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Spotting Williams


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We all know there are more places to hear John Williams' music than just the films he's scored and the soundtracks we play. His music (like other composers' film music) pops up in other places as well, be it in other movies, trailers, TV shows, amusement parks, or even novels or scripts.

I thought it would be fun to list some of the places where Williams' music makes an appearance outside of the films proper, more as a reference, or just because it's played somewhere as background music.

For instance:

In Lethal Weapon 4, Joe Pesci, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are out on a boat and have caught a shark. The shark thrashes wildly on deck, and the nervous Leo (Pesci) wants to shoot him. Gibson's character taunts him by singing the Jaws theme (Williams is credited in the end credits).

Appearances on The Simpsons:

Star Wars main title theme in The Springfield Connection (#2F21) at an evening with the Springfields pops, featuring Homer Simpsons saying "could that bassoon have come in anymore late? John Williams must be spinning in his grave!" (paraphrased)

Flying theme from E.T. in Bart's Dog Gets an F (#7F14) as Marge and Lisa put their sowing fingers together.

Raiders March in Bart's Friend Falls in Love (#8F22) during an almost carbon copy of the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Several appearances of The Imperial March during appearances of Mr. Burns.

And some more:

While visiting Movie Studios Park in Italy, I heard various Williams stuff being blared over the speakers in the park, including:

The Raiders March

End Credits from Jurassic Park (also a remix of it)

And at a small village's festival, I again heard the end credits from Jurassic Park.

Also, Dutch program Willem Wever I know has used Flight to Neverland at least once, and an item of the Jeugdjournaal on the keeping of owls several years ago, shortly after the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone featured Hedwig's Theme.

Finally, the first draft of Back to the Future opens with Marty McFly copying Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 35mm to video. The film was going to open with the end credits of CE3K playing.

Add whatever you spot, no matter where.

- Marc

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You know such a list would be virtually endless, don't you?

An edited version of "Throne Room/End Title" from Star Wars underscores the end of a Family Guy episode where Peter rescues the bartender from a fire. The original 1977 recording. Hilarious.

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I know it'd be endless, but it's fun anyway.

An episode of Malcolm in the Middle also used the Raiders March, as Hal had to run through a department store for some silly reason.

And an episode of Seinfeld used the Superman March when Jerry entered into a running contest.

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An edited version of "Throne Room/End Title" from Star Wars underscores the end of a Family Guy episode where Peter rescues the bartender from a fire. The original 1977 recording. Hilarious.

That ending is great yeah. I recognised the music and smiled after just the first few notes ;) The episode even has the Star Wars style 'zoom out' and credits font as well as the original '77 music.

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Jaws at the beginning of Airplane (Do 1941 and ET count?)

Corn Pops commercials

CE3K on "The Springfield Files" (The school band plays a 5-note statement that isn't the exact same, but definitely a parody)

CMIYC on some recent Simpsons episode (was it the exact recording?)

The Harry Potter spoof parodied JW

Supergirl "Superman Poster"

Goonies--Sloth ripping open to his Superman shirt

Let's not forget the ultimate ref to Superman...

therace.jpg

"The Race"

(...and the clip show right before the two-part finale)

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Another Simpsons one, and my favourite - Lisa the Skeptic - The episode when the bones of the angel are found by the kids at the school. While they're digging a statement of the Ark theme can be heard as a shot of them digging in front of the sunset is shown, very much like Raiders

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I remember an episode of Family guy where there is a Porn Awards ceremony where Williams is nominated for best score. It was hilarious. He was shown to be sitting there with his fingers crossed. Other composers nominated had one or two instruments but Williams was conducting a full symphony orchestra that was playing an obvious modified version from the beginning of the Desert chase from Raiders.

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In Canal + here last year and thos years TV ads for the golf USA open i think featured, Aunt marge's waltz (2004) and Isabel's Horse And Buggy from Stepmom this year. The images are sinc with the music and it is cool :)

In the movie called 'Quest for Camelot' superman theme appears, even credited.

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On Sesame Street, during the "Elmo's World" segment, Elmo pretended to be a shark once (he dropped down under our view and put his hand up on his head and moved across the screen, going "da-duh," etc.) and once talked about a shark while a cartoon-y version of the Jaws theme played.

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Back in the 80s, I think during the first season of America's Funniest Home Videos, one of the videos that was up for best video of the year was a little clip made of a small girl in the water, while you heard the Jaws theme building, building, building, until you saw that it was some fat guy in a wetsuit, standing in the surf playing a bass or a cello or something like that.

BigJohn

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Back in the 80s, I think during the first season of America's Funniest Home Videos, one of the videos that was up for best video of the year was a little clip made of a small girl in the water, while you heard the Jaws theme building, building, building, until you saw that it was some fat guy in a wetsuit, standing in the surf playing a bass or a cello or something like that.

BigJohn

I've seen that one. That was awesome.

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In Canal + here last year and thos years TV ads for the golf USA open i think featured, Aunt marge's waltz (2004) and Isabel's Horse And Buggy from Stepmom this year. The images are sinc with the music and it is cool :)

I saw today another TV ad for another golf tournament.

Far and Away theme.

I'm starting to think the guy that makes the ads is a Williams fan. :)

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In Moonraker the touchpad that opens the laboratory door in Venice makes a five-tone sound: the alien call from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

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A couple of obvious ones which are self-referrential rather than quotes in other shows/movies, but Yoda's theme in "ET" and the Ark theme in "Last Crusade" always make me giggle a bit....

.....Any show on the History Channel that is about wither the Ark of the Convenant or the Holy Grail always uses something from one of the Indiana Jones movies....

...and - kind of on the subject - are there any huge fans of the "Smallville" series here and has any of William' music ever been quoted on there?

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Yes, there's a quote of The Basket Game in ToD. Great one.

And I think Williams' Superman music was quoted in an episode of Smallville which guest starred Christopher Reeve, although I haven't seen that episode myself.

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When Indy encounters the two swordmen before going to the bridge, he reaches for his gun - which he doesn't have. At that point, you can hear a quote of the Basket Game, right when he reaches for his gun.

basketcase.jpg

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It seemed greg1138 didnt get it, so i explained why the music was there...

:)

It's no that I didn't get it - I had just never spotted the quote before! I think I gathered the parody there.....but thanks for the help anyway :P

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MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida plays a lot of film music in the background, throughout the park. I've heard "Harry's Wondrous World," "The Forest Battle," the main title from Superman, and other pieces by Williams and other composers.

Ray Barnsbury

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Star Wars main theme at baseball games all the time. Either the actual recording or the organist. If you try really hard, you can sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame along with it.

"TAKE me out to the BAAAALL-game, out to the BAAAALL-game, out with the crowd! And buy me... some peanuts and cra-acker JAAAACK, I don't care... if I ever GET BACK!"

Et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum.

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I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet. Bill Murray's classic "Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars" song on Saturday Night Live.

Check out the lyrics and an mp3 over at Markus Hable's awesome site.

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