A popular folksy BBC radio serial originally called "Mrs Dales Diary" that was rebooted on 26.2.62 as "The Dales" to fit in with times that were definitely a'changing. It gained a new Grainer signature tune first broadcast 20.1.64 [See write up BBC Genome Radio Times Light Programe Feb 15 1964] Link to Wikipedia article "Mrs Dales Diary"
NOTHING BUT THE BEST [10.03.64]
A quietly subversive black comedy about a ruthless social climber. Alan Bates is the main character. Unlike his role in "A Kind Of Loving" where he played a basically decent person learning to settle down to the demands of an adult relationship here he is an "ambitious charming and totally immoral" young man who kills his mentor - a high school dropout literally strangled by the old school tie - then marries the victims well connected sister then frames his complicit landlady / lover for the murder.
The opening credits song, lyrics by Fredrick Raphael, music by Grainer, has vocals by "That Was The Week That Was" mainstay Millicent Martin but for some reason she approached it in full Shirley Bassey "Goldfinger" mode. Maybe that was deliberate as there are a lot of "in jokes" in this film and the TW3 attitude is quite evident in the plot and dialogue.
Millicent has a co-starring role while Grainer's lively underscore takes great delight in mocking musical symbols of the establishment especially marches. One upper class twits dance scene has an hilarious round of conversation fragments that show up the guests trivial concerns and attitudes. These include a passing reference to satirist Tom Lehrer's notorious STD song "I Got It From Agnes".
Grainer's house band [in more ways then one] The Eagles make a guest appearance on two Grainer written instrumentals and just in case the audience didn't recognise them a drum skin logo and a radio DJ announce their presence. "Monkey On A Stick" exchanges the Hank Marvin guitar sound for a mandolin and is all the better for it. "No Mist On The River" is quickly mixed into the background under the actors lines.
In March 1964 The Eagles released a single, "Andorra" b/w "Moonstruck", both tracks were written by Grainer and this was apparently the last project on which he and the band worked together wife Margot's intensely involved management of them having resulted in "the young ones" moving into the Grainer family home and the groups loud rehearsals forcing Ron Grainer to rent a flat elsewhere so he could get his extensive work load finished in time.
"NIGHT MUST FALL" [18.03.64]
Albert Finney plays a childish murderer in this unconvincing horror movie and if ever a "child" needed to be seen and not heard it was this one. Finney's artificial Marlon Brando channeling Richard Burton accent is very distracting while the bulk of Grainer's score is far too derivative of Bernard Herrman's "Psycho" and "Vertigo" soundtracks to be anything other then a direct rip off demanded by the producer or director to boost the box office takings.
This is a shame because when Grainer is allowed creative freedom he comes up with what is required, in this instance a tense trumpet mantra around the phrase "Night Must Fall". Unfortunately this is only noticeable during an opening murder scene and in the theatrical trailer.
The obvious talents of supporting actors Mona Washborne as the crippled yet kindly Mrs Bramson and Susan Hampshire as her wisely suspicious niece Olivia are wasted here because of Finney's relentless vocal mannerisms.
Reading the Wikipedia description of the original play solves a number of unexplained situations such as Danny's "accent" and the "crippled" old lady unexpectedly getting out of her wheel chair.
Original "Night Must Fall" play Wikipedia article
Certain aspects of the two murder scenes are mercifully kept "off camera" and it is only later that the viewer realises what has been suggested. Definitely one for Grainer's "I should not have agreed to that" list.
"THE MOON SPINNERS" [2.7.64]
An entertaining and colorful family adventure movie starring the delightfully natural acting of Haley Mills. Set and filmed in Crete the local scenery is used to its best dramatic advantage while local mandolin and accordion folk music is woven seamlessly into the score by Grainer.
The dance and costume opportunities of a wedding party celebration and a street festival make for some spectacular community at play activity while mystery is suggested by the fresco's on the wall of a deserted church and a broken down temple full of feral cats. An escape scene via the sails of a windmill is visually exciting.
The opening credits song was written by Terry Gilkyson.
"THE FINEST HOURS" [29.9.64]
Yet another example of how Grainer could effortlessly switch from one emotional environment to a contrasting one in the same work year. While "Nothing But The Best" required youthful impertinence and irreverence this documentary demanded music full of heroism under fire, selfless courage and grateful patriotism and that is exactly what it was given.
The reoccurring title theme rift seems to be based on Churchill's ponderous approach to public speaking "The / Fi / Nest / Ho / Ur / S" while the 20 lessons of master class training in orchestration Grainer had with Eugene Gossens in 1961 were made full use of as the script demanded an almost constant underscore with many variations of mood and texture to hold the viewers attention for its just under two hours broadcast time.
Narrated by Orson Welles [who shared with Grainer the ability to cause a near panic with a sci fi play] and both directed and studio produced by Jack Le Vien "The Finest Hours" made much use of Grainer's knowledge of traditional and non traditional musical instruments.
For this documentary he chose a reverberating Thunder Drum "tall as a man, too heavy for even the toughest drum major to carry", a recorder, a tenor robe, an Indian tampoura, Portuguese guitars, violins, horns, cellos and trumpets". [1]
As Grainer explained in a magazine interview "For the Churchill film I had to do something subtle. Churchill was never pompous. You couldn't take the easy way out and give him something easy like Elgar, Bliss or Walton - the Crown Imperial stuff ... The film has a sense of occasion only at certain times. It's the life of only one man and no man's life - not even Churchills can be a constant parade of occasions. That's why I scored it for different sized orchestras for different sections ... we had only three days to do the actual recording." [02]
And the mental concentration needed for those sessions was fierce.
"Grainer stood stop watch in one hand, baton in the other listening through headphones to the narration and watching a reel of film, on which, in one corner, seconds were superimposed to tick away... 7,8,9,10 ... and he controlled the orchestra at one time. "Ron that theme should break in at 57 and three fifth seconds". "Sorry got it down to 59 seconds". "Ron, on a point of sync[hronisation] you come in there" "Right, it means altering a few notes. I'm going to do that now".
He jotted down the changes. He talked to the orchestra. Minims became Crochets. Crochets became Minims. The music was altering imperceptibly before our very ears. So it went on for two days. Rehearsals. Re timing. Take One. "Take it a bit sharper". "Violins up an octave". "Percussion down a bit." Take Two. "Print it". [03]
The opening credits song, lyrics by Fredrick Raphael, music by Grainer, has vocals by "That Was The Week That Was" mainstay Millicent Martin but for some reason she approached it in full Shirley Bassey "Goldfinger" mode. Maybe that was deliberate as there are a lot of "in jokes" in this film and the TW3 attitude is quite evident in the plot and dialogue.
Millicent has a co-starring role while Grainer's lively underscore takes great delight in mocking musical symbols of the establishment especially marches. One upper class twits dance scene has an hilarious round of conversation fragments that show up the guests trivial concerns and attitudes. These include a passing reference to satirist Tom Lehrer's notorious STD song "I Got It From Agnes".
Grainer's house band [in more ways then one] The Eagles make a guest appearance on two Grainer written instrumentals and just in case the audience didn't recognise them a drum skin logo and a radio DJ announce their presence. "Monkey On A Stick" exchanges the Hank Marvin guitar sound for a mandolin and is all the better for it. "No Mist On The River" is quickly mixed into the background under the actors lines.
In March 1964 The Eagles released a single, "Andorra" b/w "Moonstruck", both tracks were written by Grainer and this was apparently the last project on which he and the band worked together wife Margot's intensely involved management of them having resulted in "the young ones" moving into the Grainer family home and the groups loud rehearsals forcing Ron Grainer to rent a flat elsewhere so he could get his extensive work load finished in time.
"NIGHT MUST FALL" [18.03.64]
Albert Finney plays a childish murderer in this unconvincing horror movie and if ever a "child" needed to be seen and not heard it was this one. Finney's artificial Marlon Brando channeling Richard Burton accent is very distracting while the bulk of Grainer's score is far too derivative of Bernard Herrman's "Psycho" and "Vertigo" soundtracks to be anything other then a direct rip off demanded by the producer or director to boost the box office takings.
This is a shame because when Grainer is allowed creative freedom he comes up with what is required, in this instance a tense trumpet mantra around the phrase "Night Must Fall". Unfortunately this is only noticeable during an opening murder scene and in the theatrical trailer.
The obvious talents of supporting actors Mona Washborne as the crippled yet kindly Mrs Bramson and Susan Hampshire as her wisely suspicious niece Olivia are wasted here because of Finney's relentless vocal mannerisms.
Reading the Wikipedia description of the original play solves a number of unexplained situations such as Danny's "accent" and the "crippled" old lady unexpectedly getting out of her wheel chair.
Original "Night Must Fall" play Wikipedia article
Certain aspects of the two murder scenes are mercifully kept "off camera" and it is only later that the viewer realises what has been suggested. Definitely one for Grainer's "I should not have agreed to that" list.
"THE MOON SPINNERS" [2.7.64]
An entertaining and colorful family adventure movie starring the delightfully natural acting of Haley Mills. Set and filmed in Crete the local scenery is used to its best dramatic advantage while local mandolin and accordion folk music is woven seamlessly into the score by Grainer.
The dance and costume opportunities of a wedding party celebration and a street festival make for some spectacular community at play activity while mystery is suggested by the fresco's on the wall of a deserted church and a broken down temple full of feral cats. An escape scene via the sails of a windmill is visually exciting.
The opening credits song was written by Terry Gilkyson.
"THE FINEST HOURS" [29.9.64]
Yet another example of how Grainer could effortlessly switch from one emotional environment to a contrasting one in the same work year. While "Nothing But The Best" required youthful impertinence and irreverence this documentary demanded music full of heroism under fire, selfless courage and grateful patriotism and that is exactly what it was given.
The reoccurring title theme rift seems to be based on Churchill's ponderous approach to public speaking "The / Fi / Nest / Ho / Ur / S" while the 20 lessons of master class training in orchestration Grainer had with Eugene Gossens in 1961 were made full use of as the script demanded an almost constant underscore with many variations of mood and texture to hold the viewers attention for its just under two hours broadcast time.
Narrated by Orson Welles [who shared with Grainer the ability to cause a near panic with a sci fi play] and both directed and studio produced by Jack Le Vien "The Finest Hours" made much use of Grainer's knowledge of traditional and non traditional musical instruments.
For this documentary he chose a reverberating Thunder Drum "tall as a man, too heavy for even the toughest drum major to carry", a recorder, a tenor robe, an Indian tampoura, Portuguese guitars, violins, horns, cellos and trumpets". [1]
As Grainer explained in a magazine interview "For the Churchill film I had to do something subtle. Churchill was never pompous. You couldn't take the easy way out and give him something easy like Elgar, Bliss or Walton - the Crown Imperial stuff ... The film has a sense of occasion only at certain times. It's the life of only one man and no man's life - not even Churchills can be a constant parade of occasions. That's why I scored it for different sized orchestras for different sections ... we had only three days to do the actual recording." [02]
And the mental concentration needed for those sessions was fierce.
"Grainer stood stop watch in one hand, baton in the other listening through headphones to the narration and watching a reel of film, on which, in one corner, seconds were superimposed to tick away... 7,8,9,10 ... and he controlled the orchestra at one time. "Ron that theme should break in at 57 and three fifth seconds". "Sorry got it down to 59 seconds". "Ron, on a point of sync[hronisation] you come in there" "Right, it means altering a few notes. I'm going to do that now".
He jotted down the changes. He talked to the orchestra. Minims became Crochets. Crochets became Minims. The music was altering imperceptibly before our very ears. So it went on for two days. Rehearsals. Re timing. Take One. "Take it a bit sharper". "Violins up an octave". "Percussion down a bit." Take Two. "Print it". [03]
A newspaper article described highlights of the resultant soundtrack
"For Churchill of course there is a march - played lightly at first on fife and drums for boyhood, then bursting into full vigour to greet the film's title, plaintive in a minor key at Dunkirk, richly triumphant for the victorious moments. But although this is the main theme tune there are many others.
A gay old fashioned waltz greets the ballroom at Bjenhelm and then, alas, is heard no more. Wagnerian whirlwinds accompany Nazi conquest, And at the fall of Paris Grainer provides a heart tugging melody for enslaved France and the famous Churchill valediction "Sleep to gather strength for the morning". [04]
"ROBERT AND ELIZABETH" [20.10.64]
A younger man courts the attention of a invalid older woman who may not be as incapacitated as she seems. No it isn't "Night Must Fall" its a feel good musical about two professional poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and how their love relationship develops despite opposition from Elizabeth's overbearing father. How Grainer managed to juggle both projects without psychic bleed through is a tribute to his abilities to concentrate on the music task immediately before him.
Producer Martin Landau's first draft was not an attractive proposition. A 500 page libretto written by an American amateur with limited show business experience it was badly in need of "cutting, reconstructing and re-writing by a profession dramatist " but the enticement of "Kings Breakfast" director Wendy Toye's involvement helped convince Playwright Ron Millar it was worth finding out if he could journey into My Fair Lady meets Janette McDonald and Nelson Eddy country without losing his way. [05]
A meeting with composer Grainer convinced Millar there was potential for a successful collaboration. Millar was most impressed when Grainer spontaneously wrote a catchy piano melody to his basic description of the shows opening scene "Here On the corner of Wimpole Street, Wimpole Street and Cavendish Square" ... "He had the period precisely" noted Millar [06]
"Grainer and I were a most unlikely couple but we never had a cross word. The man was a joy to work with. He never argued, constantly asking my opinion on the style of composition and even the detail of the music, which was a boost to my own feelings of inadequacy. The mutual understanding that developed was uncanny. Some numbers were written in twenty minutes. we decided to stay musically and lyrically as close to 1845 as possible, but not pedantically so and Grainer's score moved effortlessly via music hall to seeping ballad to operetta to the fringes of opera. Jingles? The man had genius." [07]
The musical, then known as "The Barretts And Mr Browning", was not without its share of birthing problems. "Proposed male lead Keith Michell, an Australian, was bewitched by a play he'd written about an aborigine. It took eight months and a fortune in telephone calls to Sydney to postpone his oeuvre and come with us". [08]
"June Bronhill an Australian by birth, couldn't come to England yet without running into double taxation. Her singing was matchless but the score was demanding and being trained for opera she had never played eight performances a week in an open ended run. Also Elizabeth was an acting as well as a singing role. At length it was arranged that Landau, Grainer and l [Millar] should fly to Paris meet June and set all minds at rest. June read Elizabeth's dialogue scenes to our complete satisfaction and we flew happily home, where preparations moved into top gear." [09]
Then a major hitch. Plans for a West End season in the large Her Majesty's Theatre had to be cancelled when the producer of the play then showing refused to end its run just to spite his brother who owned the theatre.
To compound the problems the Musicians Union would not allow any reduction in the size of the originally contracted 24 piece orchestra when the production went to a smaller capacity venue. Consequently one row of stall and two box seats had to be taken out reducing box office takings by a considerable amount each week. [10]
But there were some helpful twists of fate as well. After a doorman at the Midland Hotel pointed out to Millar that the shows title "sounded like a temperance lecture" it was changed to "Robert And Elizabeth" this simple action was soon followed by a notable increase in audience numbers. [11]
"On the 20th October 1964 Robert and Elizabeth opened at the Lyric theatre Shaftesbury Avenue. It was an immediate success and subsequently won the Ivor Novello award for the years best Musical ... it was still running two years later".[12]
"A highly intelligent score" - Guide To Music Theatre
"Robert And Elizabeth" Wikipedia article
Five years later playwright Ronald Millar found himself exchanging the West End for West Minister writing speeches for three subsequent English Prime Ministers; Edward Heath, Margaret - the lady's not for turning - one of his lines - Thatcher and John Major. [13]
Amongst "Robert And Elizabeths" cast of 50 was one Jenny Dodds soon to become Grainer's second wife.
"NOT SO MUCH A PROGRAM MORE A WAY OF LIFE" [BBC 13.11.64]
Apart from the return of credits theme composer Ron Grainer, producer Ned Sherrin, David Frost as host and a largely sidelined Willie Rushton this successor to "That Was The Week That Was" presented many new faces including comedian Michael Crawford yet to reveal his "Phantom of the Opera" side and Patricia Routledge yet to start "Keeping Up Appearances". [14]
Ned Sherrin later wrote in his autobiography "The other members of the TW3 cast were all branching out by now. I did not try to hang onto them" [15]
"Three nights required three singers to replace Millicent Martin who by now was appearing in the West End and everything by Lou Grade. Barbara Josephine Blake and later Anne Anne Ross did Saturdays. On Sundays Cleo Laine obliged." [16]
"Not so Much A Program" ran for 62 episodes each 45 minutes long compared with TW3's 37 x 50 minutes total. [17]
1964 References:
[01] "Churchill's March Will Go Ringing" Evening Times / Glasgow Scotland / 7.5.64 .
[02] "How Mr TV Music Works" Australian Women's Weekly 5.8.64 p9.
[03] "Churchill's March Will Go Ringing Around the World " Evening Times / Glasgow 7.5.64 .
"For Churchill of course there is a march - played lightly at first on fife and drums for boyhood, then bursting into full vigour to greet the film's title, plaintive in a minor key at Dunkirk, richly triumphant for the victorious moments. But although this is the main theme tune there are many others.
A gay old fashioned waltz greets the ballroom at Bjenhelm and then, alas, is heard no more. Wagnerian whirlwinds accompany Nazi conquest, And at the fall of Paris Grainer provides a heart tugging melody for enslaved France and the famous Churchill valediction "Sleep to gather strength for the morning". [04]
"ROBERT AND ELIZABETH" [20.10.64]
A younger man courts the attention of a invalid older woman who may not be as incapacitated as she seems. No it isn't "Night Must Fall" its a feel good musical about two professional poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and how their love relationship develops despite opposition from Elizabeth's overbearing father. How Grainer managed to juggle both projects without psychic bleed through is a tribute to his abilities to concentrate on the music task immediately before him.
Producer Martin Landau's first draft was not an attractive proposition. A 500 page libretto written by an American amateur with limited show business experience it was badly in need of "cutting, reconstructing and re-writing by a profession dramatist " but the enticement of "Kings Breakfast" director Wendy Toye's involvement helped convince Playwright Ron Millar it was worth finding out if he could journey into My Fair Lady meets Janette McDonald and Nelson Eddy country without losing his way. [05]
A meeting with composer Grainer convinced Millar there was potential for a successful collaboration. Millar was most impressed when Grainer spontaneously wrote a catchy piano melody to his basic description of the shows opening scene "Here On the corner of Wimpole Street, Wimpole Street and Cavendish Square" ... "He had the period precisely" noted Millar [06]
"Grainer and I were a most unlikely couple but we never had a cross word. The man was a joy to work with. He never argued, constantly asking my opinion on the style of composition and even the detail of the music, which was a boost to my own feelings of inadequacy. The mutual understanding that developed was uncanny. Some numbers were written in twenty minutes. we decided to stay musically and lyrically as close to 1845 as possible, but not pedantically so and Grainer's score moved effortlessly via music hall to seeping ballad to operetta to the fringes of opera. Jingles? The man had genius." [07]
The musical, then known as "The Barretts And Mr Browning", was not without its share of birthing problems. "Proposed male lead Keith Michell, an Australian, was bewitched by a play he'd written about an aborigine. It took eight months and a fortune in telephone calls to Sydney to postpone his oeuvre and come with us". [08]
"June Bronhill an Australian by birth, couldn't come to England yet without running into double taxation. Her singing was matchless but the score was demanding and being trained for opera she had never played eight performances a week in an open ended run. Also Elizabeth was an acting as well as a singing role. At length it was arranged that Landau, Grainer and l [Millar] should fly to Paris meet June and set all minds at rest. June read Elizabeth's dialogue scenes to our complete satisfaction and we flew happily home, where preparations moved into top gear." [09]
Then a major hitch. Plans for a West End season in the large Her Majesty's Theatre had to be cancelled when the producer of the play then showing refused to end its run just to spite his brother who owned the theatre.
To compound the problems the Musicians Union would not allow any reduction in the size of the originally contracted 24 piece orchestra when the production went to a smaller capacity venue. Consequently one row of stall and two box seats had to be taken out reducing box office takings by a considerable amount each week. [10]
But there were some helpful twists of fate as well. After a doorman at the Midland Hotel pointed out to Millar that the shows title "sounded like a temperance lecture" it was changed to "Robert And Elizabeth" this simple action was soon followed by a notable increase in audience numbers. [11]
"On the 20th October 1964 Robert and Elizabeth opened at the Lyric theatre Shaftesbury Avenue. It was an immediate success and subsequently won the Ivor Novello award for the years best Musical ... it was still running two years later".[12]
"A highly intelligent score" - Guide To Music Theatre
"Robert And Elizabeth" Wikipedia article
Five years later playwright Ronald Millar found himself exchanging the West End for West Minister writing speeches for three subsequent English Prime Ministers; Edward Heath, Margaret - the lady's not for turning - one of his lines - Thatcher and John Major. [13]
Amongst "Robert And Elizabeths" cast of 50 was one Jenny Dodds soon to become Grainer's second wife.
"NOT SO MUCH A PROGRAM MORE A WAY OF LIFE" [BBC 13.11.64]
Apart from the return of credits theme composer Ron Grainer, producer Ned Sherrin, David Frost as host and a largely sidelined Willie Rushton this successor to "That Was The Week That Was" presented many new faces including comedian Michael Crawford yet to reveal his "Phantom of the Opera" side and Patricia Routledge yet to start "Keeping Up Appearances". [14]
Ned Sherrin later wrote in his autobiography "The other members of the TW3 cast were all branching out by now. I did not try to hang onto them" [15]
"Three nights required three singers to replace Millicent Martin who by now was appearing in the West End and everything by Lou Grade. Barbara Josephine Blake and later Anne Anne Ross did Saturdays. On Sundays Cleo Laine obliged." [16]
"Not so Much A Program" ran for 62 episodes each 45 minutes long compared with TW3's 37 x 50 minutes total. [17]
1964 References:
[01] "Churchill's March Will Go Ringing" Evening Times / Glasgow Scotland / 7.5.64 .
[02] "How Mr TV Music Works" Australian Women's Weekly 5.8.64 p9.
[03] "Churchill's March Will Go Ringing Around the World " Evening Times / Glasgow 7.5.64 .
[04] "Churchill's March Will Go Ringing Around The World" Evening Times / Glasgow 7.5.64
[05] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p183
[06] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p185
[07] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p186
[08] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p186
[09] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p187
[10] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p188
[11] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p189
[12] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p189
[13] Cover sleeve note "A View From The Wings" Ronald Millar
[14] IMDb "Not So Much A Program"
[15] "The Autobiography" Ned Sherrin Sphere 2006 p152 /153 /150
[16] Ned Sherrrin The Autobiography Sphere 2006 p152 /153
[17] IMDb "That Was The Week That Was" / "Not So Much A Program"
[05] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p183
[06] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p185
[07] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p186
[08] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p186
[09] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p187
[10] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p188
[11] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p189
[12] Ronald Millar "A View From The Wings" 1993 Pacdown Limited p189
[13] Cover sleeve note "A View From The Wings" Ronald Millar
[14] IMDb "Not So Much A Program"
[15] "The Autobiography" Ned Sherrin Sphere 2006 p152 /153 /150
[16] Ned Sherrrin The Autobiography Sphere 2006 p152 /153
[17] IMDb "That Was The Week That Was" / "Not So Much A Program"
