Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
May 13, 2026
May 25, 2024
101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes 124: Star Wars Episode IV ~ A New Hope
~
Reel-to-Reel front cover
cover design by Theodor Lloyd Glazer
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Forty-seven years ago today, on May 25, 1977, the blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope, was released and Sci-Fi films would never be the same again.
I vividly remember standing in line with thousands of other Sci-Fi fanatics to see this new marvel, not really knowing what was in store for me (link below). It seems it was only yesterday that I watched the opening of the film crawl which was a throw back to the old 1930's Flash Gordon series (link below) as the film began and I heard the dramatic music of John Williams explode then slowly dwindle out and the huge Empire warship slowly emerge from the top of the screen; I can still feel the goose bumps that popped out on my arms.
I was completely sucked in and have written extensively about the film, it's participants and, certainly not least, it's marketing items (link below) for the last few decades.
Reel-to-Reel front cover detail
cover design by Theodor Lloyd Glazer
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Star_Wars ~ Episode IV – A New Hope was the first film released in the Star Wars film series and the fourth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga".
The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, and James Earl Jones.
Reel-to-Reel back cover detail
cover design by Theodor Lloyd Glazer
photo of album back cover detail by Styrous®
I think the score for the film, by John Williams, is one of the greatest film scores ever written, surpassed only by Bernard Herman for The Day the Earth Stood Still. Actually, I think Star_Wars is the greatest score Williams EVER wrote; he never surpassed it.
Other collaborations with Spielberg include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), and The Fabelmans (2022). His work as a film composer includes Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Cowboys (1972), The Long Goodbye (1973), and The Towering Inferno (1974). He received five Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Schindler's List (1993), Superman (1978) and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004).
With Henry Mancini, he recorded the scores of Peter Gunn (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), and Charade (1963), and played the piano part of the guitar-piano ostinato in Mancini's Peter Gunn title theme.
The music from Star_Wars has been covered dozens of times. The film came out at the height of the disco era so, of course, there is a disco version by Meco (Domenico Monardo) (link below) and the latest iteration I know of is a hard rock cover by Galactic Empire with a really fun video for the song on YouTube (link below).
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Main Title
A2 - Imperial Attack
A3 - Princess Leia's Theme
A4 - The Desert And The Robot Auction
A5 - Ben's Death And The Tie Fighter Attack
A6 - The Little People Work
A7 - Rescue Of The Princess
A8 - Inner City
A9 - Cantina Band
A2 - Imperial Attack
A3 - Princess Leia's Theme
A4 - The Desert And The Robot Auction
A5 - Ben's Death And The Tie Fighter Attack
A6 - The Little People Work
A7 - Rescue Of The Princess
A8 - Inner City
A9 - Cantina Band
Side 2:
B1 - The Land Of The Sandpeople
B2 - Mouse Robot And Blasting Off
B3 - The Return Home
B4 - The Walls Converge
B5 - The Princess Appears
B6 - The Last Battle
B7 - The Throne Room And End Title
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Soundstream, Inc.
Mastered At – Soundstream, Inc.
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix
Credits:
Composed By, Conductor – John Williams (4)
Design [Cover Design, Illustration] – Theodor Lloyd Glazer
Orchestra – Boston Pops Orchestra
Photography By – William Shisler
Producer – George Korngold
Notes:
℗ 1977 20th Century Records
CRC denotes Columbia House club edition
"For The United Kingdom, licenses for the use of recordings for public performances may be obtained from Phonographic Performance Ltd., Ganton House, 14-22 Ganton Street, London.
Label: 20th Century Records – 1R2 6693
Format: Reel-To-Reel, 3 ¾ ips, ¼", 4-Track Stereo, 7" Cine Reel, Album, Club Edition
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: Classical, Stage & Screen
Style: Modern Classical, Contemporary, Soundtrack
Viewfinder links:
September 6, 2023
John Lithgow articles/mentions
December 2, 2020
Christopher Reeve articles/mentions
mentions:
David Prowse, the greatest villain of all time
Superman II ~ Margot Kidder picture disc
date & photographer unknown
November 29, 2020
David Prowse, the greatest villain of all time, died yesterday
I have felt a connection with David Prowse for the last forty years or so as I portrayed the character he created when I was dancing with Pillow in the Love Act at the Hungry i on Broadway in the late seventies (link below). So, I was shocked and saddened to hear of his death. It is the "Immortal Loves" syndrome in action (link below).
He was born on July 1, 1935, brought up on the Southmead housing estate in Bristol. Prowse was tall, standing 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). He was a bodybuilder, weightlifter and character actor in British film and television. Worldwide, he was best known for physically portraying Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy (with the character's voice being performed by James Earl Jones); in 2015, he starred in a documentary concerning that role, entitled I Am Your Father, a 2015 Spanish documentary film written and directed by Toni Bestard (es) and Marcos Cabotá (es). The film deals with actor David Prowse many years after he played the role of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. In this documentary, the directors find some clues about the difficult
relationship between Prowse and Lucasfilm, suggesting that the reason
for their differences was an article published by a British newspaper
during the shooting of Return of the Jedi.
Prior to his role as Vader, Prowse had established himself as a prominent figure in the UK as the first Green Cross Code man, a character used in road safety public information aimed at children.
date & photographer unknown
Health
and fitness remained an interest for Prowse, who also worked as a
personal trainer for actors playing the role of Superman, including
Christopher Reeve, and wrote a book called Fitness is Fun. He published an autobiography, Straight from the Force's Mouth, in 2011.
David Prowse ~ Straight from the Force's Mouth - 2011
David Prowse was being treated for prostate cancer. He died at a hospital in London, England, on 28 November 2020, he was 85 years old.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Independent UK ~ Road safety hero who crossed over to the Dark Side
NBC News ~ David Prowse who played Darth Vader, dies
RollingStone ~ David Prowse (Darth Vader) Dead at 85
Sci-Fi Online ~ Straight from the Force's Mouth review
YouTube links:
ABC News ~ James Earl Jones and His Unmistakable Voice
BBC News ~ David Prowse passes away
I Am Your Father ~
Finding David Prowse (film clip)
I Am Your Father Trailer
David Prowse aka Darth Vader ~ Why His Voice Was Cut
I Am Your Father review
"The Force Is With You"
James Earl Jones articles/mentions
David Prowse articles/mentions
Darth Vader Speaks ~ David Prowse interview
mentions:
August 10, 2020
Ewan McGregor articles/mentions
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