The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey

John Williams' final television project in the 1970s teamed him with director Delbert Mann again, this time for "Jane Eyre." Williams composed this score while on a break from working on "Fiddler on the Roof," and the love Williams had (and continues to have) for all things English is on full display in the score. Peter Lloyd, the principal flute player for the London Symphony Orchestra, gets to shine as the score features plenty of flute melodies. Host Jeff Commings is joined by guest co-host Yavar Moradi, who counts "Jane Eyre" as his favorite John Williams score. Relax for a lengthy (one full hour!) conversation about the creation of the score and highlights of the music.

If not for some divine intervention, John Williams might not have written one note of music for "The Reivers," and he might not have become the celebrated composer he is today. Host Jeff Commings talks about the rejected score that caused director Mark Rydell to hire Williams, and how Williams was able to quickly turn out a score that perfectly encapsulates the feel of 1900s Mississippi.

The 1969 film "Daddy's Gone A-Hunting" should have been released as a B-movie, but with "Valley of the Dolls" director Mark Robson helming the film, it was viewed as a surefire hit. It turned out to be anything but that, though Robson tried to boost the quality of film by asking John Williams to write the score while on break from working on "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" in the summer of 1968. Williams experiments with some new instrumentation here, and host Jeff Commings walks you through these moments in a very sparse score.

The 1967 film "Valley of the Dolls" was, on the surface, like any other assignment John Williams had in his early film scoring career. His task was to adapt music from five original songs by Andre and Dory Previn, and put in some original music of his own. The gig turned out to be a major step forward for the Maestro, marking his first screen credit as "John Williams" since his debut as a film composer. Plenty more significance come from his work on this film, and host Jeff Commings discusses them and takes a listen to highlights from the score in this episode.

After composing scores to five films in 1966 -- and writing music for a failed TV sitcom -- John Williams had only three films on his plate in 1967. On the surface, they would turn out to be no different from what Williams had done previously, but they turned out to make a big impact in moving his career forward. His first film of the year, a bedroom farce starring newly-minted Oscar winner Walter Matthau, offers John Williams fans a chance to hear him compose music of numerous styles in one film. John Williams' work is the star of "Not With My Wife You Don't," especially because his music helps out in many dialogue-free scenes such as a travelogue around the globe and a silent film homage. Because the film did not do well at the box office, the score got very little notice -- until now! Enjoy this listen to an overlooked gem in the John Williams oeuvre.

Natalie Wood is the star of "Penelope," but the film puts so much more focus on Edith Head's costumes that it takes away from the flimsy and uneven plot. John Williams manages to compose a very good theme for the film by way of a 60s-era song that begins his longtime collaboration with the English songwriter Leslie Bricusse. Host Jeff Commings talks about the numerous permutations of the Penelope theme in this episode, as well as the history behind the making of the film and how it affected Natalie Wood's film career.

The Audrey Hepburn art caper comedy "How to Steal a Million" was a turning point in John Williams' career, at least in the eyes of the composer himself. Host Jeff Commings explains why Williams felt this was a new chapter in his professional career, and how it shaped his life going forward. The film itself was one of the biggest successes in which John Williams was able to take part, and it's in no small thanks to the main theme that's used for many different purposes.

Technically, John Williams' follow-up to "None But the Brave" is a war film, as it deals with the U.S.-Soviet animosities during the Cold War, but it really is nothing more than pure slapstick comedy that stoops low but still strives to aim high. "John Goldfarb Please Come Home" takes the real-life incident of Francis Gary Powers crashing his U2 plane and makes lowbrow comedy out of it. What results is a low point in Shirley MacLaine's movie career, but a great effort by John Williams in his 10th film. The music in this film relies heavily on arranging the orchestra to create a Middle Eastern flavor, with some 60s punk sprinkled on top. Williams uses many musical styles throughout the film, from a quiet love theme to Keystone Kops-style antics. A major milestone of the film concerns the title song, which marks the first song co-written by Williams to appear in a theatrical film. Host Jeff Commings analyzes Williams' contributions to the film, and the court battle that nearly derailed the film's release.

It's John Williams' birthday, and we're celebrating with a special release of this episode of "The Baton." The film itself is nothing really special, though we get some pretty dramatic acting from future Oscar winner Lee Marvin, as well as John Cassavetes and future President Ronald Reagan. This is probably the first film of decent quality in the John Williams canon, and we're lucky that it made it to the big screen at all after censors axed plans to air it on television. Williams gets back to writing a fully-realized and compelling original score, though his friend Henry Mancini gets in the way a couple of times. John Williams doesn't seem to mind that, since he helped Mancini on one of his most famous film scores that year. Sit back and enjoy the ride with host Jeff Commings!

The first of two films that John Williams would score in 1963 took him back to dramatic territory, specifically the lush locales of Hawaii in the Charlton Heston film "Diamond Head." There wasn't much opportunity for Williams to stretch his composing muscles, as he was restrained by the existence of a theme composed by Hugo Winterhalter. The score to "Diamond Head" was full of Winterhalter's theme, with Williams simply filling in the gaps in this sparse score. At least Williams gets a "Music By" credit on the film. Take a listen to this score with host Jeff Commings, and examine how well Williams works with his orchestrator to put his stamp on the score. And we'll discuss the situation concerning the casting of white actors in roles that should have gone to Hawaiian actors, something Hollywood continues to do in the 21st century.

John Williams' fourth film score, for the movie "The Secret Ways," does its very best to turn a very bad film into something watchable. Williams succeeds in many places, coloring in darkly-filmed scenes with violins and flutes and composing a haunting main theme for the piano and cello. Host Jeff Commings tries to explain the plot of the film while breaking down some of the score's finer moments. We'll also discuss the historic firsts John Williams experienced the same year during his work on the TV show "Checkmate."

The second film in John Williams' filmography is about as different from his first as you could get. The film "I Passed For White" tried very hard to be taken seriously, but is sheer melodrama in the Douglas Sirk method. The film is notable for the first thematic material John Williams has written, a lush melody for the main character. Join host Jeff Commings as he discusses this heavy-handed drama about race and personal identity.

Welcome! This is a podcast unlike any other. We're going on a journey through the 60 years of film music written by the legendary John Williams, considered by just about everyone to be the greatest film composer in history. In this episode, host Jeff Commings begins the journey with a look back at John Williams' life before his first film assignment. Learn about John Williams' time in the Air Force, his studies at Juilliard and learning from the best in his early days in Hollywood.