Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

the cue sheets) music during a ballet scene. The entry says “Romance” starting on the dvd
at 1:00:38 but it doesn’t identity the specific Tchaikovsky music. There is a scene of a
hand turning the page of the score but the writing is in Russian (and I can’t read it!).
Looked like it was Scene 17 of that score.
“Agitato” starts at 1:03:27, then Rule Brittania, then La Mardseillaise, then (g)
Confusion (located at 1:03:47). Later at I believe 1:18:09 is Theme Russe. Ten we come
to a long fifteen-minute Russian trial scene. I would’ve cut it down substantially. At
1:19:47 is “Fly Higher March” (Unknown/Arr. Max Steiner). There is a combined
medley # 21 (same cue) starting (1:22:24) with Hail Columbia, then Polish National
Anthem, then Paderewski (Max Steiner), then Deutschland Uber Alles. At 1:23:37 is
Yugoslavia National Anthem, then followed by La Marseillaise, and then (1:24:38)
Wilhelmus Van Nassouwe (Unknown) in the Holland scene. Very soon (1:25:55) we
come to the Mayday 1938 scene in Russia with Stalin there staring with (a) Introduction
(Max Steiner) and then (b) Old Russian Folk Song (Unknown/arr. Steiner), then (c) Stalin
(Steiner), and so forth. At 1:30:20 we come to (h) Chinese Ambassador, then (i) Theme
Russe, (j) Triste (Steiner), and then a minute and a half of (k) Work As One (doctor
scene). Skipping to 1:41:21 we come to “Tranquil” (Steiner) as Stalin lights his pipe as
Daves leaves the room. 1:46:08 is Rule Brittania for ten seconds followed by Yankee
Doodle (ship scene). Skipping to 1:55:21 we come to Merrily We Roll Along music in
the scene where school kids play it and showcase the sign “We Won’t Fight.” Etc.
The ending is really corny, a sort of heavenly or utopian future/idealistic scene!
Oh, well. [end session 7 pm Thursday, January 27, 2011]
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-Trouble Along the Way (1953) ** [music ***]
http://www.wbshop.com/Trouble-Along-The-Way/1000008101,default,pd.html?cgid=
Here’s another Curtiz-directed movie (as Mission To Moscow). The Warner
Archive print of this black & white film is sharp and crisp. I wish the movie itself was
crisply paced and written, tending to meander somewhat. I like the stars: John Wayne as
Steve Williams, ex-communicated football coach; Donna Reed as Alice Singleton, young
case officer for the Domestic Relations Court; Charles Coburn as Rector Burke of a
dilapidated Saint Anthony’s College; Sherry Jackson as Carole, Steve’s 11-year old
daughter (I liked her better in Lion & the Horse); and I really liked Dabbs Greer as Father
Mahoney who tends to baby sit the elderly Rector. I guess you can say I am religiously
(in this movie role at least!) a Dabbs Greer fan. I loved it when he was a Gunsmoke
regular periodically. He’s just a natural actor to me. He’s not a famous character actor as,
say, Walter Brennan, but I feel he’s in that general league of extraordinary character
actors.
But the movie itself left much to be desired. There’s not much “there” there,
dramatically speaking.
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