Member)

RICHARD LASALLE was born on JANUARY 18, 1918 in LOUISVILLE, COLORADO. He scored over 60 feature length films from the late 50's into the late 70's.Some were THE FLIGHT THAT DISAPPEARED, MERMAIDS OF TIBURON, BROKEN LAND, DAY MARS INVADED EARTH, DIARY OF A MADMAN, TWICE TOLD TALES, THE TIME TRAVELERS, BOY DID I GET A WRONG NUMBER, AMBUSH BAY, DAUGHTERS OF SATAN, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, FIRE, FLOOD, ETC ETC.He also scored a few dozen episodes of the TV show ROOM 222.Plus his mother didn't abort him like 56 million other kids in America so he was able to give us good music.

 
 Posted:   May 10, 2014 - 8:43 AM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

Well he orchestrated an obscure little piece called The Warsaw Concerto...

Ah ... I avoid concert warhorses such as The Warsaw Concerto, so this is probably why I've not read anything about Roy Douglas before this thread.

 
 Posted:   May 10, 2014 - 10:29 AM   
 By:   Heath   (Member)

LaSalle wasn't the most original composer in the world, but I felt his absence on the Planet Of The Apes TV album - an odd omission considering his efforts were rather important to the musical identity of that show. It was his best film/TV work IMO. I still await vol. 2 and a redress of the balance. Not holding my breath for that one though!

 
 Posted:   May 10, 2014 - 2:52 PM   
 By:   Charles Thaxton   (Member)

He scored a 2 part WONDER WOMAN shown last night on ME TV......I heard plenty of his trademark cues from past films, like DAY MARS INVADED EARTH, and even a Goldsmith APES ripoff...(the cue used a lot in the desert scenes at the beginning).

 
 Posted:   Jul 10, 2014 - 10:42 AM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

*update*
... to include the passing of Ken Thorne.

Composers born before 1930 but after 1920

Dudley Simpson (1922)
William Kraft (1923)
Kenneth V. Jones (1924)
Gerard Schurmann (1924)
Ken Thorne (1924) - deceased July 9th, 2014
Antoine Duhamel (1925) - deceased September 11th, 2014
Johnny Mandel (1925)
Mikis Theodorakis (1925)
David Lee (1926)
Laurence Rosenthal (1926)
Robert Drasnin (1927)
Laurie Johnson (1927)
Jean Prodromides (1927)
Gerald Fried (1928)
Ennio Morricone (1928)
Giorgio Gaslini (1929) - deceased July 29th, 2014
Stu Philips (1929)
Andre Previn (1929)
Peter Sculthorpe (1929) - deceased August 8th, 2014
Marc Wilkinson (1929)

 
 Posted:   Jul 30, 2014 - 5:06 PM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

*bumped*

to update with Gaslini death.

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 30, 2014 - 5:10 PM   
 By:   Morricone   (Member)

What no Stu Phillips? 1929

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 30, 2014 - 5:33 PM   
 By:   OnyaBirri   (Member)

Robert Drasnin was born in 1927 - November 17, to be exact - and he is still working.

 
 Posted:   Aug 3, 2014 - 11:22 AM   
 By:   ToneRow   (Member)

Thanks for the additions, guys.

My list is not comprehensive, as mentioned earlier in this thread, so I appreciate input.

 
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