Max Steiner: new book

[Alan Howe]

I see with interest that a new book has been published on Max Steiner:
https://www.prestomusic.com/books/products/8690250--music-by-max-steiner

[adriano]

Oh great! Thanks for this news, Alan!
Steven C. Smith is also the author of a reference biography of Bernard Herrmann.

[MartinH]

Fantastic! Love his music. Just watched Treasure of the Sierra Madre last night. I knew a guy who knew "Maxie" well when he was working in Hollywood. Maybe now I can verify some his funny stories.

[sdtom]

I'm sure I will get a copy. His greatest work "Gone With The Wind" won nothing in Hollywood because of "Wizard of Oz" in 1939. My all-time favorite work was the very first score written for symphony orchestra specifically for the film "King Kong" which stands head and shoulders above others even today. Wall to wall music. Written for RKO not Warner Bros. where he eventually worked on staff with another famous composer who is?

[adriano]

You are fully right sdtom :-)
I like the music of "King Kong" very much too; it's actualy my favourite Steiner score even though it contains some cheaper mickey-mousing passages...
William Stromberg's CD is simply splendid. I once also had that Entr'Acte LP containing a shorter selection exellently conducted by Fred Steiner...
"Gone With the Wind" is not my favourite...
Those 2 Max Steiner RCA anthology LPs by Charles Gerhardt of 1973 are very important! Fortunately they have been reissued on CD.

[sdtom]

So no one knows who the other composer WB had. It was none other than E. Korngold who wrote Robin Hood (Oscar), Anthony Adverse (Oscar), Sea Hawk, Deception, Juarez, Captain Blood, Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Kings Row, Sea Wolf, and others. My favorite is Robin Hood which is ranked at #11 of all-time movie scores. His classical music followed and he has become famous for his work. I might be weak in my classical music area but I know the Hollywood composers as well as anyone.

I agree with Adriano about Gone With The Wind. Steiner was at his best in King Kong. Stromberg was top notch. Did you know that Waxman wrote a score to it also? To be able to hear this. Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a classic. I heard Rene Zellweger sing it in Judy, brought tears to my eyes. Highly recommend the movie, another Oscar winner.
Tom

[CelesteCadenza]

At the risk of veering off topic, an interesting program on the 'Wizard of Oz' - including the music - aired on US radio in 2005 and is archived (with audio downloadable) here: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/studio/episodes/american-icons-wizard-oz

[Alan Howe]

Welcome back, John!

[Mark Thomas]

Abso-flippin'-lutely.

[sdtom]

The Oscars are divided into two parts. The best song and the original music material. You can read about this if you wish.
https://www.filmsite.org/aa39.html
Herbert Stothart won that year over Max Steiner.
Interesting is the nomination of Aaron Copland Of Mice and Men. He did do films and won years later for The Heiress.

[MartinH]

And ironically, Stothart was begging to be allowed to score GWTW. His score for The Wizard of Oz is great, but a) it's derived largely from the Arlen tunes and b) heavily borrow from Schumann, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky. Steiner's GWTW's only borrowing that I am aware of is the clever hints of Dixie. Excellent concert suites of the Steiner have been put together, but the Stothart hasn't been - the Oz suites I know are all collections of the songs - that Stothart didn't write.

Just finished the Steiner bio last night - excellent in every way. Long overdue but I'm sure glad it got done. Now we need one on Waxman.

[sdtom]

Well Martin we need to get to work on it. Rebecca and Sunset Blvd are really great material. I like his Bride of Frankenstein also.

[MartinH]

Peyton Place is one of my absolute favorite soundtracks. John Waxman is still out there, fortunately making a lot his father's music available. He may not be interested in writing a bio, but there's got to be someone.

[sdtom]

What do you have in the way of Waxman recordings?

[Alan Howe]

We're getting off-topic here. If you wish to discuss Waxman, please start a new thread.