 |
| David Schecter with the late, great Julie Adams |
Music can make or break a film. It can set mood, create tension, tug on your heartstrings. And in a monster movie, the music really needs to heighten the excitement, the mystery, the fear factor. Some of the greatest film scores around can be found in the sci-fi and monster films of the 1950s. In this episode we talk with writer, film music historian and soundtrack producer David Schecter, owner of Monstrous Movie Music, about some of the most memorable genre soundtracks of the 50s and beyond. We learn from David how he got access to many missing film scores and re-recorded them with a full symphony. Some of the soundtracks Monstrous Movie Music has reproduced include Creature from the Black Lagoon, This Island Earth, Mighty Joe Young, It! Terror from Beyond Space, and dozens more. But that's not all! David also discusses his experiences with some of the stars of those films, like the wonderful Julie Adams from Creature from the Black Lagoon, Colleen Gray from The Leech Woman, and Joyce Meadows from The Brain from Planet Arous.
If you'd like to get some of these soundtracks for yourself, head on over to David's site and purchase a few, and experience the thrill of listening to this wonderful music outside of the films! For the Sensor Sweep this time, David made us aware of some new BluRay releases from SHOUT! Factory that he has done some commentary on - films like Tarantula, The Alligator People, The Land Unknown, The Strange Door, and others! Click HERE for info.
That's it for us this time. Let us know about your favorite sci-fi film music, either here, or at our other two hideouts:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast
Thanks for Listening!
This episode was a lot of fun! I’ve collected soundtracks for years and it’s always nice to be able to discuss that aspect of films. Hope everyone enjoys this adventure!
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed a fun, and informative episode - that's back-to-back episodes with really interesting guests.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I have to say I was a bit amused, and also a bit surprised, by David's account of how the Polish musicians didn't know Mancini by name but were aware of his work when he played something for them. Since I've been living in Europe, in a formerly socialist country (Croatia), since the early 1990s, I have to say that my experience has usually been the opposite. People here often tend to know the names of artists, like composers, other musicians, film directors (especially!), writers and, say, comics creators from the US or anywhere else better than most Americans. An example that comes to mind is writer and poet Charles Bukowski - the first time I heard of him was when I first visited Zagreb in 1990, when I found out he was a pretty popular American writer among college students here. They were surprised I, nor any of the other Americans I was with (some of them grad students) didn't even know who he was (I've since read a bunch of his books, so I've rectified that failing).
Anyway, sorry for the digression. Keep up the good work, crew. I'm guessing that - since we've now covered motion picture special effects and music/scores - the next episode will cover cinematic photography, or maybe editing. Don't disappoint me, folks :P.
-Edo Bosnar
Don't hold your breath on the cinematography or editing episode, Edo! But music is near and dear to all our hearts and since we had met David before this episode seemed like a natural. I love listening to soundtracks when I am working or driving, heck, just about any time. It's fun to listen to some of these old monster films and see how other movies may have recycled the themes too. Glad you enjoyed this one and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete