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Well, naturally, we'd be all for that -- wouldn't we, gang?
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I think the time has come to resurrect some hopeful talk about Friedhofer.
We have heard from no less a personage than Douglass Fake, himself, that several "special collection" titles are eminent...and that CAN mean titles from the Fox vaults.
With that mindboggling assortment of possibilities...plus Roger's hints above that a Friedhofer "bone" might be thrown at some time...wouldn't NOW be a great time to get our hopes up...yet once again?
ABSOLUTELY! I've been an ardent admirer of HF since the 70's. I still need to burn my lp of Boy on a Dolphin to a CDR.
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and look no further than FSM for one of his best dramatic scores : SOLDIER OF FORTUNE .
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Posted: |
Mar 28, 2006 - 6:18 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....If you want to hear one of the greatest orchestrations of an MGM musical, look no further than MGM's 1954 "Deep In My Heart"...Hugo Friedhofer was involved in the orchestrations...(the musical numbers are amazing and performed by MGM's great talent of the day.).....
I once had occasion to talk with Alexander Courage about this. (Courage was the "co" orchestrator and arranger on DEEP IN MY HEART.)
Courage said that Friedhofer had been brought in to do just the Traubel song arrangements.
My sense of our limited conversation about this film was that it was perhaps still a sticking point with Courage, that, in the end, Friedhofer had much more involvement as the film went on and Courage much less. (To me, many of the arrangements---the "One Alone" ballet in particular, the "Sweethearts" and "New Moon" medleys, etc. are pure Friedhofer, as well as much of the dramatic underscore.) It would be fascinating to see the cue sheets on this film.
It must also be remembered that the Music Supervisor/Conductor of this film was Adolph Deutsch, who would have certainly had ample times to commune with Friedhofer while they were both at Warner Bros in the forties.
(There is also a snippet of a moment or two after a take in the raw tracks on the laser box set where you can hear Hugo's voice congratulating the performance, so you know Hugo was there for the recording sessions.)
My overall sense was that Courage didn't really want to talk about this experience.
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My appreciation of Friedhofer came relatively late, but now I am a wholehearted admirer of his work (I don't consider him the equal of Rózsa but, then, who is?). I'd like to see some talented individual re-work his scores to THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES and ABOVE AND BEYOND into a World War II-Americana saga.
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Manderly mentioned the one Friedhofer I'd love to get:
JOAN OF ARC
Beautiful score, and get a load of that coronation scene!
Big roadshow when it first came out. Big flop. Butchered, re-edited into unrecognizable mess, which was what was shown for years.
Then, all of a sudden, they found the original roadshow version, and now it's on DVD! So, at least you can hear what Friedhofer originally meant. Gorgeous score.
Friedhofer always seemed kind of back-handed, didn't want to, or didn't feel he deserved, more of a front-row seat at the proceedings, preferred to linger on the sidelines, which is sort of where he ended up. And he drank, of course, which only intensifies such feelings.
Although, Newman drank, too, and look what he accomplished.
Go figure.
But Friedhofer has this melodic sound that lingers in the memory. Beautiful stuff.
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Posted: |
Jun 13, 2008 - 9:01 AM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....Friedhofer always seemed kind of back-handed, didn't want to, or didn't feel he deserved, more of a front-row seat at the proceedings, preferred to linger on the sidelines, which is sort of where he ended up.....
But, of course, Friedhofer lingered longer than most of the other Golden Age composers, working well into his 45th year in the business---even longer than Steiner, Newman, and Herrmann, for example. Friedhofer is, in some ways, representative of the whole of the filmmusic industry, from high-class orchestration and arrangement to Oscar-winning composition.
I don't know the exact dates of release, but since this thread started haven't we seen the release of more Friedhofer from Varese and Intrada: THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER, WOMAN OBSESSED, SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD, and what's left of THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR and IN LOVE AND WAR? Amazing.
And yet there is still more out there to be released---if it still exists: LYDIA BAILEY, TWO FLAGS WEST, THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT, THREE CAME HOME, THE ADVENTURES OF CASANOVA, THE BANDIT OF SHERWOOD FOREST, and more.
I wish Fox Music co-production deals could be struck with Decca (now UMG??) and Columbia (Sony), to put out complete and in-stereo versions of AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER and BOY ON A DOLPHIN, and complete versions of THE YOUNG LIONS and THIS EARTH IS MINE.
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I don't know the exact dates of release, but since this thread started haven't we seen the release of more Friedhofer from Varese and Intrada: THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER, WOMAN OBSESSED, SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD, and what's left of THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR and IN LOVE AND WAR? Amazing.
A batch of my favorite CDs, listed in one neat little paragraph. My eyes twinkle when I read it. My ears twinkle, when I listen. Oh, yes. More of Mr. H., if you please.
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