Steven C. Smith on Max Steiner + MELODY CRUISE
Presentation by Steven C. Smith, author of "Music by Max Steiner: The Epic Life of Hollywood's Most Influential Composer"
Nearly half a century before John Williams' STAR WARS soundtrack, 24-time Oscar® nominee Max Steiner created the sound of Hollywood film music, establishing the rules of scoring still used today. This is the story of how the Vienna-born heir to a theatrical dynasty became one of Broadway's top musical directors, a three-time Oscar® winner and composer of scores for such screen classics as KING KONG, CASABLANCA and NOW, VOYAGER. Steven C. Smith's presentation covers Steiner's creative struggles and interactions with producer David O. Selznick, studio chief Jack Warner and stars including Fred Astaire and Bette Davis.
Followed by:
MELODY CRUISE (1933) in 35mm
MELODY CRUISE is a delightful pre-Code musical comedy directed by Mark Sandrich, who had created a sensation with his earlier Oscar®-winning short SO THIS IS HARRIS!, which featured rhyming dialogue over musical underscore. The film is visually inventive with imaginative use of sound, a style which continued into Sandrich's next film, FLYING DOWN TO RIO. "Packed with flashy optical wipes and double exposures," Steven C. Smith writes, MELODY CRUISE "synchronized screen action to music beats, using rhyming dialogue and song to freshen a standard mistaken-identity plot… The setting was a liner bound for Panama, stocked with double entendrés, scantily clad party girls and infectiously catchy songs by Will Jason and Val Burton." The story follows pals Pete (Charles Ruggles) and Alan (Phil Harris) as they attempt to avoid romantic entanglements while on a voyage filled with temptation. Watch for a 16-year-old Betty Grable in an uncredited role as a stewardess. DIR/SCR Mark Sandrich; SCR Ben Holmes; PROD Merian C. Cooper. U.S., 1933, b&w, 77 min. NOT RATED
New 35mm print from the Library of Congress.
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 140 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, June 18, 2023
Genre: Musical comedy