The Goldsmith Odyssey

Presenting an important campaign announcement from The Goldsmith Odyssey.

To vote in Intrada's new Kickstarter poll, go directly to this thread. If you haven't already signed up for their forum, you'll need to register. Even if you're already registered to purchase items from Intrada's store (store.intrada.com), a separate registration is required for the forum. To complete the process, you'll need the answer to their security question about their first release from 1985 (it's “Red Dawn”). You should then receive a confirmation e-mail allowing you to complete your registration (the e-mail should arrive instantaneously, so check your spam folder if you don't see it right away). When you're all done, head to the forum and cast your vote! Feel free to vote your conscience, which we assume will tell you to vote for Jerry Goldsmith.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Supported by the invaluable aid and research of returning guest W. David Lichty, your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark offer the first installment of a two-part examination into Jerry Goldsmith's contributions to the vast CBS Music Library, which featured a diverse array of fully orchestral cues that would ultimately be used on a wide variety of CBS television programs, including The Twilight Zone. In this episode, we explore all of the original library cues featured on Prometheus's Jerry Goldsmith: The Early Years Volume One album, plus a sampling of additional library cues that will be brand new to most Goldsmith fans. Be sure to stay tuned for our follow-up episode, which will offer a host of rarely-heard Goldsmith material. Grab your library card and join us for a journey into the archives! 

The Work: Jerry Goldsmith: The Early Years, Volume 1 (at Screen Archives), The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series (at Amazon).

David’s Bibliography:

Ron Burbella supplied us with his CBS EZ CUE disc and index (discussed in this Film Score Monthly thread) and with his TransWorld 78s (discussed in this Film Score Monthly thread).

Martin Grams Jr. wrote The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. This gave names and running times for all of the tracks used in each episode. Note his excellent coverage of "To Serve Man" in his sample section.

Dan Hollis supplied the time locations for all of the cues used in each Twilight Zone episode via his thread at Twilight Zone Cafe -> Twilight Zone, Etc. -> Classic Twilight Zone -> Musical Cues.

Bill Wrobel documented the mass of CBS Music Library stuff donated to UCLA, giving us a little more info on the tracks we’ve acquired. Even more helpful info was found in his piece "Television Works of Bernard Herrmann." You can find some of the TransWorld tracks used in the show on his YouTube channel.

Despite being uncredited, Gene Feldman supervised the Twilight Zone scores for all five seasons. Twilight Zone isn’t listed for him on IMDb, but Grams Jr.'s book may explain why, and Bill Wrobel's research seems to confirm that he was CBS’s guy for this process.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Another episode, another special guest: Friend of the show and Goldsmith archivist extraordinaire W. David Lichty joins your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark for an examination of "Saturday Night in Santa Monica", the unaired television pilot for Man on the Beach, starring Gavin MacLeod as an eccentric private investigator. While gritting our teeth and playfully dissecting the pilot's truly dreadful writing, directing, and acting, we also explore its jazzy, energetic Goldsmith score (which Goldsmith fans may know as "Jazz Theme #1" from various Twilight Zone albums). As a bonus, we also take a look at Goldsmith's spare, jazz-tinged music written for the Studio One in Hollywood episode "The Fair-Haired Boy" (featured on the Twilight Zone albums as "Jazz Theme #2"). Grab your scuba gear and dive in!

The Work: Twilight Zone: The 40th Anniversary Collection (at Discogs)

In Depth: Dan Hollis' breakdown of Twilight Zone library cues (Twilight Zone Cafe)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Portrait of a film music expert: John Takis, a talented writer known for his exceptional liner notes and informative blog posts. John has been invited to be the very first guest on a podcast known as The Goldsmith Odyssey. He knows that he will be asked to offer his thoughts on the virtues of film composer Jerry Goldsmith. He knows that he is expected to offer commentary on the classic television episodes "Nightmare as a Child" and "Nervous Man in a Four-Dollar Room." However, what he doesn’t know is that program hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark have lured him into their lengthiest episode yet, requiring John to conjure mass quantities of dazzling insight. John Takis: a film music expert taking a two-hour journey… into The Twilight Zone.

The Work: The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series (at Amazon), Twilight Zone: The 40th Anniversary Collection (at Discogs)

In Depth: John Takis's blog, Jerry Goldsmith interviewed by Jon Burlingame for the Archive of American Television (May 8th, 2002), The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams Jr. (at Amazon), A Dimension of Sound: Music in the Twilight Zone by Reba Wissner (at Amazon)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Submitted for your approval: a voyage of musical discovery, critical analysis, and profound mystery. These three men – Jens, Yavar, and Clark – are entirely ordinary in every way but one: their odd obsession with the music of a film composer named Jerry Goldsmith. Crossing the threshold into a new era, they explore two classic episodes of television: “The Four of Us Are Dying” (which features a dynamic, off-kilter jazz score) and “The Big Tall Wish” (which offers up impressively structured musical melancholy). These men analyze the music and the episodes that music accompanies, offering commentary you may find alternately playful and earnest. Now witness if you will three unsuspecting music lovers taking their first steps into The Twilight Zone.

The Work: The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series (at Amazon), Twilight Zone: The 40th Anniversary Collection (at Discogs)

In Depth: The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams Jr. (at Amazon), A Dimension of Sound: Music in the Twilight Zone by Reba Wissner (at Amazon)

Also in the Show: MeTV Perry Mason / Twilight Zone TV promo spot, Television Themes: 16 Most Requested Songs (at Discogs)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

The day has finally arrived. At long last, we have reached the end... of the 1950s, thus concluding the brief prologue to this obscenely lengthy podcast journey. On this episode, your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark gather up odds n' ends from the decade: an exploration of the Climax! episode “Trail of Terror” (featuring a suspenseful Goldsmith score highlighted by a lovely, reflective melody), a MIDI reconstruction of Goldsmith's dynamic score for the Civil War-themed Playhouse 90 episode “The Tunnel,” two strikingly different (yet equally impressive) scores written for the '50s cop drama The Lineup, and multiple versions of Goldsmith's instantly catchy Black Saddle theme. Finally, we take a few moments to reflect on the highlights of the material we've covered thus far. It's a musical feast... but save room, because we'll be stuffing one more surprise into the mix. Take a seat and gobble it up!

The Work: Playhouse 90: The Tunnel (Midi Reconstruction), Jerry Goldsmith: The Early Years, Volume 1 (at Screen Archives), Impact / Double Impact: Orchestra Under the Direction of Buddy Morrow (at Amazon), Dick Powell Presents Themes From the Original Soundtrack of Four Star Television Productions, Rare Surf Volume 2 - The South Bay Bands

In Depth: Jerry Goldsmith interviewed by Jon Burlingame for the Archive of American Television (May 8th, 2002)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

In our first side episode, Jens listens to an anime score and makes a discovery. The result is a forum post in podcast form.

Intro music from Ginga Kikoutai: Majestic Prince by Toshiyuki Watanabe.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

In this episode, we take a look at two half-hour TV rarities from the late 1950s. First up, your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark (aka "Goldsmith's Bad Boys") head into cutesy family sitcom territory with "Lips That Touch Lipstick", a Goldsmith-scored episode of the short-lived series Peck's Bad Girl. Afterwards, they explore something a bit more dramatic: the unaired pilot of the cop drama The Sergeant and the Lady. Comedy and drama, playful melodies and aggressive jazz scoring, thoughtful analysis and goofy moments — suffice it to say this episode has a bit of something for everyone. All the other kids at school are listening, so you probably should, too.

The Work: Rare TV Comedy: Beulah / The Ruggles / Behind The Scenes / Peck's Bad Girl

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In this episode, we jump ahead to early 1960 to examine another installment of the 90-minute CBS anthology series Playhouse 90: famed playright Horton Foote’s adaptation of William Faulkner’s short story "Tomorrow." Your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark discuss the teleplay’s strengths and weaknesses abridging Faulkner for the small screen, and its economical but subtly effective, poignant Jerry Goldsmith score. We discover unique performances of the album material, unused cues, and entirely unreleased music. It’s the Podcast of the Future: Listen to "Tomorrow" Today!

The Work: Jerry Goldsmith: The Early Years, Volume 1 (at Screen Archives)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

In this episode, we take a look at "A Marriage of Strangers," an installment of the 90-minute CBS anthology series Playhouse 90. Your humble hosts Jens, Yavar, and Clark discuss the unique nature of this series, the teleplay's struggle to create a persuasively authentic portrait of a marriage, the challenges of writing music for live television, and – of course – the tender Jerry Goldsmith score. Offering a pair of memorable themes (one melancholy, one romantic) and some moments of surprising tension, "A Marriage of Strangers" is the longest Goldsmith score we've covered to date. Additionally, we dip into the mailbag and briefly discuss a bit of listener feedback. Put this episode around your finger and join us!

The Work: Jerry Goldsmith: The Early Years, Volume 1 (at Screen Archives)

In Depth: Jerry Goldsmith interviewed by Jon Burlingame for the Archive of American Television (May 8th, 2002)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].