All scores this season are credited to Arthur Morton.
The catchy theme is by Jerry Goldsmith, who was under contract by another studio, so he snuck in quietly and did the theme and let Michael Hennagin take the credit. There is no shortage of website still erroneously claiming "Michael Hennagin" is just a name Goldsmith used and are apparently unaware he was a real person.
I'll leave it to Yavar to let us know about Jerry Goldsmith involvement outside the theme. All I can say is a website that no longer exists, listed three episodes in season one by composers who aren't' credited, so I'll double back and do those when done with this season. And I recall Yavar mention in passing it turns out Jerry did some score (I presume some original stuff to be tracked as needed).
Somebody (not credited) re-recorded the opening and closing credits, adding a beat to the end credits and making minor changes. Based on IMDb and ASCAP, I assume it was Arthur.
2:34 in. And that short dramatic bit after the commercial break.
11:23 in.
14:26 in. Joining a cue already in progress. And after the commercial break (goes on for a few minutes).
In terms of orchestration and some writing ideas, I can hear Jerry here and there; I think Arthur Morton had more than a passing affect on Jerry's writing (assuming, like Hennagin -- according to the old FSM article -- he did more and ghostwrote cues on scores).
That's it for today. Tomorrow I will probably finish the series.
Oh, neat! I'm glad to discover that this series did actually have some good music written for it! I only watched the pilot episode (to see if Jerry had scored it, because Jerry Goldsmith Online's TV credits page claimed he did). Jens and I both concluded that Jerry had nothing at all to do with the pilot score because it sounded nothing like him, didn't use his theme, and was on the whole very nondescript music.
Season one has no composers credited.
We had suspected it was scored with a music library or something. If you do listen through any of season 1, I'd be curious to know about musical highlights because there were literally none worth pointing out in the pilot episode, IMO.
The catchy theme is by Jerry Goldsmith, who was under contract by another studio, so he snuck in quietly and did the theme and let Michael Hennagin take the credit. There is no shortage of website still erroneously claiming "Michael Hennagin" is just a name Goldsmith used and are apparently unaware he was a real person.
Michael Hennagin certainly *was* a real person, and Jerry certainly *was* aware...because Hennagin was not only a fellow composer but also his brother-in-law, at the time! Here is the Goldsmith Odyssey episode where we discussed Black Saddle and these details... http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/735335-episode-8-fifties-roundup
I would highly recommend you check out that interview if you haven't, to explore more TV credits that might be worth investigating on your part!
Michael Hennagin's attempt at a Hollywood career in the late 50s and early 60s was fairly short-lived, though he had a few credits including supplying a few cues to an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. This is why Jerry Goldsmith is sometimes erroneously credited with an additional VttBotS episode in addition to "Jonah and the Whale" even though he had nothing to do with it; some people assumed that J. Michael Hennagin was a pseudonym for Jerry because of the Black Saddle theme.
I'll leave it to Yavar to let us know about Jerry Goldsmith involvement outside the theme. All I can say is a website that no longer exists, listed three episodes in season one by composers who aren't' credited, so I'll double back and do those when done with this season. And I recall Yavar mention in passing it turns out Jerry did some score (I presume some original stuff to be tracked as needed).
Not to my knowledge, though I'll be checking out the cue highlights you pointed out to see if anything strikes me as being written by Jerry. But in the Burlingame interview, he didn't take credit for doing anything besides the theme itself.
Somebody (not credited) re-recorded the opening and closing credits, adding a beat to the end credits and making minor changes. Based on IMDb and ASCAP, I assume it was Arthur.
THIS is interesting, if you're saying the second season of the show has a new and different arrangement of the theme than the first season. I wish we'd known that before our podcast and might have played that other version! Of course, as it is, we already played three versions (the original from the pilot episode, a later Herschel Burke Gilbert cover on the Dick Powell Presents LP, and finally a surf rock cover from The Revelairs in 1964). There are at least two other cover versions we did not play on that podcast, one of which is available on CD here (this album twofer also includes the cover version of The Lineup which we *did* play on the podcast): https://www.amazon.com/Impact-Double-BUDDY-MORROW/dp/B00005LZPB And the other of which has only been on LP, with Bud Wattles & His Orchestra: https://www.discogs.com/Bud-Wattles-His-Orchestra-Themes-From-The-Hip/release/6159649
I'd be really curious to hear what the latter sounds like, if anyone has a copy of that LP... mail (at) goldsmithodyssey (dot) com.
Amazing how many times this theme was covered in the five years following its composition, especially considering it wasn't even credited to its composer initially and was written for a show that only lasted two seasons! Kinda seems like, judging from the (at least) four cover versions it received, THIS was Jerry's first hit TV theme, pre-dating Dr. Kildare.
Yavar: THIS is interesting, if you're saying the second season of the show has a new and different arrangement of the theme than the first season.
I compared the opening themes just now and I don't hear anything different, however the end credits sounds re-recorded and every so slightly different.
The following episodes may, I stress MAY contain original score by the composer listed under each. And/or it may be tracked with material by the composer.
I think my source was an old copyright website which doesn't appear to be online anymore.
William Loose. (also listed, at BMI, with Jack Cookerly and Emil Cadkin; another entyr with John Seely)
Fred Steiner.
Herschel Gilbert Burke. (created as a music supervisor on season two, so I suspect he ghostwrote stuff)
Jimmie Haskell.
Rudy Schrager.
Jerry Goldsmith. (created with Arthur Morton for "cues" on ASCAP, but I suspect that's just Morton using Jerry's theme, which is the way ASCAP lists things sometimes; listed separately for background cues on BMI)
Raoul Kraishaar.
Walter Sheets.
Leigh Stevens.
Harry Green.
Jack Shaindlin.
Roger Roger. Roger that.
Geroge Hormel, II.
Joseph Mullendore.
Harry Bluestone. (listed with Emil Cadkin)
Other Threads I Have Created or Commented in About TV Scores:
Justin, if any of these highlight cues in particular stood out to you as likely Goldsmith compositions, please let me know which ASAP. In particular any that might have adapted his series theme. Working on a podcast which we are planning to record Thursday evening.
You left off the rest of that paragraph. I was implying something else.
That Jerry influenced Morton, or vice-versa I guess. Yeah, that doesn't seem that likely to me. Goldsmith already had a pretty developed style by that point IMO.
I’m having a really hard time finding this episode anywhere to view and I’d really like to see it if possible because some important things happen in it, and it’s also the first episode of the second season when as you noted music credits began. If you notice it turn up again online, would you point me in the right direction?
By the way I’ve now seen the entire first season of the show (overall I really like it) and can confirm no music credits on any episode of it, while the second season credits Herschel Burke Gilbert for musical direction (he probably conducted) and Arthur Morton as composer. The second season definitely also has a new end credits arrangement of the theme (for season 1 it was basically a longer version of the short opening credits arrangement).
And while score cues (probably from a pre-existing generic music library rather than written for the show, since I noticed weird edits and such...but I must confess never noticed a cue being re-used, so I applaud whoever did the tracking) from season one *never* include Goldsmith’s main theme, I can now confirm that some cues in season 2 absolutely DO! I’ve confirmed this for the very important “origin story” episode, S02E02 (“The Saddle”) and would like to see if the first episode of the season has it too, if I can find a copy to watch. I think season 2 may use a music library too, but one written specifically for the show by Morton. The music is noticeably better and less generic than season 1’s music. Sometimes I even think it is written to picture, though that would be unusual for the era, at least for more than a few episodes in the season.
Thanks Justin! So interestingly, Goldsmith’s theme does appear once in the very first episode of season 2 — around the 13 minute mark. It does not reappear at the very end of the episode, as it does for the next two episodes in the season (both of which also have mid-episode to-commercial instances of the theme as well).
6:31 in. There's that theme from season two again.
I hear these two (though the timings are a bit off) as similar, but they don't sound like season 2 music to me; I just finished watching season 2 but maybe you could point out its appearance in a season 2 episode for me Justin?
Also, Jerry definitely didn't contribute any cues in season 1. Nothing remotely sounds like him outside the main and end titles. There's a cue or two in season 2 which sounds like it *might* be him.
The only plan I have to go back through the episodes, is some undefined time down the road to possibly make a suite or two, other than that, I won't be taking the time. This is bottom of the barrel material for me.
Here is the Goldsmith Odyssey episode where we discussed Black Saddle and these details...