CBS COLLECTION 072 UCLA - Film Score Rundowns

ecause UCLA could not handle them at the time (busy and swamped with the 930 boxes
of written scores). Since he was involved with SPFM anyway, it was a simple matter to
have SPFM take possession (not ownership) of the discs as part of the “P” part of the
acronym (“Preservation” of film music). The Deed of Gift # 2 came later in 1991 and was
processed by someone else in charge at UCLA.
Regarding those sheets I mentioned in the above paragraph, most of each legal
size page was blank to leave room for hand-written data-input. On the top left was written
“UCLA Music Library The CBS Collection December 1988.” To its right is
“Composer” (with “Arranger” below that) and then “Orchestrator” On the left side
column is headed “Box/Folder” followed by “Title (Media/Format), Date, Cue Title.”
Next to its right is “Prod.No./Show No; CBS Score No.” Then “Reel Cue No.” and then
“Score/pts,” “Print Format,” “Physical Condition,” and finally in the far right is “Notes.”
For example, one sheet has Boxes 42, 43, 44, 45. Next to “Box 42” it states, “Various full
scores including “Against the Wall,” “Wardrobe,” “Big Jesse,” “Cattle Camp,” “The
Noose,” “Pay-Off,” “Titles,” Cimarron Strip. Under the Notes heading it has written,
“D.B. Ray, P. Carpenter, H. Geller, Richard Shores.” What the staff person looking at the
box didn’t realize was that several of those cues (many not listed here) were composed by
Bernard Herrmann for the Cimarron Strip episode, “A Knife in the Darkness.” Box 43
lists that episode and lists Herrmann as the composer (the first half of the score). The
other half is in Box 42.Under “Title” for Box 43 is written, “Glad to be Home,” CIM
151-200, H. Geller.” Below that is “Cimarron Strip” with “Cyril Mockridge” listed as the
composer. Then “A Knife in the Darkness” with Bernard Herrmann written in as the
composer. Many times there are no specifics. For example, in the sheet that holds
information on Boxes 549 thru 554, we see Box 552 simply listing “Misc. Scores, Xerox”
followed by “Scores” (no notes on composers, etc.).
So the transcription discs went to SPFM instead of UCLA. A high figure of 5,000
discs was initially indicated (such as Film Music Collections in the U.S.: A Guide, edited
by H. Stephen Wright). The May-June 1993 Society Newsletter claimed that there were
3,000 transcription discs, while a later issue claimed 4,000 discs. The figure may be
considerably less, perhaps 800 discs (even down to just 200 discs) after I talked with
various people involved. Unfortunately SPFM never did a proper inventory, so we simply
do not know the precise number received.
At any rate, the primary error SPFM held was that it now owned these
transcription discs rather than having mere possession. UCLA Regents were given a
Deed of Gift, not SPFM. Because of this faulty belief, SPFM subsequently “donated”
duplicates to the Gene Autry Museum in March 1994, proudly advertised in a SPFM
newsletter (see next paragraph). Since possession does not prove ownership, this was a
major “goof” on the part of SPFM management because the discs were not legally theirs
to give away. The claim in a letter to me dated October 20, 1997 was that the
transcription discs were held in storage by SPFM because UCLA did not have the space
or the staff to take care of these materials. If that was so (just holding them in possession
capacity only), this does not justify giving away at least several dozens of these UCLAowned
transcription discs to the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum.
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