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Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
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Author:  leslie [ Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
Since Intrada has issued a splendidly comprehensive CD of Alex North's " Devil's Brigade", I am keeping my fingers crossed that someone on this forum can clarify the situation regarding the involvement ( if any ) of Elmer Bernstein with this score.

As some of you may know, Bernstein's ASCAP listings include mention of cues for the film. Given Bernstein's long involvement with the late David Wolper ( producer of the film ), this was certainly a project which Bernstein could have undertaken ( he did score Wolper's " Bridge at Remagen around this time and indeed , in the UK, I saw both films on the same double feature bill). The Intrada cd makes it clear that none of the source cues is by Bernstein and, muddying the waters even more, having been directed by Bob DiMucci to the Supposedly Rejected Scores website, I now learn that, in1968, Billboard magazine reported that Bernstein HAD scored the film! Is this in fact a case of of a rejected score, bearing in mind that on a BBc radio interview and if memory serves me correctly, Bernstein indicated that Natty Gann was his first rejected score, OR did Bernstein withdraw from the assignment at an initial or later stage.

Any light shed on this mystifying issue would be much appreciated.
Author:  tharpdevenport [ Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
Wish I had more of an answer than what's on my site. Though the thread you started at FSM just further deepened the mystery with a couple replies.

I know someone in touch with the Bernstein estate -- I can try him, but he's been M.I.A. for a few weeks now and no reply via e-mail -- I hope he's okay.


Alternatively, I know someone who also worked with Bernstein -- maybe I could ask him, but I didn't really want to bother him this time of year.
Author:  leslie [ Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
Your response and generous offer of assistance is very much appreciated. Obviously, given the circumstances, I would not wish to bother your friends unless you happen to bump into them in the normal course of events.

I had hoped that the Intrada folks themselves might havecome across this issue when they researched background for their cd.

I wonder, incidentally, if Bernstein admirers realise that North wasfirst choice to score The Magnificent Seven, Possibly because of previous forays into Old Mexico via Viva Zapata and Wonderful Country. He apparently turned down the assignment because of what he considered its violent content!

Once again, many thankks
Author:  Douglass Fake [ Tue Jan 11, 2011 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
This came up many years ago when I talked to Bernstein about our licensing The Great Escape for CD (back when it had never yet been available in that format) and he said he heard his name had been attached to The Devil's Brigade in some circles but he was never officially associated with it in any capacity. So based on the Wolper connection and the whole United Artists thing, it may have been more rumor-oriented than factual, at least based on his recollections at that time.

I did have access to all of the MGM (United Artists) scoring cue sheets and not a single reference to Bernstein showed up anywhere, though North was listed as composer of both the entire background score and all of the quasi-Mozart phonograph source music. Studio cue sheets are usually pretty accurate and detailed for timing and publishing purposes. So that indicates Bernstein was not associated with the source music or background scoring at all. It's certainly possible his name was discussed at some point during pre-production of the move but that's probably the extent of it.
--Doug
Author:  Larry Deutchman [ Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
Thanks for clearing this up, Doug. I love the score...

Ever since I heard your release, I've been so curious to match up North's unused cues and intended spotting against the film to see what might have been had McLaglen/Wolper gone with North's intent. I do have to say I much prefer the revised Main and End titles to the original versions he wrote and recorded. Thematically they are more representative of the tone of the film.
Author:  leslie [ Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Elmer Bernstein and "The Devil's Brigade"
I am certainly indebted to you for taking time from what I am sure must be a busy schedule to provide a definitive answer on this; your courtesy is very much appreciated.

What does surprise me is that neither Bernstein nor ( given that film composers are busy people ) his agent ever asked ASCAP to amend the listings they have for his work. One self-evident disadvantage of not doing so is that academic researchers might be only too liable, inadvertently, to promulgate misinformation. An example of this with regard to "The Devil's Brigade" can be seen in the extensive study of "American Film Music : 1915-1990" by William Darby and Jack Du Bois, published in 1990; the filmography for Bernstein in the section covering credits as ' Co-Composer or Subordinate Composer ' includes ( for 1968 )"The Devil's Brigade" - I assume the authors had mined the ASCAP listings for this. I think there is a case for regarding this co- composer categorisation by the two writers as unhelpful since it embraces a wide miscellany of essentially dissimilar credits.Max Steiner's credit for "The Crowded Sky" ( Rosenman ), for example, simply arises because Warner Bros selected 'from stock' the Summer Place theme as juke box source music in a diner sequence, whereas the Bernstein co-composer credits include "Saddle the Wind", presumably on the basis solely of the Livingston/Evans title song.

Once again, warmest thanks for your help and, referring to my other posting, should you ever track down Bernstein's D_DAY tapes and deem issuing them to be a viable project, I shall be first in line to buy the CD.
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