Often today’s movie scores serve to move the story along. That’s what they are supposed to do. They don’t get in the way of the action. And most are certainly not memorable. Like elevator music, they don’t pierce the imagination or the soul. Not all, but the trend in movie music is not to stand out. Themes like To Kill A Mockingbird, The Magnificent Seven or The Pink Panther Theme set the mood of the film, and beautifully so. Indeed, To Kill A Mockingbird may be the most beautiful film music ever composed. Or perhaps that honor goes to Dave Grusin’s The Milagro Beanfield War, or maybe Miklos Rozsa’s King of Kings. Or how about Bernard Herrmann’s The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Is there a better film score than that one?

I have gathered an eclectic list of movie scores over the years and am now offering them for sale. Even as a kid, I took very good care of my musical collection. No fingerprints, a special record dust cloth used each time the album was played, record needles were replaced frequently, etc. Hence, my record library is filled with very satisfying and still playable music.

If you enjoy records and if you’ve been looking for movie music that hasn’t been transferred to CD, check out my list. Be careful where you purchase movie albums. Listed below is my email address. So, you always know where I am. And certainly, if you purchase one of my offerings, I will want you to be happy with that purchase. So, check out the list.

All records first purchased by/for Phil Boatwright (many moons ago).
All prices include S&H. All are in stereo unless indicated. All jackets are the original covers. If you have any questions about the records, contact Mr. Boatwright at moviereporter at sbcglobal.net.

I stand behind the albums. If you’re not satisfied with their condition, return them (at your cost) and I’ll return the purchase price.

Make checks payable to:
Phil Boatwright
492 E. 12th Street
Tonganoxie, KS 66086

The Sun Also Rises
The score to the 20th Century Fox film. Music by Hugo Friedhofer. Cover features its stars, Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn and others. Excellent shape, still in plastic wrap. Terrific mood music to read with the book. In mono, but sounds great.
$25.00

Humpty
A Christian musical adaptation of the children’s tale.
Excellent shape, it was a favorite for kids when first released in 1982.
Trivial note: I, your humble film reviewer, did the voice of Humpty. Don’t worry, Humpty didn’t have to sing well.
$22.00

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The two-fold jacket for this score by Ernest Gold features pictures of several of the film’s stars. Excellent shape.
$30.00

John Wayne: America, Why I Love Her
The Duke reads compositions (many by John Mitchum, brother of Robert). Lush background scoring. Twofold jacket includes the lyrics. Excellent shape, including the front cover, featuring John Wayne. These are moving, patriotic salutes to our country and two of them (Mis Raices Estan Aqui – My Roots Are Buried Here and Taps) will bring tears to your eyes. The album was released in 1973.
$27.50

Burke’s Law
Amos Burke (Gene Barry) was a rich police captain, chauffeured around Los Angeles in a Rolls-Royce while he solved murders. It was the first series Aaron Spelling produced and each episode was jam-packed with stars/suspects. Next to the theme from Hill Street Blues, this show’s theme song was my favorite. Cover features Gene Barry being cool. Cover is in fair shape, the record itself is in excellent shape. (In mono.)
$25.00

The Magnificent Seven/Return of the Seven
The Magnificent Seven was incredible, the sequels not so good. But Elmer Bernstein’s score for the first sequel was just as good as the first. This album features music from both films. Still in the plastic wrap, the record is in terrific shape. Elmer Bernstein was my favorite movie composer. To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Escape, True Grit, Love With the Proper Stranger, the list goes on and on. Nominated a bunch of times, he finally got it for the film Thoroughly Modern Millie. But can you imagine him not winning an Oscar for To Kill A Mockingbird or The Magnificent Seven? Known as “Bernstein West” to distinguish him from “Bernstein East,” New York’s Leonard Bernstein, Elmer died the same year as Jerry Goldsmith, my other favorite film composer. There are no more Elmer Bernsteins or Jerry Goldsmiths.
Excellent shape.
$15.00

Stagecoach
And speaking of Jerry Goldsmith, one of my favs was his backup music to the 1966 remake of the John Ford/John Wayne classic, Stagecoach. Not a whole lot can be said in favor of this remake, except the score. Man, it’s good. Absolutely beautiful jacket cover, a painting by Norman Rockwell of a packed stagecoach trying to evade attacking Indians.
$45.00

Hotel
Before his airplane disaster novel Airport, writer Arthur Hailey wrote about the goings-on in a New Orleans hostelry. Not a great film, though when I was a kid, Rod Taylor, who stars, was one of my heroes. Like Gene Barry, he was cool. The score was the best part of this soap opera-ish Grand Hotel wannabe. Good to read by or just listen to. In excellent shape, still in its plastic wrap.
$20.00

The Big Valley
The TV series starred Barbara Stanwyck, Lee Majors, Richard Long, and a very young, very pretty Linda Evans (who went on to star in Dynasty). As a kid, I loved the show, but was often outvoted when the elders wanted to watch Peyton Place. Funny, now it’s the other way around. George Duning did the weekly score and it is beautiful. Truly worth having in your music library. The jacket is in okay shape, with a nice photo on the cover, the record is in very good shape.
$40.00

True Grit
We’re back to Elmer Bernstein and his incredible salute to the western and to John Wayne. Glen Campbell sings the title song, but it’s the piece, Rooster I get a kick out of.
I have placed it in a plastic wrap because the edge of the jacket is wearing through, but the record is in excellent shape. The cover is worth having.
$20.00

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
In the early 1970s, Richard Bach wrote a fable in novella form about a bird learning about life and flight. It was a big deal at the time, so big, Hollywood cashed in and released a film. The film went where all dying birds go (who knows), but the score by Neil Diamond, yes, Neil Diamond, with a little help from orchestration genius Lee Holdridge, is really beautiful. Both jacket and record are in excellent shape.
$20.00

1941
To the best of my remembrance, 1941 was Steven Spielberg’s only misfire. Great cast and lots of money went into it, but as a satirical comedy it bored rather than amused. The soundtrack by John Williams (one of my other favorite composers) is amusing and lively. The theme song is terrific and the piece that goes with a fight scene is a tribute to The Quiet Man’s Irish ruckus. Both jacket and record are in (are you ready?) excellent shape.
$25.00

Film Classics: Take 2
Plastic-wrapped and in excellent shape, the record features music from the following films: The Four Seasons, Victor Victoria, Gallipoli, Caligula, Excalibur, and Cannery Row. Get this one for the Cannery Row piece. It’s Bach’s Bradenburg Concerto No. 6, a seven-minute piece that would settle the nerves of Don Knotts. If you don’t like this one piece, I’ll return your money, plus a few bucks more! It’s that good.
$25.00

Hawaii
As I said, a few of these are available on CD, including this one. Purists like myself, however, appreciate and prefer vinyl LPs. If you like movie scores, this one won’t disappoint. Guess who composed it. That’s right, Elmer Bernstein. The main title, the prologue, the -- oh heck, it’s all great. I stand behind all of them, but, oh my, this is a good album. Excellent shape.
$30.00

Kings Go Forth
Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood starred in this war drama. Good film, exquisite score. You have got to hear this one. Elmer Bernstein. Who else? In tip top shape (that’s excellent for you traditionalists).
$40.00

The Sons of Kathie Elder
The jacket is a bit battered, but the record is in excellent shape. It contains Texas Is A Woman recited by John Wayne, Johnny Cash singing The Sons of Katie Elder, and the score is by, who else, Elmer Bernstein. This happens to be my most cherished record. I don’t give it up easily. Though the main theme can be found on CD, the entire score isn’t.
$80.00. That’s a lot, but any aficionado will tell you, it’s worth more.

The Rogues
Purchased in 1964, this Nelson Riddle-composed score came from a TV series starring Charles Boyer, David Niven and Gig Young as a family of thieves who each week out-crooked fellow crooks. Great photo on the cover, though the cover has aged (unlike me). It’s in stereo and in good condition. A real treasure.
$70.00

The Yellow Rolls-Royce
Interesting movie with an all-star cast that included Ingrid Bergman, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, Shirley MacLaine and Omar Sharif, about a luxury car that seems to bring bad luck to all those who own it. Already a fan of Burke’s Law by the time I saw this film, I had become a Rolls-Royce enthusiast. Read books about them, owned toy models of the Silver Cloud and have even ridden in several. Quite a car. And so is this score, which includes “Forget Domani,” heard regularly on the radio when first released. Sinatra even went on to sing the song. Here it is rendered by Katyna Raieri. Don’t know much about her, but lovely voice.
$30.00

His Land
Ralph Carmichael (my cousin) composed this score for the World Wide Pictures release concerning life in Israel. Cliff Richard sings several songs on the album and Cousin Ralph does a souped-up version of the Hallelujah Chorus that simply electrifies.
$25.00

Our Man In Hollywood…Henry Mancini
Mancini does the themes to several popular movies of that day, including: Days of Wine and Roses, Walk on the Wild Side, Mutiny on the Bounty, Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation and others. Jacket is in good shape, the record is excellent.
$15.00

Television’s Greatest Hits
65 TV themes from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Everything from the Bugs Bunny Overture to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. – from The Jetsons to 77 Sunset Strip. From Mission Impossible to The Addams Family. The list just goes on and on. Well, 65 tunes. Can’t beat that.
Excellent shape.
$22.00

On Golden Pond
Composed by Dave Grusin, it includes snippets of dialogue by Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. A great, great score.
$15.00

Gunn
The theme from Peter Gunn is well known to everyone. It came from the ‘50s TV series by Blake Edwards (He did The Pink Panther and The Days of Wine and Roses – a very eclectic filmmaker). This record is the score from the 1967 movie version of Peter Gunn. Still starring Craig Stevens. A most enjoyable album. Excellent shape, still in plastic wrap.
$25.00

Two For The See Saw
Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine starred in this 1962 drama. Andre Previn scored the film. One of my favorites. I bought this one at a used record store years after it came out. The jacket is a mess, but the record is in very good condition. (In mono.)
$20.00

1776
Here’s a musical rendition of America’s first congress on the eve of the American Revolution. It’s incredible. For the past four years it has become a custom for my dad and me to watch surrounding neighbors’ fireworks in the backyard on the 4th with this album blaring from the house. Then we go in and watch the movie. Jacket is in good condition, the record is in excellent shape.
$22.00

Logan’s Run
I had just done my first commercial (for McDonald’s), I went to dinner at the Far East Terrace (best Chinese food around) and went to the Cinerama Dome to see Logan’s Run. It was a great day/night. A week later I bought the soundtrack. Jerry Goldsmith captured the whole futuristic world of William Nolan’s prediction of life in 2274. In excellent shape with plastic wrap.
$22.00

Scrooge
The movie-musical version of the Dickens classic has Albert Finney in the lead. Have you seen it? Worth it. And so’s the album. Fold-out album jacket in good shape.
$22.00

Here’s Johnny – Magic Moments from The Tonight Show
Special 2-record set featuring funny moments with Groucho Marx, George Carlin, the Smothers Bros., Jack Webb, Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles and even Richard Nixon. The records are in excellent shape.
$22.00

Mancini’s Angels – Featuring the Theme from Charlie’s Angels
Henry Mancini also does Evergreen, the theme from A Star Is Born, the Inspector Clouseau theme, What’s Happening theme, themes from Roots, among others. In excellent shape with plastic wrap.
$20.00

Music Composed by Elmer Bernstein
This digital premiere recording features music from the following John Wayne films:
The Comancheros and True Grit. This is a must-have album. Excellent shape, including plastic wrap.
$20.00

Music Composed by Elmer Bernstein (volume two)
This digital premiere recording features music from the following John Wayne films:
The Shootist, Big Jake, and Cahill. Also in excellent shape with plastic wrap.
$20.00 Discount for albums one and two: $35.00

Ship Of Fools
The score by Ernest Gold was then arranged by the composer for the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler. A Christmas present to me in 1965, it is one of my most cherished records. Excellent shape. The opening theme (“Goodbye To Vera Cruz”) is incredible.
$40.00

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Burt Bacharach’s score helped make the Paul Newman/Robert Redford western a four-star movie. In excellent shape.
$15.00

The Sting
Marvin Hamlisch adapted the music of Scott Joplin for the other Newman/Redford classic. Great score, both the jacket and the record are in excellent shape.
$15.00 Buy both Butch/Sundance and The Sting for the discounted $25.00

Superman: The Movie
Music by the talented John Williams, the two records and twofold jacket are in very good shape.
$15.00