No comments about Anyway...Onward.

No comments about Sing a Song of Watergate.

No comments about Private Party.

No comments about Mort Sahl 1960 or Look Forward in Anger.

1 comments about Don't Make Waves, Make Love (1967 Film) / Penelope (1966 Film).

1. I have over 400 soundtracks, and I can safely say that this is among the most pleasurable, memorable, and immediately gratifying of any in my collection. I own nearly all of John Williams' work on CD, so I bought this for Williams' score to "Penelope," which I believe has never been available on CD before this release. I listened to this CD nearly a dozen times within one week of purchasing it! It's that good!

   The first half of the disc is devoted to Vic Mizzy's "Don't Make Waves, Make Love." I had no idea what to expect at all from "Don't Make Waves." I had never heard of Vic Mizzy prior to purchasing this CD, nor had I heard of the film. The good news is this soundtrack is great and just as enjoyable all the same. But on to the real star of the CD (for me, at least)...

   John Williams' delightful score to "Penelope" begins on track 14 with the film's title song, and Williams does a masterful job, as always, of weaving the melody into the rest of the score. "Penelope" is similar in style and composition to Williams' work the following year (1967) on "A Guide for the Married Man" (which is available on another fantastic CD exclusively from Film Score Monthly). Listeners familiar with some of Williams' more famous works may recognize a prescient foreshadowing of his theme from "Jaws" (1975) in track 25, along with other subtle hints at famous musical ideas he would later develop for future blockbusters.

   This is a CD where nearly every single track is likeable, and, in most cases, memorable; ALL are a great pleasure to listen to!

   The bottom line is: if you're a John Williams fan, like me, you NEED this CD. It's one of his best of the '60s and a perfect example of his early mastery of an established genre. If you love 60's music, you'll love this CD. Even if you don't like 60's music, if you dig catchy melodies, themes, and rhythms, this CD is for you! Unfortunately, this CD went out of print relatively soon after it was released (the record company, Chapter III, went out of business). Trust me, though - it's worth tracking down!

   Williams' versatility is one of his greatest strengths (he can write brilliant music in any genre). If you've only heard his scores to "Star Wars," Indiana Jones, et al. (which are among his best, it is true), you've just sampled a part of his genius. Listen to this CD along with his scores for "Rosewood," "Stanley & Iris," "The River," and "Jane Eyre" to get a good sampling of the variety of great music this man is capable of composing and conducting. Happy listening!

5 comments about Johnny Cool: Billy May's Original Motion Picture Score - Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD].

1. Had the original record, this CD is very well mastered. If you like high rat pack cheese with a horn section this is your disc. Everyone I have turned on to this recording digs it. Light up a cigarette line up a few martinis, kick off your loafers, put up your silk socked feet and groove!



2. hot and jazzy i love an albumn that can stand alone ~~ even without the film to back it up! ALL CUTS ON THIS ALBUMN ARE PERFECT! delightful listening ! my personal favorite is 'bee boom!"times three!try this~~ sergio!



3. The soundtrack to "Johnny Cool" is about as obscure as the film itself. The film is essentially a gangster revenge tale. It was shot in 1963 in Black & White. It starred forgotten "rat packer" and brilliant character actor Henry Silva as Johnny Cool Giordano. Billy May did the scoring and Sammy Davis Jr. sings. This is technically an excellent recording. It sounds very good and is equally very pleasurable listening. This album is a very good piece of early 1960s contemporary America. Track 11 "Bee Boom" and Track 12 "The Ballad of Johnny Cool" both sung by Sammy Davis Jr. are excellent. Actually "Bee Boom" is fantastic!



4. I SAW THIS MOTION PICTURE 40 YEARS AGO ON A SHIP BOUND FOR VIETNAM, THE MOVIE IS WHAT ALL GANGSTER MAFIA MOVIES WERE COPIED FROM..........THIS MOVIE ALTHOUGH BLACK AND WHITE IS STAR STUDDED
   AND WILL KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT, THE MUSIC IS PERFECT
   I WISH THIS FLICK WAS AVAILABLE ON DVD, I"M SURPRISED THAT THE SOUND TRACK IS AVAILABLE........EITHER CASE ITS GREAT......
   IF IT EVER DOES COME OUT ON DVD I WILL BE THE FIRST TO BUY IT...............



5. I played my first copy of the Johnny Cool Soundtrack till it was worn out, now it's on Cd, a perfect masterpiece of sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   Everyone who's heard this classic score has flipped over it, I wish they would release the film on Dvd.

No comments about Mort Sahl's America.

2 comments about Without Tears.

1. "Lenny Bruce Without Tears" shows us the late "sick comic" at his best, as well as at his worst.

   Kinescopes from "The Steve Allen Show" and an unaired TV project show Lenny as sharp and energetic. News footage shows him during (and after) his slow death from drugs, and what one observer called "an overdose of police."

   There is some padding. Stock footage accompanies routines from Lenny's LPs. Too many people who barely knew Lenny give us their opinions on him (Fans of "A Christmas Story" will cringe as Jean Shepherd suggests Bruce's popularity may lead to a new totalitarianism, in which the un-hip are sent to gas ovens[!]).

   However, the filmmakers did the best they could with what they had, and none of the footage they used happens to be currently available elsewhere. This alone makes "Lenny Bruce Without Tears" a must-see.




2. If you want to learn about Lenny Bruce, buy this video. You will see him at his best but also at his rambling worse after his arrests. This is a study of his life so if you are viewing this just for comedy, you may be disappointed. Most of the jokes don't translate well for 40 years. But as a study in this cult hero, this is a "must buy".

1 comments about Mort Sahl at the hungry i.

1. A great slice of Mort Sahl's dry, understated sense of political humor circa 1960. As a teenager, I saw Mort at Ohio Wesleyan University (very late 60s or very early 70s) and was intrigued by his style, which creeps up on you rather than slaps you in the face (as most modern comedy unfortunately does). I've been waiting for years for reissuance of some of Mort's classic early peformances and am glad to have this one. I hope more are on the way. Two drawbacks (and hence only 4 stars) are the CD's 42 minute length (but, after all, it is a reissue of an LP) and the fact that there is some SLIGHT overlap in material, the result of the CD containing two contemporaneous performances. If you are interested, though, I suggest you order from Laugh.com (like I did) for a lower price and faster delivery (and, as always, to avoid Amazon.com's dreadful customer relations). (For the record, I don't work for Laugh.com or any Amazon.com competitor. I'm just tired of Amazon.com and the hassles attendant to ordering from them.)