I just saw TWO OF A KIND and decided that while he's not the most MAGNIFICENT noir composer (Rozsa) or the GREATEST noir composer (Alfred Newman) or the most WONDERFUL noir composer (Mancini), I think Duning is perfect.
He can be breezy, and he can write dance/pop, and even a little spooky (he didn't get to write enough spooky music for this film, so I can't say for sure).
And he can dang-well write a slutty saxophone solo better than any of the above, that's for sure. He's just perfect.
I think he only got to do a couple of other noirs, which is too bad.
Since we all have different definitions of "greatest," "magnificent," and "wonderful," suffice it to say there have been superb noir scores composed by Anthiel, Young, Waxman, Buttolph, Raksin, Friedhofer, Duning, Steiner, Dunlap, Tiomkin, Harline, Stevens, Herrmann, Webb, Gilbert, Skinner, Sawtell, Salter, Rozsa, and many, many others.
And Duning scored quite a few film noirs, including BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN, NIGHTFALL, SCANDAL SHEET, THE MOB, THE DARK PAST, CONVINCTED, JOHNNY O'CLOCK, and others.
Since we all have different definitions of "greatest," "magnificent," and "wonderful," suffice it to say there have been superb noir scores composed by Anthiel, Young, Waxman, Buttolph, Raksin, Friedhofer, Duning, Steiner, Dunlap, Tiomkin, Harline, Stevens, Herrmann, Webb, Gilbert, Skinner, Sawtell, Salter, Rozsa, and many, many others.
And Duning scored quite a few film noirs, including BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN, NIGHTFALL, SCANDAL SHEET, THE MOB, THE DARK PAST, CONVINCTED, JOHNNY O'CLOCK, and others.
You have pointed out parenthetically that I neglected to put an "I'm being silly" emoticon in the first paragraph, since I was making light of the pointless arguments that try to call some composer or score the "greatest ever". I should have done so.
I will continue being silly and point out that while you do name "superb" composers above, you failed to mention the noir composers who are "fine" and "superior" and "excellent", but I won't hold that against you.
I will cease to be silly and say that I still think Duning might be exceptionally suited to make me happy as the composer of the noirs that I watch in the future, and am pleased to see he did more than I thought. Thanks for providing me with more titles to add to my list.
I'm beginning to wonder if Max Steiner deserves this title, after hearing the wrenching, non-pretty music he wrote for the noirs in the latest release:
Duning wrote a lovely -- dare I say "perfect"? -- score for a London-set murder mystery spoof, THE NOTORIOUS LANDLADY, spicing his original themes with Gershwin's "A Foggy Day (In London Town)," and climaxing with a chase scene set to an onscreen concert band playing Gilbert and Sullivan.
