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Elmer Bernstein's first wife Pearl has written a charming memoir about her life with the composer. A fascinating (and at times witty) read - available for a very modest fee on Amazon Kindle. More details here -
http://www.themagnificentelmer.com
- JMM.
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Joan, thanks for the response, and do let us know what you think of the book when you have read it. The author's tales of early married life in NYC and subsequent introduction to the film world are of great interest.
I'd have thought such a book about one of the greatest music practitioners in American cinema might have garnered a little more attention on these pages...
- James.
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Have read about 25% of the book. So far I've learned that Aaron Copland wrote Bolero and that the Dodgers played the Cubs in LA during production of The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), even though the Dodgers didn't leave Brooklyn until 1958.
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Have now read 71% of the book. Just learned that in early 1956, Elmer Bernstein encountered Leonard Bernstein, who was visiting LA to score On the Waterfront, which had been released in 1954.
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In the author's note at the end of the memoir, the author asks readers to take pity on a senior citizen and refrain from e-mailing her to point out that the Dodgers didn't move to LA until a couple years after The Man with the Golden Arm was released.
The memoir was pleasant enough and I don't regret spending the $1.99 + $0.19 tax, but if factual inaccuracies like those mentioned above really bug you, be forewarned. The acknowledgments indicate a number of people assisted the author in producing this manuscript; it's unfortunate that someone didn't spell-check and fact-check it a bit better.
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Fair enough, Jeff, but try looking for the best bits rather than those rather negative examples you've picked out!
I've just re-read the thing and, yes, there are even one or two other factual errors, but it certainly didn't mar my over-all enjoyment. It's a worthy effort. I learned from it and would recommend it to anyone interested in good film music, EB fans in particular.
- James.
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And what I've learned, Jeff, is that when Elmer was considering the Preminger offer to score MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM in 1955, he consulted with Ernest Gold about his experience working with Preminger on EXODUS in 1960.
So yes, peripheral factoids herein must be taken with a saline grain, but so far I'm very much enjoying the lady's memories to which only she was privy. And I find myself wishing that the wives and ex-wives of all my other favorite composers had written books.
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The audio version of the book (CD) is now available too - same link as above has the details.
- James.
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