FILM SCORES
In the 1940s, JEROME MOROSS began to work in Hollywood, California, where he would compose the music scores for sixteen films from 1948 to 1969.
He composed the score for the World War II drama The Sharkfighters. The score is distinctive in its use of ethnic themes featuring syncopation and percussion instruments that stress the ostinato rhythm that soon became the signature style element of his scores for many westerns.
His best-known film score is that for the 1958 movie The Big Country, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
THE BIG COUNTRY
The Big Country is a 1958 American epic Western film directed by William Wyler, starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives. The supporting cast features Charles Bickford and Chuck Connors. Filmed in Technicolor and Technirama, the picture was based on the serialized magazine novel Ambush at Blanco Canyon by Donald Hamilton and was co-produced by Wyler and Peck. The opening title sequence was created by Saul Bass.
The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for the musical score, composed by Jerome Moross.
THE CARDINAL
The Cardinal is a 1963 American drama film produced independently, directed by Otto Preminger and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel of the same name (1950) by Henry Morton Robinson. The music score was written by Jerome Moross.
The film’s cast features Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider and John Huston, and it was nominated for six Academy Awards. It marks the final appearance by veteran film star Dorothy Gish as well as the last big-screen performance of Maggie McNamara.
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
Mark Twain, the nom de plume of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, America’s greatest humorist, was born nearly 190 years ago. His wisdom applies as much today as then. He said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Perhaps his most famous fiction is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A classic, the novel was made into movies numerous times. The 1960 version starred young Eddie Hodges as Huck and professional boxer, Archie Moore as Jim. Tony Randall also appeared in the film (and received top billing), and Buster Keaton had a bit role in what proved to be his final film for MGM his former studio.
FORGET ME NOT
Lyrics by JOE GIORDANO
Sung by LEE DOUGHERTY
Music performed by HARRY WEINSTORCK, violin, HARRY GLICKMAN, violin, HARRY ZARATZIAN, viola, CARL ZIEGLER, cello, PHIL FRADKIN, piano
Forget Me Not is a short film written and produced by Joe Giordano in 1964. Unfortunately, it was never distributed. The opening theme titled Someday became the basis for a Moross chamber work, Quintet for Piano and Strings. The opening song was published under the title Someday and was originally recorded by Marilyn Maye. It later was sung by Broadway star, Alice Ripley, for the PS Classics album Windflowers.
The film is a love story without dialogue. It tells about a widower planning to visit his wife’s grave. He wants to place a spray of flowers at her headstone but runs into various difficulties putting them there. In the end he collects his bouquet and expresses his devotion to the memory of his long lost love. e
COMPLETE FILM SCORE WORKS