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Rewind
Videos worth another look
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 14, 2001
Mancini's magic touch
Henry Mancini could have composed only 21 notes of music and become a Hollywood legend. Thankfully, he had more in mind than just the intro to The Pink Panther theme.
Count 'em on your fingers. Then, try to get that stealthy, tip-toeing melody out of your head. You can name that tune in four notes. Forgetting it takes a while.
Mancini left plenty of great music to remember when he died on this date in 1994. Nearly 400 movies and television shows such as Peter Gunn featured his compositions, even posthumously, as in The Odd Couple II (1998). His first film assignment was Abbott and Costello's Lost in Alaska in 1952; his last was Son of the Pink Panther in 1993. In between, Mancini and numerous lyricists made moviegoers hum their way to the exits.
When he wasn't composing for the movies, Mancini borrowed from them, turning theme songs from Love Story and Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet into radio hits. More often, other musicians covered Mancini compositions.
Watch these movies again on home video, and listen to the maestro:
The Glenn Miller Story -- Mancini's first Academy Award nomination came in 1955, for scoring the life of a big-band leader. James Stewart played Miller as a bashful musical genius. One of the most entertaining show-biz biographies ever.
Breakfast at Tiffany's -- Audrey Hepburn's charm was wider than a mile, always crossed in style. Mancini and Johnny Mercer were inspired by her to compose Moon River, winning Oscars for the song and the film's musical score in 1962.
The Days of Wine and Roses -- Another Mancini-Mercer masterpiece. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick battled alcoholism to the forlorn strains of a best-song Oscar winner.
Victor/Victoria -- Mancini's fifth and final Academy Award was shared with Leslie Bricusse in 1983. Julie Andrews plays a woman posing as a man who's a female impersonator. James Garner can't figure out why he's drawn to him, I mean, her. Funny support from the late, great Robert Preston.
The Pink Panther -- Sorry about sticking the title tune in your head again. Perhaps remembering Peter Sellers as bumbling Inspector Clouseau ("Is zat your minkey?") will provide adequate distraction.
Sometimes a Great Notion -- Not all Mancini projects were hits. This one is a personal favorite deserving to be unearthed. Paul Newman and Henry Fonda lead a logging family through tragedy. Charlie Pride sang the Oscar-nominated All His Children by Mancini, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman.
Charade -- Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and Mancini's music. That's almost too much class for one movie to handle. The title song, co-written with Mercer, was an Oscar nominee.
Two for the Road -- Hepburn again, radiant as ever, butting heads and hearts with Albert Finney. Their chemistry and Mancini's heart-swelling musical score make this a must-see movie for neo-romantics.
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