• soundtrackdog about 1 year ago

    Hi everyone, It's my first time posting but I am looking for some help with a mystery.

    Famous American Film/TV Composer Jerry Goldsmith during an interview several years ago reported that his first professional music gig was conducting and arranging a Children's album. This would have been between 1948 and 1950 when he was studying at Los Angeles City College (LACC), under Miklos Rozsa.

    You can view the interview here, where it's mentioned briefly around the 6 minute mark:
    https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/jerry-goldsmith

    Sadly the interviewer never asked what the album was - and myself, and the folks that run the Jerry Goldsmith podcast can't seem to figure this one out.

    I reached out to Peter Muldavin, author of the "he Complete Guide to Vintage Children's Records, Identification & Value Guide"
    https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Vintage-Childrens-Records-Identification/dp/1574325094/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2794KDC1VBZ60&keywords=peter+muldavin&qid=1685385381&sprefix=peter+muldavin%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-1

    Peter checked his database, and liaised with another collector who could not identify the record in question.

    I also went a step deeper and reviewed the LACC Campus paper archives for mention of this. I was able to find several mentions of Goldsmith's early musical days, and some compositions he wrote at the time, and even found a name of an orchestra he worked with then:

    November 21, 1949
    "Musicale Offers Student Soloists....Goldsmith will present Haydn's 'Sonate No. 1 in E Flat Major,' Chopins's 'Ballade in G Minor', and three of his own compositions, 'Under the Greenwood Tree', 'To Electra' and 'Winter'.....Student director of the Philharmonic Choir, Goldsmith is a member of Epsilon Alpha Gamma, honorary music society. He was musical director and composer for last term's drama production. 'The Darwin Theory' and has been a soloist with the Peter Maeremblum Junior Symphony Orchestra."
    https://lacitycollege.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/LACCNP02/id/9451/rec/8

    There's a possibility that the album was done with this orchestra, but there is no evidence to confirm that yet.

    At the time Jerry Goldsmith also went by Jerrald Goldsmith.

    This is a long shot - but anyone has some insight, I'd appreciate it.
  • electrophonic about 1 year ago

    Does the online archive have any info?

    http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/contact.htm
  • soundtrackdog about 1 year ago

    The archive does not have info on this - it was their discussions that led me to looking into this. I am still searching.
  • Escapist about 1 year ago

    Jerry was brilliant.

    Keep in mind that although he may have produced an album that it might have never been officially released therefore unavailable to the public.

    That might be why there's such difficulty in finding anything about it.

    PS: First post: don't abuse the CAPS LOCK again. Thanks.
  • bobstorm about 1 year ago

    Goldsmith doesn't say "childrens album" he says "children directory album". Maybe this refers to a "showcase" record produced by a talent agency or some organization like Hollywood Children's Theater/Boyd Studios and sent to movie or record companies hoping to get them signed to contracts.
    Here's a 1945 Boyd Studios ad (sorry it's a subscription-only link, best I can do right now): https://www.newspapers.com/image/683755921/?terms=%22hollywood%20childrens%20theatre%22&match=1 It doesn't mention records but it could have been a service offered by such places.
  • bobstorm about 1 year ago

    bump......
  • electrophonic about 1 year ago

    electrophonic edited about 1 year ago
    article about Bill Boyd's company

    https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1949/Billboard%201949-12-24-OCR-Page-0004.pdf

    (edit: not sure though if he is related to the Boyd Studios)
  • bobstorm about 1 year ago

    electrophonic
    article about Bill Boyd's company

    The article you found is about Bill/William Boyd, better known as Hopalong Cassidy the famous movie cowboy. He didn't have anything to do with the Boyd Studio.

    I didn't mean that those who are trying to solve the Jerry Goldsmith mystery should focus on the Boyd Studio. I only used it as a random example of the many Hollywood talent businesses that were "schools" for child singers and actors, offering services to their parents with the hope they would be noticed by record and movie companies.

    My primary point was that during the interview video offered by the originator of this thread, Jerry Goldsmith doesn't say his first job was to work on the music for a "childrens album" -- he says "children directory album".

    Folks at the Film Score forum site have been trying to figure out what that "childrens album" was and are failing. If someone could figure out what Goldsmith meant by "children directory album" the search might get on a more successful track.

    I am suggesting that "children directory album" might refer to a "showcase" record of performances by multiple children, produced by one of these child talent businesses (with the parents footing the bill) with the idea that it would be sent to movie or record companies hoping to get them signed to contracts.
  • soundtrackdog about 1 year ago

    Interesting bobstorm. The audio quality in that interview is not the best - I misheard around the 5:30 mark Goldsmith saying Miklos Rozsa as ' Nicholas Rochet' - also I went back again and Goldsmith is saying "children's record album' - not directory album. But the showcase record is a possibility.

    It's more likely that it was a record that did not credit the arranger/conductor on the album itself - but we'll see if anyone else finds anything.
  • bobstorm about 1 year ago

    Well, I took another listen with the audio amped up and I stand corrected..."children's record album" it is indeed. Perhaps my error leading to the suggestion it was a showcase album will payoff yet. But, as you say, we're probably looking for something that lacks credits, work for hire stuff. Good luck to all searchers.
  • abhamit533 about 1 year ago

    Three of those guys are classical Hollywood composers, and one is a keyboardist who was in the right place at the right time with the right sound.

    All four are quite good at scoring movies, but Williams, Goldsmith and Morricone’s music is on a different level from Zimmer. Take their scores out of the movie and you still have perfectly good, well composed music that stands on its own. With Zimmer you sometimes get the same, but more often than not you get a bunch of droning, moody chords and simplistic themes that don’t really go anywhere.
  • Escapist about 1 year ago

    abhamit533
    With Zimmer you sometimes get the same, but more often than not you get a bunch of droning, moody chords and simplistic themes that don’t really go anywhere.


    You're being too kind. His Dune score was a loud mess.
  • soundtrackdog about 1 year ago

    I have the music department at Los Angeles City College looped in, and they are going to check their archives for Jerry/Jerrald around that time - it might yield some details about his early compositions. I am doubtful anything about this album will come to light - but we'll have to wait and see if they find anything.
  • maximbelcher about 1 year ago

    soundtrackdog
    I have the music department at Los Angeles City College looped in, and they are going to check their archives for Jerry/Jerrald around that time - it might yield some details about his early compositions. I am doubtful anything about this album will come to light - but we'll have to wait and see if they find anything.


    I tried to look for some information a long time ago, it came up with no results.
  • debracollmon about 1 year ago

    debracollmon edited about 1 year ago
    soundtrackdog
    I have the music department at Los Angeles City College looped in, and they are going to check their archives for Jerry/Jerrald around that time - it might yield some details about his early compositions. Last time they helped me find information for my social research and with the papers on https://studydriver.com/social-justice-essay/ I got enough material I needed. I still doubt anything about this album will become known - but we'll have to wait and see if they find anything.


    Please keep us informed. It would be interesting to know if there is any info.

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