Hot Cinema Opinions

A few announcements were made yesterday in regard to some high-profile films that are slated for release in the next few years, and I have what may turn out to be surprising views on said announcements.

 

We will start with the one that doesn’t really do anything for me.  Disney announced the official subtitle of the upcoming J.J. Abrams’ directed Star Wars film.  It is to be called The Force Awakens.  The Internet went crazy yesterday with opinions about the title, with one website going so far as to rank the Star Wars subtitles by greatness.  That seems a little ridiculous, but I love lists, so why not.  It seems like most people are aligning themselves against the subtitle, citing the Force as something that doesn’t nap, but I really don’t think you can judge a film based on its subtitle.  That is just my opinion though.

 

If the release of a subtitle has fans in this much of an uproar, I dread what is going to happen if the teaser trailer doesn’t meet the standards that moviegoers are expecting.  There may be rioting in the streets.  Suicide by light saber will become a thing.  The first trailer is expected to be released in December, probably with the next Hobbit film, and a full-length trailer will likely be linked with the release of The Avengers next year.

 

Next up was the revelation that Pixar would be releasing a fourth installment in the Toy Story franchise.  With such a successful trilogy of films that not only put Pixar on the map, but helped solidify their reputation as one of the greatest animated studios of all time, I’m actually a little disappointed in this news.  While I am a staunch supporter of Pixar and the Toy Story films, the trilogy ended perfectly and closed the chapter on Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang.  I’m sure they could come up with another 10 stories about toys coming to life when humans aren’t around, but releasing another movie in the series just doesn’t seem necessary.  Go out on a high note and only use the characters in TV shorts and Christmas-specials.

 

The final interesting bit was the official synopsis and cast for Quintin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.  The plot sounds like a mashup of Tarantino style and Agatha Christie mystery.  The press release from the Weinstein Company is as follows:

 

In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape.  The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race toward the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice.  Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former Union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a Southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new sheriff.

 

Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren, and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass.  When they arrive at Minnie’s they are greeted not by the proprietor, but by four unfamiliar faces, Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), cowpuncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate general Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern).  As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all.

 

If you know anything about the history of this movie, you will be aware that the original script was leaked online and Tarantino claimed he would never go on to make the film.  There was some lawsuit threats made, but ultimately Tarantino backed down and decided to go ahead with the film anyway, making some changes to the story.

 

I like the sound of this movie and am a fan in general of Tarantino, but I wish Tarantino had actually stuck to his guns and shelved the picture for all time, or at least a decade or so.  The reason I support not making the movie is that I wanted Tarantino to teach the Internet a lesson in civility.  Not everything that is available should be put online.  By not making the picture and denying the public what sounds like an interesting concept for a Western movie, Tarantino could have communicated to the world that it is not okay to make scripts not yet in production available for viewing online.  I know that in the digital world we live in nothing is safe, but I also think we have reached an extremen point in society where every film news article has to start with Spoiler Alert.  It has become quite annoying.

The Man With The Golden Gun Theme

This is the song that started this entire series of blog posts.  After a viewing of The Man with the Golden Gun on a date night with my wife in Dallas, I began wondering how in the world the theme song’s singer got the gig to sing the James Bond theme.  She is among the likes of Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Aha, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Adele.  However, I knew nothing about the singer.

 

 

John Barry and Don Black returned to compose and write the lyrics to “The Man with the Golden Gun.”  You can find their biographies here and here.

 

The newcomer to the 007 film series to sing the title song was born as Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on November 3, 1948.  She is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who is best known by her stage name, which is simply Lulu.  Gaining international attention with her rendition of the theme song to the film To Sir, With Love in 1967, Lulu went on to become a big star in Europe with the Eurovision Song Contest winning entry “Boom Bang-a-Bang” and the crowd pleasing “Shout,” which was originally recorded by the Isley Brothers but Lulu’s version was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

 

While still a teenager, Lulu was signed to Decca Records and when she was only 15 she recorded her initial version of “Shout.”  She would record the single again in 1986.  The first version peaked at number seven on the UK music charts.  Lulu’s second top ten hit was “Leave a Little Love.”

 

In 1966, Lulu toured Poland with the Hollies, making her the first British female singer to appear behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.  Following two hit singles with the Luvvers, Lulu went on to start a solo career.  After switching record labels, she returned to the UK singles chart with “The Boat That I Row,” a song written by Neil Diamond.  While touring with the Monkees in 1968, Lulu had a brief romance with Davy Jones.

 

Her television and film career began with a starring role in To Sir, With Love.  Her performance of the film’s theme song resulted in a number one hit in the United States.  She had a television series that featured music and comedy, which ran under several titles from 1968 to 1975.

 

Although she had mild musical success in later decades, nothing was quite as popular as her 60s tunes.  She married hairdresser John Frieda in 1977 and had one son, but the couple divorced in 1991.

 

Adopting the name Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, which was her late mother’s birth name before she was adopted by the McDonald family, she received an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2000.  She released her autobiography in 2002, titled I Don’t Want to Fight.

 

It should be noted as somewhat of a coincidence that while Lulu is the only performer of a James Bond theme song, “The Man with the Golden Gun” is the only Bond title track to not chart as a single in either the US or UK.

 

Alice Cooper has made the claim that his song “The Man with the Golden Gun” was originally to be used by the film’s producers but was then dropped in favor of Lulu’s song.  Cooper later included the track on his album Muscle of Love.  You can listen to it here.

The Live And Let Die Theme

For the first time ever in the James Bond series, John Barry wasn’t involved in composing the score for a 007 movie with the release of 1973’s Live and Let Die.  “Live and Let Die” is the main theme song to Roger Moore’s debut film as the British superspy, written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul’s band, Wings.

 

 

Prior to the script being finished, the Bond producers approached McCartney and requested he write the theme song.  McCartney has stated it took him an afternoon to come up with the song after reading Ian Fleming’s novel.  The former Beatle reteamed with producer George Martin, who produced the song and arranged the orchestral break.

 

While producer Harry Saltzman wanted a different singer to perform “Live and Let Die,” Martin told filmmakers that McCartney would only allow the song to be used in the movie if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits.  Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce the Beatles musical film A Hard Day’s Night, didn’t want to make the same mistake again and accepted McCartney’s offer.

 

At the time of its release, “Live and Let Die” was the most successful Bond song to date, reaching second on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the UK Singles Chart.  It is one of Wings most famous singles.  The song was nominated for a Grammy, as was a cover version by Guns N’ Roses.  McCartney’s original version is also the first Bond song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to the theme song from The Way We Were, which was written by a future Bond composer.

 

A second version of “Live and Let Die” is heard throughout the film, performed by B. J. Arnau.  Arnau’s performance was originally meant to be used with the group, Fifth Dimension.

 

Sir James Paul McCartney … where to begin?  The man, or at this point should he just be referred to as a legend, was born June 18, 1942.  Along with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, McCartney formed the Beatles, one of the most influential bands the world has ever seen.  To his credit, he has 60 gold discs and sales of more than 100 million albums and 100 million singles, both as a Beatle and a solo artist.

 

McCartney’s accolades are too numerous to list, but some highlights include his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he wrote or co-wrote 32 songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, received an MBE, or Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in 1965, and was presented with a knighthood in 1997.

 

Look, if you don’t know who the Beatles are then there is nothing I can do for you.  I don’t have the three weeks it would take to properly provide a sufficient background of Paul McCartney.  Just take my word for it.  He is a really important musician who will go down as one of greatest icons in rock and roll history.  In a couple hundred years, his name will be synonymous with Mozart and Beethoven when people think of great musicians of the past.  He’s kind of a big deal.

 

Linda McCartney (pictured with Paul) was born Linda Louise Eastman on September 24, 1941.  She began her musical career as a photographer for different bands, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Jimmy Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, the Who, the Doors, the Animals, and Neil Young.  Mrs. McCartney is the only person to have a photograph featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone and to have been photographed for the magazine’s front cover herself.

 

Following the breakup of the Beatles, Paul taught Linda to play the keyboard and the duo formed the group Wings.  The group subsequently garnered several Grammy Awards and was one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s.

 

Paul and Linda McCartney had three children together, with Paul adopting a child from Linda’s previous marriage.  Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and died on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona.  She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in Sussex, England.

Sir George Henry Martin, born January 3, 1926, is an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer, and musician, but it is his association with the Beatles that most people recognize.  Martin was extensively involved with all of the Beatles original albums, garnering him the title of the “Fifth Beatle.”

 

Martin graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1950, where he studied piano and oboe.  His career began with the BBC’s classical music department, but he soon joined the record label EMI.  His work with EMI included producing comedy and novelty records, where he worked with Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov.

 

While at EMI, Martin signed the Beatles to a contract that resulted in its four members receiving a single penny to split for each record sold.  Following the band’s first number one hit, “From Me to You,” Martin requested EMI double the royalty rate, which did not sit well with the company.  Although the initial recording session did not go well, Martin liked the band members, which included Pete Best as drummer.

 

Martin went on to collaborate with the band for the duration of their time together, writing many orchestral arrangements and instrumental work.  He also arranged the score for the Beatles’ film, Yellow Submarine.  He also remixed music for the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, Love.

 

Other artists Martin has worked with include Bond theme singer Matt Monro, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick, Elton John, Celine Dion, and Pete Townshend.

 

Martin has worked in music, film, television, and live performance for six decades.  He produced 30 number one hit songs in the United Kingdom and 23 number one hits in the U.S., as well as having produced number one records in four consecutive decades (1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s).  In 1996, Martin was made a Knight Bachelor, which is the lowest form of knighthood.

 

Award nominations and wins range from the Academy Awards and Grammys to the BRIT Awards.  He has received Honorary Doctorates in Music from Berklee College of Music and Leeds Beckett University and an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Oxford, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Academy, and was awarded with the James Joyce Award by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin.

The Diamonds Are Forever Theme

Unfortunately there is not going to be a lot of new information in this portion of the series, as this is the first time the collaborators of a James Bond theme song are all veterans to the series.  With 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, it was not only the return of Sean Connery to the franchise, following a one-film sabbatical, but it also saw the return of composer John Barry, lyricist Don Black, and singer Shirley Bassey.  This would be the second of three theme songs Bassey contributed and to date she is the only musical artist to record multiple James Bond theme songs.

One-half of the 007 production duo loathed the title track, but Albert Broccoli, who ultimately would become the sole owner of the Bond film series, approved the theme song.  It has been reported that producer Harry Saltzman took issue with the lyrical innuendos of “Diamonds Are Forever,” which have been further supported from other stories regarding Barry’s insistence that Bassey sing the song as if she were singing to a penis.

 

Bassey’s “Diamonds Are Forever” didn’t chart well in either America or Britain.  The highest position was 38 in the UK and 57 in the United States.  The theme was sampled in Kanye West’s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone.”

 

John Barry was born November 3, 1933, as John Barry Prendergast.  His work with the 007 film series includes 12 soundtracks from 1962 to 1987.  His efforts on Dr. No comprised of arranging the music that Monty Norman had previously composed, including the “James Bond Theme.”  Barry then went on to compose the soundtracks for From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights.

 

Other notable film scores include The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, King Kong (1976), Robin and Marian, The Black Hole, Body Heat, Howard the Duck, Peggy Sue Got Married, Zulu, Chaplin, and The Ipcress File.

 

Barry started his own band in 1957 and went on to write some of the most legendary music in film history.  His accolades include winning five Academy Awards, four Grammys, two BAFTAs, two Emmys, and a Golden Globe.  He also received two Lifetime Achievement Awards, was made a fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Having been married four times, he died of a heart attack in January 2011 and at the time of his death was survived by his wife of 33 years, four children, and two grandchildren.

 

English lyricist Don Black, born June 21, 1938 worked frequently with Andrew Lloyd Webber on musicals and “Diamonds Are Forever” was his second of five James Bond theme songs.

 

He started in the music industry as an office boy with a music publishing firm and later worked as a song-plugger.  He was later personal manager to Matt Monro, who sang the From Russia with Love theme song.

 

His collaboration with Barry includes 1966’s “Born Free,” which won the Oscar for Best Song, and Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.  He received further Oscar nominations, including his work on True Grit, and he also worked with future James Bond singer Lulu for the To Sir, with Love theme.  Other film work included collaborating with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.

 

Black’s theatrical work has won him a Tony Award for Best Book for the musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s film Sunset Boulevard.  Along with Webber and Barry, Black has worked with Jule Styne, Geoff Stephens, and Mort Shuman.

 

Black lives in London with his wife, Shirley, of more than 50 years.  In 2007, Black was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Shirley Bassey, made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on December 31, 1999, by Queen Elizabeth II, is a Welsh singer and her 60-year career has resulted in her being called one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century.

 

Shirley Veronica Bassey was born January 8, 1937, signed her first professional singing contract in 1953 to sing in a touring variety show based on the life of Al Jolson.  She briefly left show business and became pregnant at 16, but returned to singing in 1955.  Her success continued to increase and at one point in the late 1950s she had two hit singles in the top three of charts at the same time.

 

Although the James Bond theme song “Goldfinger” was her only successful hit in the United Sates, her star continued to shine throughout the 1960s and 1970s, having numerous hits on the UK charts and 10 albums in the Top 15.  “Goldfinger” is now Bassey’s signature hit.

Bassey was married twice, both ending in divorce.  She birthed a son and two daughters, one of which died in 1985, and has five grandchildren.  She currently resides in Monaco.

The On Her Majesty's Secret Service Theme

With such a difficult title to write lyrics for, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the sixth James Bond film and first to not star Sean Connery, has an instrumental opening title theme.  This had not been done since 1963’s From Russia with Love, however, a version that contains lyrics by Matt Monro was included during the closing credits of that film.  Although Leslie Bricusse considered writing lyrics for the theme, direct Peter Hunt allowed the instrumental theme to be played.  John Barry composed, arranged, and conducted the soundtrack, including the theme song, which was his fifth successive Bond film to compose.

 

While not the official theme song of the film, Barry, whose biography can be found in a previous post of this series here, composed the love song “We Have All the Time in the World.”  However, many incorrectly refer to the Louis Armstrong number as the movie’s opening theme song, but in reality it is played during a montage in the first half of the picture.  Hal David is credited for the song’s lyrics.

 

Hal David was born May 25, 1921, and died of a stroke in the early morning hours of September 1, 2012.  He was an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick.

 

David (pictured with Burt Bacharach) began writing popular musical lyrics in the 1940s.  His partnership with Bacharach began in 1957 and the duo’s first hit was “The Story of My Life,” recorded by Marty Robbins.

 

David is the only songwriter to have consecutive number one hits in the UK charts when in 1958 a cover of “The Story of My Life” by Michael Holliday and Perry Como’s “Magic Moments” both reached the top spot.

 

Other hits for Bacharach and David include “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” and “I Say a Little Prayer.”  Film work for the duo includes the title songs from What’s New Pussycat? and Alfie, “The Look of Love” from the unofficial 007 movie Casino Royale, and the Oscar-winning title “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Other compositions from the David and Bacharach team have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

 

Along with Bacharach and Warwick, David’s association with other artists includes The Carpenters, Dusty Springfield, B. J. Thomas, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, and Julio Iglesias.

 

In 2011, the Library of Congress bestowed David and Bacharach with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an award never before given to a songwriting team.  David was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.  He was the founder of the Los Angeles Music Center and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 

Nicknamed Satchmo and Pops, Louis Armstrong was born August 4, 1901.  He was a highly influential American jazz trumpeter and singer.  Armstrong became prominent in the 1920s for both his scat singing and solo instrumental performances.  He is considered one of the first African-Americans to “cross over,” in that his music was so highly regarded that the color of his skin became secondary to the music.

 

Growing up in New Orleans, Armstrong was the grandchild of former slaves and his mother worked as a prostitute to make ends meet.  Dropping out of a school for boys at the age of 11, Armstrong worked odd jobs, including singing in a quartet for money.  His cornet playing developed into an impressive skill while playing in a band of the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs.  Armstrong’s musical career started out playing in brass band parades, learning from Joe “King” Oliver, and traveling on a Mississippi River steamboat with the well-regarded band, Fate Marable.

 

At the request of Oliver, Armstrong joined his mentor in Chicago.  During his time in Chicago, Armstrong began recording his music, switched to the trumpet, improved his solo work, and was challenged by other musicians at instrumental competitions.  Eventually making his way to New York City, Armstrong continued to increase his aptitude in playing and singing.  While playing in the pit orchestra of the musical Hot Chocolate, an all-black revue, he appeared as a vocalist, singing “Ain’t Misbehavin,’” a version which became his biggest selling record to date.

 

Following the Great Depression, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles for employment, but he eventually made his way back to Chicago.  However, Armstrong was eventually chased out of Chicago and New Orleans by the mob, which led him to escape to Europe.  His return to the United States resulted in several tours, but due to money dilemmas he hired Joe Glaser, a mobster associated with Al Capone, who resolved his financial struggles, mob troubles, and legal messes.

 

In the 30 years his career spanned, Armstrong worked 300 gigs a year and broke into television and film.  His musical acts included working with artists such as Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, and Ella Fitzgerald.  His most famous hits include “Stardust,” “What a Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” and “You Rascal You.”

 

“We Have All the Time in the World” was Armstrong’s final recording, as he died of a heart attack July 6, 1971.  The song did not chart well, only finding popularity following its inclusion in a 1994 Guinness beer commercial when the Irish alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine covered the song.  Upon its re-release, Armstrong’s version reached number three in the UK Singles Chart.  In 2005, a BBC survey showed it is the third-most-popular song played at weddings.

 

Receiving a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, Armstrong has 11 singles in the Grammy Hall of Fame and was inducted into several musical Halls of Fame.

Armstrong was married four times and had one child, adopted from a cousin who died following childbirth.  In 2012, a woman claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of Armstrong, conceived from an affair in the 1950s with a Cotton Club dancer.

The You Only Live Twice Theme

Veteran James Bond composer John Barry, whose biography can be found here, provided the music, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, for the fifth 007 movie, You Only Live Twice.  Bricusse had also worked on a prior Bond picture and his profile is available here.  The song, a hit for singer Nancy Sinatra, is considered one of the best among the James Bond themes.  Numerous artists have covered the theme, from The Scientists and Bjork to Coldplay and Shirley Bassey, and it was also used in the closing montage of the season five finale of Mad Men.  Robbie Williams re-recorded the opening bars for his hit “Millennium.”

 

Julie Rogers was originally asked to sing “You Only Live Twice” and had even recorded it with a full orchestra.  It was a much different version of the single Sinatra would later sing, with a more Oriental sound to fit the locations of the film.  Ultimately, only two lines were carried over to the new work.  Frank Sinatra, a friend of Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, was asked to perform the new song, but he instead suggested his daughter, Nancy.  Barry wanted Aretha Franklin, but the producers opted for Nancy instead, as her signature hit “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” was at the height of its popularity.

 

Nancy Sandra Sinatra, born June 8, 1940, is the oldest child of Frank Sinatra and Sinatra’s first wife, Nancy.  Sinatra studied music, dancing, and voice at the University of California, Los Angeles, but when your father is Frank “Chairman of the Board” Sinatra, you don’t need education to break into music.

 

She began her career as a singer and actress in the early 1960s and it was her association with songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood that jumpstarted her career.  Sinatra’s musical hits included “Sugar Town,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” which was a duet with her father, “Jackson,” and a cover of Cher’s “Bang Bang.”  Her filmography included starring opposite Elvis Presley, Peter Fonda, and her father.

 

Sinatra was so nervous during the recording process of “You Only Live Twice” it took 30 takes to acquire enough material to use and Barry later manufactured the final product by incorporating 25 different takes.  The familiar opening string melody is originally from Alexander Tcherepnin’s “First Piano Concerto (op. 12),” composed in 1919.  “You Only Live Twice” reached number three on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Chart and number 10 in Australia.

 

Sinatra has written a book about her father, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars, and currently hosts a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show for Siriusly Sinatra.

 

Married twice, Sinatra has two children and a granddaughter.

Welcome Jeff Banister

 

Normally I stick to movie-related news and notes, especially James Bond stuff, but today is a big day for the Texas Rangers organization.  While an official announcement has not yet been made, it is understood and being reported that Jeff Banister, bench coach for the past four years in Pittsburgh, will be the new manager for the Rangers.  Banister will become the 25th manager since the ballclub's beginnings as the Washington Senators (21st since the move to Texas).

 

Banister was among the three finalists vying for the job, which included Cleveland Indian bullpen coach Kevin Cash and Rangers interim manager Tim Bogar, who went 14-8 to finish out the abysmal 2014 regular season and saw the departure of long-time manager Ron Washington.  Many fans expected Bogar to win the job based on that 22-game performance, mustering a pitiful hodgepodge of major and minor league talent who had nothing to fight for into a scrappy group of overperformers, nearly knocking the Oakland A's out of playoff contention.

 

Considering I attended the game following Ron Washington's resignation and was in the ballpark the night Bogar took control, I was hoping Bogar would be hired.  However, Banister has been hired.  I know, literally, nothing about the man. A New York Times article on the man was published a year ago.  You can read it here.

 

Banister has until April 6 to get his inaugural team into shape.  Good luck to him.  He will need it after what this fanbase went through in 2014.

The Thunderball Theme

Not confident a song could be composed from the vague title or for the plot of James Bond’s fourth film, Thunderball, John Barry and Leslie Bricusse wrote the original main title theme to be “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.”  This title was taken from an Italian journalist, who in 1962 had dubbed the British secret agent as “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.”

 

After completing “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” Barry had Shirley Bassey record the song, but problems with Bassey’s performance resulted in Dionne Warwick (pictured) rerecording the tune.  However, all the efforts put forth were futile as the production company requested the theme song contain the film’s title in its lyrics, resulting in both Bassey and Warwick’s performances of “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” not being heard until the 1990s.  Once it was decided that a new song would be written for the opening titles, the plan was to use the Warwick version of “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” during the closing credits, but Bassey sued the producers resulting in neither version being heard.  Snippets of the song can be heard as instrumental pieces throughout the film’s soundtrack.

 

Prior to a new song being selected, Johnny Cash submitted a recording to Eon Productions titled “Thunderball,” with lyrics describing the film’s plot.  You can listen to Cash's song here.

 

Now needing a new opening theme song, Barry turned to lyricist Don Black to write “Thunderball” in a rush.  Tom Jones was hired to perform and has claimed to have fainted in the recording booth after singing the final, high note.

 

For detailed information about John Barry and Leslie Bricusse, go here and here.

Don Black, born June 21, 1938, is an English lyricist, whose work includes musicals and movie themes.  Black worked frequently with Andrew Lloyd Webber and his ties to James Bond include five theme songs.

 

He started in the music industry as an office boy with a music publishing firm and later worked as a song-plugger.  He was later personal manager to Matt Monro, who sang the From Russia with Love theme song.

 

His collaboration with Barry includes 1966’s “Born Free,” which won the Oscar for Best Song, and Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.  He received further Oscar nominations, including his work on True Grit, and he also worked with future James Bond singer Lulu for the To Sir, with Love theme.  Other film work included collaborating with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.

 

Black’s theatrical work has won him a Tony Award for Best Book for the musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s film Sunset Boulevard.  Along with Webber and Barry, Black has worked with Jule Styne, Geoff Stephens, and Mort Shuman.

 

Black lives in London with his wife, Shirley, of more than 50 years.  In 2007, Black was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, known by his stage name as Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer born June 7, 1940.  In his half-century of work in the music industry,  Jones has sold more than 100 million records, ranging from pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel.

 

Early influences on Jones’ singing career were American soul musicians, including Little Richard and Elvis Presley.  His singing career began in 1963 when he joined a Welsh beat group.  Jones was “discovered” in a local club by Gordon Mills, who took the singer to London and renamed him Tom Jones, exploiting the popularity of the 1963 Oscar-winning Best Picture of the same name.  Following his hiring for two film themes and a number one hit on UK music charts, Jones received the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966.

 

Despite the accolades and critical recognition, Jones’ image was reshaped into that of a crooner and he began singing material that appealed to a wider audience.  He began performing in Las Vegas, where his sexual style of dress for the stage became a staple.  Beginning in 1967, Jones performed at least one week in Las Vegas every year until 2011, where it became commonplace for women to through underwear and room keys on the stage.

 

From 1969 to 1971 Jones had an international variety show called This is Tom Jones, which led to a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination.  A second variety show was produced in the early 1980s, titled Tom Jones.

 

Jones has had 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the United States.  His most notable hits are “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “Delilah,” “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “She’s a Lady.”  Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and, in 2006, received a knighthood for his services to music.

 

Despite numerous well-publicized infidelities, including Mary Wilson of The Supremes, former Miss World Marjorie Wallace, and Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Jones has remained married to his high-school sweetheart since 1957 and the couple lives in California.  The two were married, both at the age of 16, one-month prior to their son’s birth.  Jones birthed a second son with a model while touring in America.  He has shown no interest in meeting his illegitimate child.

Bond 24 Casting Updates

It is being reported that two major characters have been cast for the upcoming, untitled Bond 24 production.  Today's casting is for a henchman role named Hinx (which is far too close to the unremarkable character Jinx, played by Halle Berry, in Brosnan's final outing as James Bond in Die Another Day.)  It is claimed that Dave Bautista will play the part of a imposing, physically fit assassin who will have numerous battles with Bond.  Previous reports stated the producers are hoping to create an iconic henchman in the same vein as Oddjob and Jaws.

 

Bautista is a former WWE wrestler, but he saw the most success with his recent role of Drax the Destroyer in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.  The summer blockbuster hit was Bautista's movie debut, but many filmgoers and critics were pleased with his portrayal of the alien heavyweight.  Hopefully Bautista's acting range can improve under the helm of Sam Mendes as they attempt to fulfill the producers' hopes of Hinx becoming a recognizable henchman for years to come.

 

The other main cast member hired late last week is Lea Seydoux, who is most familiar among American audiences in Mission: Impossible - Ghoast Protocol.  She has also featured in Inglourious Basterds, Robin Hood, and Midnight in Paris.  Internationally she has been lauded for her performances in Farewell, My Queen and Blue is the Warmes Colour.

 

Scandanavian actresses were being scouted for the role, but it is believed the role has been rewritten to accomodate Seydoux's French nationality.  Originally the role was believed to be a "30-40 year-old, attractive, sophisticated, cool and calm secret agent."  Seydoux is currently 29.

The Goldfinger Theme

Inspired by the song “Mack the Knife,” 1964’s “Goldfinger” was the only Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hit for singer Shirley Bassey.  John Barry composed the title song and lyrics were written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.

John Barry returned for his third James Bond soundtrack, composing the previous film’s score and overseeing the arrangement of the music for Dr. No.  For a complete bio of Barry, go here.

 

Leslie Bricusse was born January 29, 1931, and is most prominently known for composing musicals and film theme songs.  Bricusse wrote popular theme songs for Sammy Davis Jr. Nina Simone, Matt Monro, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, and The Turtles.  Bricusse also co-wrote the opening theme to the television series It’s a Living.

 

His musical work includes Doctor Dolittle, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Scrooge, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Victor Victoria, and Cyrano de Bergerac The Musical.  Bricusse won a Song of the Year Grammy Award in 1963 for “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and received two Academy Awards for his work with Doctor Dolittle and Victor/Victoria.  He is also a member of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.

 

Bricusse currently resides in California with his wife, actress Yvonne Romain.

 

Anthony Newley was an English actor, singer, and songwriter who had great success as a recording artist between 1959 and 1962, penning a dozen Top 40 UK Singles Chart hits, including two number one songs.

 

Newley was born September 24, 1931 and died April 14, 1999.  He received an Academy Award nomination for the film score of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.  His film career began as a child actor, with work in Peter Ustinov’s vice Versa and David Lean’s Oliver Twist.  His career transitioned from child actor to leading man with Idle on Parade, which was somewhat inspired by Elvis Presley’s call to national service in World War II.

 

Teaming with Bricusse, Newley also won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “What Kind of Fool Am I?”  The group also wrote a musical, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off, which Newley also performed in and earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.  He was elected to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in recognition of his creative skills and body of work.

 

Newley was married three times and died at the age of 67 from renal cancer, survived by five children, a granddaughter, and his mother.

Shirley Bassey, made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on December 31, 1999, by Queen Elizabeth II, is a Welsh singer and her 60-year career has resulted in her being called one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century.  Along with singing the theme song to Goldfinger, Bassey also sang the title songs to two other James Bond pictures.

 

Shirley Veronica Bassey was born January 8, 1937, signed her first professional singing contract in 1953 to sing in a touring variety show based on the life of Al Jolson.  She briefly left show business and became pregnant at 16, but returned to singing in 1955.  Her success continued to increase and at one point in the late 1950s she had two hit singles in the top three of charts at the same time.

 

Although “Goldfinger” was her only successful hit in the United Sates, her star continued to shine throughout the 1960s and 1970s, having numerous hits on the UK charts and 10 albums in the Top 15.  “Goldfinger” is now Bassey’s signature hit, despite only reaching number 21 on the UK charts, with several of her singles charting much higher.

 

Bassey was married twice, both ending in divorce.  She birthed a son and two daughters, one of which died in 1985, and has five grandchildren.  She currently resides in Monaco.

 

“Goldfinger” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.  It sold more than a million copies in the United States upon its release and it reached number one in Japan, four in Australia, and the top ten of several European countries.

The From Russia With Love Theme

Continuing our series of James Bond theme songs, the second musical selection is “From Russia with Love” from 1963’s From Russia with Love.  While John Barry composed the soundtrack of the film, Lionel Bart and Matt Monro were responsible for the theme song.

Lionel Bart, born Lionel Begleiter on August 1, 1930, is most famous for creating the book, music, and lyrics for Oliver!

 

Early in his life Bart studied art at the Saint Martin’s School of Art.  Although he never learned to read or write music, his accomplishments in the medium were quite illustrious.  His career began writing for amateur theater and BBC radio programs.  Between 1957 and 1960, Bart won nine Ivor Novello Awards and wrote pop songs for Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele.  In 1986, Bart received a special Ivor Novello Award for his life’s achievement.

 

Alcohol, LSD, and other drug additions led to poor financial decisions and a deterioration of his health, causing diabetes and impaired liver function.  Bart fought a long battle with cancer, but died April 3, 1999,

Matt Monro was born December 1, 1930, as Terence Edward Parsons and throughout a 30-year international career was known as the Man with the Golden Voice.  Monro got his start as a vocalist with the BBC Show Band.  Following a brief rise in success, Monro began to return back to obscurity until teaming with producer George Martin in 1960, who oversaw most of his musical recordings.

 

Leading up to his Bond performance, Monro had successful hits with “Portrait of My Love,” “My Kind of Girl,” and “Softly as I Leave You.”  He released a cover version of The Beatles “Yesterday,” the most recorded song of all time, prior to even the Fab Four’s release.  However, his signature tune became the Oscar-winning title song for Born Free, another collaboration with Bond composer John Barry.  The duo went on to record two more songs from Barry’s scores.

Married twice, Monro died from liver cancer on February 7, 1985, leaving behind a widow and three children.  The retro-pop resurgence has cited Matt Monro as a strong influence, inspiring artists including Michael Bublé, Monica Mancini, and Rick Astley.

The James Bond Theme

My wife and I recently had a date night and went to see a screening of The Man with the Golden Gun at the Magnolia.  This now puts my total of James Bond movies seen in the theater at 14.

 

One of the trademarks of the 007 film series is its music and each film has its own theme song.  These are normally songs that match the title of the film and are sung by a popular band or musical artist of the time period.  However, when it comes to The Man with the Golden Gun, the singer is a girl by the name of Lulu.  Although I’m an 80s baby and the Bond film series began in 1962, I can tell you at least something about each theme song singer, barring Miss Lulu.

 

Wanting to know a little more about Lulu the singer, I did some research and found out she is a bit more popular than I realized, but far below the level of stardom most 007 theme song performers have reached.  With little to do at work right now and wanting to share my James Bond knowledge with the world, I thought I would start a new series of posts that expounds upon the lives of those involved with composing and performing each theme song of the Bond series.  Obviously we will begin with the first film, 1962’s Dr. No.

 

Dr. No is an example of when the film’s title doesn’t match the theme song’s title.  The title of the theme song, which is quite original, is the “James Bond Theme.”  There is a bit of controversy to who actually composed the “James Bond Theme,” but the three men most involved in popularizing it is Monty Norman, John Barry, and Vic Flick.

 

Of those three, John Barry has the most history with the James Bond filmmakers.  Barry, born November 3, 1933, as John Barry Prendergast, was an English composer and conductor who worked on 12 Bond soundtracks from 1962 to 1987.  His work on Dr. No comprised of arranging the music that Monty Norman composed, including the “James Bond Theme.”  Barry then went on to compose the soundtracks for From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights.

 

Other notable film scores include The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, King Kong (1976), Robin and Marian, The Black Hole, Body Heat, Howard the Duck, Peggy Sue Got Married, Zulu, Chaplin, and The Ipcress File.

 

Barry started his own band in 1957 and went on to write some of the most legendary music in film history.  His accolades include winning five Academy Awards, four Grammys, two BAFTAs, two Emmys, and a Golden Globe.  He also received two Lifetime Achievement Awards, was made a fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Having been married four times, he died of a heart attack in January 2011 and at the time of his death was survived by his wife of 33 years, four children, and two grandchildren.

 

While Barry is repeatedly mistaken to be the creator of the famous Bond theme song, Monty Norman actually is the legal composer.  Norman was born Monty Noserovitch on April 4, 1928.  Norman’s career in music began as a singer for big bands and on variety shows.  In the late 1950s, he began composing music, including songs for Count Basie and Bob Hope.

 

Norman’s most famous contribution to music is the “James Bond Theme,” but he also composed for the musicals Songbook and Poppy.  His film composition includes theme songs for The Day the Earth Caught Fire and Call Me Bwana.

 

Earning six pounds for his work on the “James Bond Theme,” which was made up of recording the guitar riff on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Vox AC15 amplifier, Victor Harold Flick, better known as Vic Flick, was born on May 14, 1937.  Flick joined John Barry’s band, the John Barry Seven, in the 1960s and his guitar playing was used on such television shows as Juke Box Jury and Drumbeat.

 

His work with the 007 series didn’t conclude with Dr. No.  He continued playing on soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.  Flick also provided his guitar talents for the soundtrack of the From Russia with Love video game.

 

Other film work included playing on the soundtrack of The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night.  He has also worked with artists including Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page.

 

James Bond musical theme history will return in From Russia with Love.