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In 1975 Jack Palance got his own series., playing a homicide detective.
Palance is an entertaining if not odd actor. An even more odd combo is the series was co-created by Carrol O'Connor (after the pilot the other creator doesn't get credited). For me that's like getting a series starring Gary Busey and created by Clint Eastwood.
For the passed few months, episodes showed up on Youtube, so I've been slowly adding composer credits to IMDb. So, at the moment I don't know the full composer listing, but it appears to be just four composers thus far. I've never seen the series before, so I have no idea how much if anything I will be noting in this thread, but the pilot had score worth mentioning, so here I am.
"Pilot" (0)
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://ok.ru/video/3055083719354
Highlights:
Around 1:10 in: some paced somber-ish piano work. Part of this was edited out and used as the opening part of the series theme.
8:40 in: which features some lower octave piano.
13:03 in.
25:57 in: a nice piano piece with some strings and acoustic guitar for a flourishing middle section.
48:21 in
52:17 in: the brief funky music for the radio.
57:15.
1:10:39 in.
It's not bad. Not great mind you.
Unfortunately, the pilot sets up a premise that could be fascinating and go on for seasons (as simple as it is, mind you), but it's forgotten after the pilot. At least in the episodes I cover below.
"Open Contract" (1)
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQJd2f1suFI
Highlights:
19:29 in: a soft rendition of the series' theme, with a flute. More at 23:55 in.
30:56 in: the funky night club music.
About 33:00 in: more of that piano work from the pilot.
39:40 in.
About 42:30 in. Also now stands as the seventh score I have heard the waterchime instrument in.
So, the little boy is sad and asks if they'll have to move again. Well, yes little boy -- your house boat did just explode with nearly nothing left. So.....
The series' theme music is catchy and memorable. A little known effort from Schifrin.
"Wheels of Death" (2)
By: Robert Drasnin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fUjbVcqun4
Highlights:
23:00 in.
So boring. Don't bother watching.
"The Gauntlet" (3)
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://ok.ru/video/3055082474170
Highlights:
14:59 in.
21:40 in. Another cue that was shortly before the one listed above, could be a go lead in to this.
26:56 in.
39:36 in. A long cue, including action chase music using the series' theme.
"Echo of Danger" (4)
By: Jacques Urbont
https://ok.ru/video/3055083391674
Highlights:
About 41:45 in.
"Terror" (5)
By: George Romanis
https://ok.ru/video/3055083326138
Highlights:
23:19 in: the country-music feeling piece.
42:20 in. Which also uses the series' theme and as percussion ideas heard in his "CHiPs" episode score, "The Volunteers" (the tiger in the store scene).
That pilot score should be released. Also includes cues from other episodes he scores and the versions of the theme. Would make a nice single-disc release.
I wanted to go this far so I covered all four composers. I'll do the other episodes as well, but not at the pace of "Gunsmoke".
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"The Fifth Victim" (6)
By: Robert Drasnin
https://ok.ru/video/3055083588282
Highlights:
44:42 in.
"Short Fuse" (7)
By: George Romanis
https://ok.ru/video/3055082408634
Highlights:
About 1:10 in: the slow moody piece with low brass and xylophone. A good example of slow plotting music from that era. Most of the score is like this.
About 42:20 in. Picks back up about 43:50 in.
45:22 in.
"Line of Fire"
By: Jacques Urbont
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifv_9JjU-XM
Highlights:
12:03 in: a kind of laid back piece with guitar.
About 23:20 in.
"Bargain in Blood"
By: Jacques Urbont
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imYscuaC-2Y
Highlights:
Nothing.
"There's Gonna Be a War"
By: George Romanis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-jS6airGhA
Highlights:
46:48 in.
There's nothing wrong with the score overall per se, it's just a little too repetitive. For me, personally, I'd have to rip the score and edited it in Audacity to get something else from it other than the cue above.
"Next of Kin"
By: Jacques Urbont
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USKwEGRBBDc
Highlights:
Nothing.
This score was nominated for an Emmy (surprisingly). The other competition that year:
"Rich Man, Poor Man"
Composer: Alex North
(WINNER)
"Kojak"
Episode: "A Question of Answers"
Composer: John Cacavas
"Little House on the Prairie"
Episode: "Remember Me"
Composer: David Rose
"The Deadlier Sex"
By: Jacques Urbont
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBvdC-4v6nI
Highlights:
Nothing.
I've yet to hear an Urbont score I wanted to hear again, let alone own.
"Jackson Blue"
By: George Romanis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrUHv_-8_TE
Highlights:
41:23 in: another chase cue using the series' theme.
I think an episode of "CHiPs" used that same location for a chase.
"Long Time Dying"
By: George Romanis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dURUeye9lI
Highlights:
45:28 in: opens with some soft flute music, but goes to chase music further in.
And I am caught up with all the episodes currently up. I won't be able to do them all as the guy who has the Youtube channel, says he doesn't have them all.
"The Pickoff", "Crackback", "Deception", "Betrayal" had no credited composers.
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Another justin chronicle!
Well done mate.
I remember Palance and Bronk, i also seem to recall a VHs release, bcoz i remember the poster?
Would that have been a pilot, marketed as a film and released for vhs rental?
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In 1975 Jack Palance got his own series., playing a homicide detective.
Palance is an entertaining if not odd actor. An even more odd combo is the series was co-created by Carrol O'Connor (after the pilot the other creator doesn't get credited). For me that's like getting a series starring Gary Busey and created by Clint Eastwood.
For the passed few months, episodes showed up on Youtube, so I've been slowly adding composer credits to IMDb. So, at the moment I don't know the full composer listing, but it appears to be just four composers thus far. I've never seen the series before, so I have no idea how much if anything I will be noting in this thread, but the pilot had score worth mentioning, so here I am.
"Pilot"
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP9KukiOHqg
Highlights:
Around 1:10 in: some paced somber-ish piano work. Part of this was edited out and used as the opening part of the series theme.
8:40 in: which features some lower octave piano.
13:03 in.
25:57 in: a nice piano piece with some strings and acoustic guitar for a flourishing middle section.
48:21 in
52:17 in: the brief funky music for the radio.
57:15.
1:10:39 in.
It's not bad. Not great mind you.
Unfortunately, the pilot sets up a premise that could be fascinating and go on for seasons (as simple as it is, mind you), but it's forgotten after the pilot. At least in the episodes I cover below.
"Open Contract"
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOtrZEMNYHY
Highlights:
19:29 in: a soft rendition of the series' theme, with a flute. More at 23:55 in.
30:56 in: the funky night club music.
About 33:00 in: more of that piano work from the pilot.
39:40 in.
About 42:30 in. Also now stands as the seventh score I have heard the waterchime instrument in.
So, the little boy is sad and asks if they'll have to move again. Well, yes little boy -- your house boat did just explode with nearly nothing left. So.....
The series' theme music is catchy and memorable. A little known effort from Schifrin.
"Wheels of Death"
By: Robert Drasnin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOtrZEMNYHY
Highlights:
23:00 in.
So boring. Don't bother watching.
"The Gauntlet"
By: Lalo Schifrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq6ldhCNefU
Highlights:
14:59 in.
21:40 in. Another cue that was shortly before the one listed above, could be a go lead in to this.
26:56 in.
39:36 in. A long cue, including action chase music using the series' theme.
"Echo of Danger"
By: Jacques Urbont
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU4_6HEsiYU
Highlights:
About 41:45 in.
"Terror"
By: George Romanis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SngIIlW-688
Highlights:
23:19 in: the country-music feeling piece.
42:20 in. Which also uses the series' theme and as percussion ideas heard in his "CHiPs" episode score, "The Volunteers" (the tiger in the store scene).
That pilot score should be released. Also includes cues from other episodes he scores and the versions of the theme. Would make a nice single-disc release.
I wanted to go this far so I covered all four composers. I'll do the other episodes as well, but not at the pace of "Gunsmoke".
Palance's first television series was actually "The Greatest Show On Earth" in which he played the proprietor of a circus, and was one of two television series on A.B.C. during the '63-64 season (the other being "Wagon Train", which expanded to 90 minutes) to be broadcast in color. "The Greatest Show On Earth"'s main theme, by the way was "March Of The Clowns", which was composed by Richard Rodgers. According to the book "Total Television", Palance didn't care for "Bronk", calling it "junk".
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I didn't say it was his first TV series.
"Bronk" as it was, was very standard; it pretty much is borderline junk, but not totally junk -- there's far worse TV out there.
I'll spoil the pilot here. Basically, Bronkov uncovers a list of people bought and paid for, including officials and police officers, and the list is only names on the list -- there could be more. This list was the reason for Bronkov getting his job back around the end of the episode, so he could work on it, but they ditched it after the pilot.
Can you imagine the ramifications and ideas they could have done with that premise had the series continued it? Way to flush a strong premise down the toilet there, producers.
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"Target: Unknown", "Jailbreak", "Vengeance", "The Ordeal", "Death with Honor" -- no composer credited.
The opening and closing credits has been re-worked a little.
One episode remaining:
"The Vigilante" (last episode of the series)
By: Jacques Urbont
Not currently loaded, but given I've yet to like anything by Urbont, I suspect this'll be a disappointment.
This score was nominated for an Emmy (the second and final one for the series). The other competition that year:
"Roots"
Episode: "Part 1"
Composers: Quincy Jones and Gerald Fried
(WINNER)
"Captains and the Kings"
Episode: "Chapter 8"
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
"Police Story"
Episode: "Monster Manor"
Composer: Dick DeBenedictis
"Roots"
Episode: "Part 8"
Composer: Gerald Fried
Can somebody in charge move my thread to General Discussion? I posted it in the wrong section by accident.
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All new links.
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Can somebody in charge move my thread to General Discussion? I posted it in the wrong section by accident.
As there are less than 10 posts in this thread, it would only take a few minutes to paste and copy this thread post-by-post into a new thread in General, then request this thread be locked.
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