Raksin's theme was so popular that Johnny Mercer added lyrics in 1945. The song "Laura" was been covered by dozens of artists from Duke Ellington to Johnny Mathis to Carly Simon. I always liked the rendention by Matt Monro (the "British Frank Sinatra").
Of course, Raksin did much more than just write the music for Laura. He worked regularly in film and then television for four decades. His film scores include: Whirlpool (with Preminger and Gene Tierney again), the TV series Ben Casey, and The Bad and the Beautiful (the theme is also known as "Love Is for the Very Young"). He earned Oscar nominations for his scores for Forever Amber and Separate Tables. One of his first Hollywood jobs was arranging the music for Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times.
Later in life, David Raksin taught at USC and UCLA. He died in 2004.
Great composer pick, Rick. He did so many types of music in different movie and TV genres. Of course Laura is his masterpiece. And I have always thought his score for Forever Amber was simply beautiful. I remember very well his music for Ben Casey, and also Medical Center. I watched those TV shows all the time, and those themes are still in my brain register! Very interesting composer.
ReplyDeleteGood post Rick! BTW, Raskin recorded suites for Laura, The Bad and the Beautiful and Forever Amber. It's available at Arkiv Music under their Arkiv selections.
ReplyDeleteA great composer, David Raksin, will always be remembered for his uniquely atmospheric scores.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if Raskin hadn't written anything else, he'd be remembered for LAURA. A terrific film with a great score.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
I have always loved this exquisite, romantic score of "Laura." Thanks for bringing Raksin's masterpiece and other works to our attention, Rick. What a joy to listen to as I write!
ReplyDeleteRick, the theme he created for Laura was wonderful--and it played an integral part in the picture itself. That's when you know your music is powerful.
ReplyDelete