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REVIVAL ATTEMPT:
In 1992 a pilot was made in an attempt to revive the series.
"Back to the Streets of San Francisco"
By: Patrick Williams (5:14 in: screen credit)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axe9oajEwTc
Second load: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlnx0zgGW0s
Unfortunately, I didn't realize until it was far too late, that the first load was incomplete, so I picked up in a second complete load for the rest of the score. I don't want to spend the time re-doing the time stamps.
Highlights:
0:27 in.
2:25/6:29 in.
12:20 in.
18:09 in.
30:07 in.
32:13 in.
36:58 in.
43:08 in.
45:40 in.
54:46 in.
1:00:47 in.
1:10:35 in.
1:16:04 in.
1:19:53 in.
Second load:
1:43:39 in. About six minutes long.
1:53:58 in.
1:57:15 in. Goddamn that "Stop the music!".
The score is a mixed bag. While some tracks are enjoyable, most of it is just standard and a release of just the revival pilot score would not be something I'd pick up. The scoring barely has anything that is faithful to the scoring of the original series. There's way too much synth, even the second half climax cue is made of cheap synths that just ruins it. This was dated back when it was made. The only thing I can say: So many TV movies after the ending of a TV series, seem to get handed to a certain group of go-to TV movie composers, but at least here they went with a series original composer.
The revival pilot is a mixed bag, too. Sometimes it's like the show, other times it looks and feels like a cheap 1990's TV movie.
It brings back one of the main two leads, but kills off the other main lead, which we only get to see in a flashback -- and he doesn't even speak.
This revival pilot just didn't need to exist, in my opinion. It felt like a hollow attempt to bring back the original leads but introduces new ones that could take over an attempted revival series.
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REAMKE:
In 2008 CBS announced a remake pilot was being done.
Robert Port and screenwriter Sheldon Turner were writing the pilot and Simon West was going to direct it. At the time West appears to have had no composer of choice, though he had dipped into the Zimmer clone pool a few times, so it's likely one of them would have gotten it.
Port, West and Jib Polhemus would be executive producers.
Information is scarce; all I could find were announcement pages on websites and then no further news. I assume no pilot was shot. If anybody knows any better, tell me.
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Dya mean this one Graham?* (crossover chat from another thread...it's okay...we're almost psychic...like two weird psychic twins).
I'm gonna play it again now...and probably repeat myself with my fin-dings.
*I wanna know what you think of the 2nd half of Track 22 / Disc 2? (So, So Cool).
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Yes, the Tower Beyond Tragedy score arrives at just the right time of CD1 to change the mood and style of the music that has come before it.
And agreed, parts of it do sound like a Columbo episode, via that cool little classical piano theme.
My "Track 22" cormorant shall have to wait until I get around to hearing it again, Kev. I must follow my sysyem. It's due to come around again mid-June.
Regarding the classical piano theme you mention, I think it may have been modeled on the End Titles of Legrand's THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR...
More thoughts next month.
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Well Mister Kevin, despite May not being next month, I felt like experimenting with astrology and moon cycles, and put on Track 22 from Disc 2 of this thing you name. My body wasn't prepared for it - the magnetic poles were not in my favo(u)r - but I digested it without engaging in it in a carnal way.
So is that the one that goes all kind of out-of-tune piano in the second half, a bit like WAIT UNTIL DARK? If so, I thought it was good, but "soooooo coooool" I feel is a bit much. Anyway, whilst menstruating, I heard the rest of those scores on Disc 2 (except the one for "A Man Called Sloane" - that's getting nauseatingly close to the traumatic '80s for me), and I was reminded of how largely sombre in tone the San Fran scores are. More akin to what could have been written for the ABC Movie of the Week, be it about witches, warlocks, wizards or whatever. Quite low key, but expertly done. I don't think the ones I heard last night went way beyond the merely functional (I was told to "turn that bloody telly down" again, you know, my mom banging on the floor from upstairs), but the whole thing does deserve more spins. When its time comes around. All in due course.
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Ahhhhh Graham, you should never rush it.
You're doing it all wrong.
Yes, it's only a short burst of de-tuned (?) piano but I absolutely love it.
I'm not familiar with WAIT UNTIL DARK.
That's Henry Mancini being dark and dramatic, isn't it?
Do I need to check it out if I love that bonkers piano bit?
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Posted: |
May 23, 2021 - 7:55 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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And so it came to pass that THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO appeared in the astrology chart, and thus I was forced to listen to it, but only the pilot score. I must not rush these things and go against the interstellar vibraphones.
This is such a great listen. Copying my ideas from the liner notes I believe that this pilot score is the one that uses variations on the archiconocido tema most, out of all the scores represented. I got a lorra lorra pleasure listening to this again. It's just a joy to listen to. It might not be the most significant heavyweight music ever written in the history of the universe, but I like it immensely, and for me, selfishly, that is sufficient. It reminded me of going into Glasgow on the train in 1978, picking up a bunch of LPs by J.J. Johnson, Charles Fox, Artie Butler, Gene Page, Donald Byrd, Galt MacDermot and Patrick Williams (ha!), getting home, putting them on the turntable and just enjoying every minute of them because they were for films. Funky bits, moody bits, jazzy bits, misterioso telly bits, it's all here - and the skill of Pat Williams as composer (and arranger - these little bent pitch touches and brass combinations are full of personality) is evident.
I remember from about two weeks ago that the scores get moodier and darker as the set progresses. I wonder if I can put on "The Thirty Year Pin" now, or if I have to wash the stairs.
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You have no right even existing Kev (never mind posting your half-baked opinions of Jerry Goldsmith), if you don't have WAIT UNTIL DARK.
Just thought I’d chime in to say that for me Wait Until Dark is Mancini’s most brilliant film score, adding so much to the excellent film. You really must check it out Kev.
Yavar
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Posted: |
May 24, 2021 - 3:42 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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And so it came to pass (once more) that, despite my good intentions of listening to and digesting each score as a separate entity (after my happy re-encounter with my 1978 self when listening to the pilot score), that I forged ahead with the rest of Disc 1 without pause. It was too enjoyable. I was too hooked. And thus it has clouded my vision of how to convey my joy by referring to specific episode scores. But I shall try. I'm bound to get some details mixed up though. Perhaps on the twentieth listen my rabbit shall emerge beautifully formed. But for now, you get the following -
"The Thirty Year Pin" is probably the wacka-wacka wackiest (in the good sense of the word) score on the set. But there's a lot of great dramatic touches behind it all. "Tower Beyond Tragedy" is the one which has the classical-based piano theme at its centre, which I previously mentioned had reminded me of Legrand's End Titles for THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, and others said Columbo. Perhaps both. "In the Midst of Strangers" is moody and groovy at the same time, "Bitter Wine" has some really spectacular and beautiful sounds to it, and "Act of Duty" goes into very dark and tumultuous aural territory.
I do realise that writing the above was a waste of time. I couldn't separate the scores in my head. I could yesterday but not today. What I can say is that, without remembering the content of Disc 2, this is turning out to be the nearest we might get to anything approaching an "ABC Movie of the Week" box set, with scores by Patrick Williams, Robert Drasnin, Duane Tatro, Billy Byers, Bernardo Segall etc etc etc. And there's a LOT of material which deviates from trying to recreate Karl Malden and Michael Douglas running around San Fran. Much of it could be from a supernatural drama, or any TV Movie thriller of that decade. One part of one of the scores reminded me of David Shire. I was thinking of FAREWELL MY LOVELY (not the Main Theme but one of the action pieces on that) then I realised that I was actually thinking of INCIDENT IN SAN FRANCISCO (curiously), which I thought was by Shire but, upon checking, was actually by... Pat Williams.
Top-quality scoring throughout. I wish I could really identify a "Patrick Williams sound", but I can't yet. Maybe I ought to listen to some of his jazz albums to find out his musical signature(s).
I apologise for the above malformed rabbit, and can't guarantee that the next one will be any better. It certainly won't be as enjoyable reading for you poor sods as the CDs are for listening. And with that incomprehensible sentence I shall sign off for now.
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