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Interesting Connections between John Williams and Audrey Hepburn.


jojoju2000

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So I am also a part of the Audrey Hepburn forum on Facebook, two of them actually, and I found some very interesting connections between these two legendary figures of cinema and our time. 

 

1. John Williams worked as a Pianist under HENRY MANCINI, ( Who of course was good friends with Audrey Hepburn ). Williams also played the piano for many of the Films that Audrey appeared in the early 1960s; Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany's are two of them I believe. 

 

2. Williams would himself score just two films with Audrey Hepburn as a star; 1966's How to Steal a Million, and 1989's Always. 

 

I wonder what other connections Williams has with her and other famous stars of the Golden Age ?

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Just now, King Mark said:

Audrey Hepburn's Ghost accuses Williams of sexual misconduct.

That reminds me; I wonder what Williams thinks about the toxic culture in Hollywood today. He has probably seen it all ( the good and bad ). 

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5 hours ago, jojoju2000 said:

So I am also a part of the Audrey Hepburn forum on Facebook, two of them actually, and I found some very interesting connections between these two legendary figures of cinema and our time. 

 

1. John Williams worked as a Pianist under HENRY MANCINI, ( Who of course was good friends with Audrey Hepburn ). Williams also played the piano for many of the Films that Audrey appeared in the early 1960s; Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany's are two of them I believe. 

 

2. Williams would himself score just two films with Audrey Hepburn as a star; 1966's How to Steal a Million, and 1989's Always. 

 

I wonder what other connections Williams has with her and other famous stars of the Golden Age ?

 

I think you pretty much covered the Hepburn connections there. Well, there's FUNNY FACE too, where he played piano and arranged a bit.

 

While I don't consider Hepburn a Golden Age actress, Williams has plenty of connections to other stars of the Golden Age (in terms of projects he's worked on), like Gene Kelly, William Wyler, Olivia de Havilland and so on. Plus all the major composers of the era. When you start your career in the late 50s, you will inevitably be tied to the Golden Age stars in some form or fashion.

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17 hours ago, jojoju2000 said:

So I am also a part of the Audrey Hepburn forum on Facebook, two of them actually, and I found some very interesting connections between these two legendary figures of cinema and our time. 

 

1. John Williams worked as a Pianist under HENRY MANCINI, ( Who of course was good friends with Audrey Hepburn ). Williams also played the piano for many of the Films that Audrey appeared in the early 1960s; Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany's are two of them I believe. 

 

2. Williams would himself score just two films with Audrey Hepburn as a star; 1966's How to Steal a Million, and 1989's Always. 

 

I wonder what other connections Williams has with her and other famous stars of the Golden Age ?

 

While it's has been commonly accepted that Williams played on those two scores, that might not be the case...

"Charade" was recorded in London, with local musicians. As for "Breakfast at Tiffanny's", Jimmy Rowles and Ray Sherman are credited on the Intrada release as the two session pianists. 

Also, it's around this time that Williams career as a composer was starting to take flight, and after the "West Side Story" sessions, it is said that he decided to quit doing session work as a pianist, which would make a 1963 film like "Charade" an unlikely event, even if recorded in L.A. which wasn't the case.

By the way, for the album recording of "Tiffany's", the pianist was also Rowles. As for the album recording of "Charade", done in L.A., I don't think there was ever a musicians credit, but as mentioned above, 1963 makes it unlikely.

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9 hours ago, Miguel Andrade said:

 

While it's has been commonly accepted that Williams played on those two scores, that might not be the case...

"Charade" was recorded in London, with local musicians. As for "Breakfast at Tiffanny's", Jimmy Rowles and Ray Sherman are credited on the Intrada release as the two session pianists. 

Also, it's around this time that Williams career as a composer was starting to take flight, and after the "West Side Story" sessions, it is said that he decided to quit doing session work as a pianist, which would make a 1963 film like "Charade" an unlikely event, even if recorded in L.A. which wasn't the case.

By the way, for the album recording of "Tiffany's", the pianist was also Rowles. As for the album recording of "Charade", done in L.A., I don't think there was ever a musicians credit, but as mentioned above, 1963 makes it unlikely.

 

Hmm. If that's the case, it would cast doubt on other later Williams-credited piano gigs too, like THE PINK PANTHER and THE GREAT RACE. And what about the non-film albums like MY FAIR LADY, ANDRE PREVIN IN HOLLYWOOD, THAT'S GERSWHIN? Were these only arrangements then? There should be an archive to search for this stuff.

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André Previn in Hollywood and That's Gershwin were arranging/conducting gigs.

My Fair Lady, can't recall by memory, but if he was there, it would have been as a session pianist.

 

As for The Pink Panther, he is not credited as the pianist on the original album (probably Jimmy Rowles, again, going by memory).

 

Please note Thor, I believe he decided to stop working as session pianist for film scoring after West Side Story. I'm sure he continued doing some session work for albums, though mostly arranging and conducting (for Mahalia Jackson, Pam Garner, Vic Damone and Frankie Laine, as part of his contract with Columbia).

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17 minutes ago, Miguel Andrade said:

André Previn in Hollywood and That's Gershwin were arranging/conducting gigs.

My Fair Lady, can't recall by memory, but if he was there, it would have been as a session pianist.

 

For MY FAIR LADY, I was primarily talking about Shelly Manne's album, which was recorded in 1964 (not to be confused with his 1956 MFL album). But yeah - that was conducting and arranging. I'm not sure if he played piano on it.

 

The other names you mention are all before, or in, 1963, so they would fall within your cut-off point.

 

It would certainly make sense that he cut down on piano gigs after 1963. But if he never played on those Mancini efforts (CHARADE, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, THE PINK PANTHER, THE GREAT RACE), I wonder where the credits come from? Just because they knew each other at the time, perhaps, and Williams played on PETER GUNN, the jazz albums etc.? So whoever came up with those credits just assumed he played on those movies as well?

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On 3/4/2021 at 1:26 AM, King Mark said:

I dunno but they better release the complete Star Wars recordings before something surfaces and Disney cancels it forever 

 

 

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure John Williams didn't put his johnson where he shouldn't. 

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5 hours ago, Thor said:

 

For MY FAIR LADY, I was primarily talking about Shelly Manne's album, which was recorded in 1964 (not to be confused with his 1956 MFL album). But yeah - that was conducting and arranging. I'm not sure if he played piano on it.

 

The other names you mention are all before, or in, 1963, so they would fall within your cut-off point.

 

It would certainly make sense that he cut down on piano gigs after 1963. But if he never played on those Mancini efforts (CHARADE, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, THE PINK PANTHER, THE GREAT RACE), I wonder where the credits come from? Just because they knew each other at the time, perhaps, and Williams played on PETER GUNN, the jazz albums etc.? So whoever came up with those credits just assumed he played on those movies as well?

 

When you mentioned My Fair Lady I thought of the Previn arranged/conducted soundtrack. For the Shelly Manne album he was arranger and conductor.

I believe we credited Williams on some of these recordings out of some of his own interviews were he would mention his days as a piano player at the studios.

Sometimes memory plays tricks on us (or on Williams on these cases) and credited himself on the wrong sessions.

He is indeed credited on several Mancini albuns from the late 50s and early 60's.

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On 3/4/2021 at 1:58 PM, Thor said:

 

He wrote the end theme of the TV movie THE SCREAMING WOMAN (1972).

 

 

 

The genesis of the Cloud City theme from TESB. 

 

 

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56 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

I've always thought it sounded kinda similar to DRACULA.

I thought exactly the same.

Until once I played both themes aside I used to think, that it is avctually the same.

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36 minutes ago, Tom said:

Maybe the woman is screaming so much because she is afraid of Dracula.  

 

He, he. There are actually TWO screaming women in the film. Olivia de Havilland screams a lot as she tries to find help for the woman she thinks is buried alive, and there are scream-like sounds from the "grave" as well.

 

God, we're far away from Audrey Hepburn now. She never screamed.

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