The
Tall Texan (1953) (MMM-1974) was another low-budget B Western movie and starred
Lloyd Bridges, Lee J. Cobb and Marie Windsor. It was directed by Elmo Williams,
(the Oscar-winning editor of High Noon). The basis of The Tall Texan was a familiar
one, a collection of five travellers set out in a wagon through Comanche
territory. The group includes a tinhorn and his woman, a sheriff escorting an
accused murderer, and a sea captain. After a renegade Indian tells them about a
virgin gold field as thanks for saving his life, the group becomes fixated on
the gold and greed becomes their main objective. Bert Shefter, this time
working without his collaborator Paul Sawtell, took a thematic approach to this
rather rich sounding score. Shefter provides themes to several of the central
characters, including a menacing (if rather traditional) woodwind and native
drum rhythms for the Indians. Shefter also and makes good use of a couple of
traditional standards, Yankee Doodle Dandy can be heard, and is gently woven
into the fabric of Luther Adler’s character Joshua Tinnen. The composer also
introduces the old sea shanty Blow the Man Down which works surprisingly well as
a dramatic motif. So, is there anything that makes this stand out from any
other B movie western score of the time? Well, yes, actually there is. The Celesta
is an instrument that conjures up numerous magical memories. Today, it is
probably more associated with the Harry Potter themes or perhaps traditional
arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. However, Shefter
took its distinctive sound and applied it to the film’s silent character, the gold.
The Celesta was certainly an inspired choice of instrumentation by Mr Shefter.
If rousing western scores from the 50s are your thing, you are sure to enjoy
this nugget. Another excellent 20 page booklet (written by David Schecter) is
included with the CD.
This
fascinating collection from David Schecter’s Monstrous movie music continues to
reiterate their place in the soundtrack market. Their tireless efforts,
attention to detail and commitment to explore new genres, continue to feed our
high expectations. Check them out for yourself at: http://www.mmmrecordings.com/
Darren
Allison- Cinema Retro Soundtrack Editor