Since Tadlow put out Elmer Bernstein's score for the T.N.T. documentary "Cecil B. DeMille: An American Epic" on C.D. does anybody out there remember the main theme he composed for the David J. Wolper documentary series "Hollywood And The Stars"? I know that the theme was rerecorded for a Bernstein compilation C.D. that was put out by Denon 24 years ago, but did Bernstein score any episodes?
Since Tadlow put out Elmer Bernstein's score for the T.N.T. documentary "Cecil B. DeMille: An American Epic does anybody out there remember the main theme he composed for the David J. Wolper documentary series "Hollywood And The Stars"? I know that the theme was rerecorded for a Bernstein compilation C.D. that was put out by Denon 24 years ago, but did Bernstein score any episodes?
I can't prove this, but as a regular (a) viewer of the show and (b) avid fan of Elmer Bernstein and his music at the time the show originally aired, all of the music in all of the episodes sounded to me like Bernstein had written it. If I recall correctly, aside from the opening/end theme, most of the music consisted of bumpers, transitions and act opens. It's hard to know in retrospect whether it would be possible to make a very interesting album out of these, as much as I love all things Bernstein and loved that theme to death. Hopefully someone with some inside information and more insight will add to my observations and recollections. That said, if somebody could knit that stuff together from original recordings (ideally), I'd be "all in!"
Always loved the HOLLYWOOD AND THE STARS title theme; majestic and memorable. There is a recording of it on a Silva Screen 2-CD Bernstein compilation, as I recall. The re-recording is OK, but doesn't have the same heft as the soundtrack original.
Maybe it was one of the earlier David L. Wolper specials, but I seem to remember some Bernstein scoring for scenes from the D.W.Griffith's silent classic INTOLERANCE, particularly for a sequence involving a Persian siege machine, spouting fire, outside the walls of Babylon. Would love to not only see that again, but also have the music.
Ah well. We've been able to get so much that we previously thought was lost to history.
I just checked some episodes of "Hollywood And The Stars" on Youtube. Some had no composer credits, some did, like this one which states "Music Composed and Conducted by Elmer Bernstein": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EELDW-b_K4A
IMDb has seven episodes credited to Bernstein and the majority credited to Ruby Raksin.
I just checked some episodes of "Hollywood And The Stars" on Youtube. Some had no composer credits, some did, like this one which states "Music Composed and Conducted by Elmer Bernstein": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EELDW-b_K4A
IMDb has seven episodes credited to Bernstein and the majority credited to Ruby Raksin.
Nice piece on Hollywood And The Stars from 2010 by Leonard Maltin that mentions his desire for a soundtrack CD. On the occasion of the death of David L. Wolper.
