Art Direction – Dan Goldwasser
65 years ago today, on September 12, 1956, the
psychological thriller film,
The Bad Seed, was released. By
today's standards the depiction of an 8 year old child who is a pathological killer might
seem a bit tame but back then it was shocking (
link to plot below).
Art Direction – Dan Goldwasser
Patty McCormack
was cast as the killer child; the acting was a a bit stilted but that
may have been a product of the time, however, it is a chilling
performance. Her role of
Rhoda Penmark, the eight-year-old
psychopath and fledgling
serial killer, made her a major movie star.
The story was remade for television once again in 2018 with
Rob Lowe directing as well as acting. This time the child's name was changed to Emma and portrayed by
Mckenna Grace.
Patty McCormack (she played the killer in the original 1956 film, remember?) portrays Dr. March, Emma's psychiatrist.
The score for the film was written by
Alex North
who did a brilliant job of suspense and evil, tempered with the
gentleness of an innocent child. He is best known for his film scores
for
A Streetcar Named Desire (one of the first jazz-based film scores),
Viva Zapata!,
Spartacus,
Cleopatra, and
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He was the first composer to receive an
Honorary Academy Award, but never won a competitive Oscar despite fifteen nominations.
Alex North died on September 8, 1991, of pancreatic cancer at his home in
Pacific Palisades in
Los Angeles, California.
Maxwell Anderson died in
Stamford, Connecticut, on February 28, 1959, two days after suffering a
stroke; he was 70 years old. The inscription on his tombstone may reference
Lost in the Stars, it reads:
Children of dust astray among the stars
Children of earth adrift upon the night
What is there in our darkness or our light
To linger in prose or claim a singing breath
Save the curt history of life
isled in death
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - The Bad Seed
A2 - The Dream
A3 - No More Children
A4 - The Truth
A5 - Basket Of Kisses
A6 - Confession
Side 2:
B1 - The Princess
B2 - The Locket
B3 - Identity
B4 - My Baby Sleep Well
B5 - The Medal And Rhoda's Death
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – RCA Records
Recorded At – Warner Bros. Recording Studios
Mastered At – Battery Studios, New York
Designed At – Warm Butter Design
Published By – Wb Music Corp.
Copyright © – Radio Corporation Of America
Credits:
Art Direction – Dan Goldwasser
Bass – Joe Mondragon, Paul Gregory (16), Richard Kelley*
Bassoon – Norman H. Herzberg*, Ray Nowlin
Cello – Alexander Reisman, Eleanor Slatkin, Irving Lipschultz, Kolia Levienne
Clarinet, Saxophone – Richard H. Anderson*, Jack Klein, Joe Casillas, Les Robinson, Percy Nichols, Teddy Krise
Composed By – Alex North
Conductor – Ray Heindorf
Contractor [Orchestra Manager] – Victor Aller
English Horn – Lloyd Rathbun
Executive-Producer [For La-La Land Records] – MV Gerhard*, Matt Verboys
Flute, Saxophone – James Briggs, Leonard Posella
French Horn – George Hofman, George W. Hyde*, William Hinshaw
Harp – Denzi (Gail) Laughton*
Liner Notes – Frank K. DeWald
Mastered By – Mike Piacentini
Music Director [Musical Direction] – Ray Heindorf
Oboe – Lilian Lhoest*
Percussion – W. Frank Horsecroft*, George Beebe (2), John Boudreau (4), Lou Erickson
Piano – David Klatzkin, Norma Drury
Producer [Production Assistance] – John Takis
Producer [Reissue CD] – Didier C. Deutsch, Neil S. Bulk
Steel Guitar – Dick Roberts
Trombone – Charles Cowpland, Frank Sullivan (6), Hoyt Bohannon
Trumpet – A. A. Harris, Larry Sullivan (2), Pincus "Pinky" Savitt*
Tuba – John Bambridge
Viola – Donald Cole (4), Maurice Keltz, Rubin Decker, William Hymanson
Violin – Baldassare Ferlazzo, Dan Lube, David Berman*, Hans Wippler,
Harry Zagon, Hillard Lubie, Howard Griffin*, Jerome Reisler, Joseph
Livoti, Noumi Fischer, R. C. Hemery, Sam Ross
Alex North – The Bad Seed
Label: RCA Victor – LPM-1395
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Theme, Score
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Styrous® ~ Sunday, July 19, 2020
