FSM Readies “Dr. T,” Warner Bros. Two-Fer

Film Score Monthly, one of the best sources for soundtrack reissues and info in the pre-Internet age, has had a lot of weird press lately. FSM founder Lukas Kendall had an oddly overstated reaction when discovering that this year’s Star Trek: The Next Generation box set had been uploaded onto a torrent site. (It was easily the Internet at its worst on both sides – FSM posters might have overreacted at what was already a callous, disgusting act on the part of the pirates, leading to little solved.) Then there was his somewhat mercurial post on the main site concerning the volume of output from the labels and subsequent confession of limited edition CDs overpressed by his label. It’s not end-times stuff, but it does prove that a change needs to be made in the successful-but-still-needing-to-adapt film score market.

In the meantime, though, we do have some positive news coming from FSM: two new releases – one a bundling of two LPs long out of print, and one an exhaustive archival edition of a most unusual film score. Details on each title after the jump!

FSM will released a two-fer of the original LPs to the television series Kung Fu and the film Man in the Wilderness. Both were released on Warner Bros. Records (the latter seemingly only got a release in the U.K.) but never got a release on CD until now. Kung Fu combines music and dialogue from the famed ABC series starring the late David Carradine in a career-making role, while Man in the Wilderness is a taut, multifaceted score to a suspenseful action film starring Richard Harris, composed by his sometime arranger Johnny Harris.

The label’s second set of the week is an exhaustive, three-disc presentation of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., a 1953 musical notable for being the only film written by Theodore Geisel, of course better known the world over as children’s author Dr. Seuss. (Don’t pinch yourself, readers – Seuss did not have any posthumous input into the wretched live-action versions of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and The Cat in the Hat (2003).) Seuss wrote the script for this bizarre, cult-classic film, and penned the lyrics to each song written by Frederick Hollander, composer of such films as The Blue Angel (1930) (in which Marlene Dietrich sang “Falling in Love Again (Can’t Help It)” and Sabrina (1954). This oversized collection collects all the music as heard in the film, alternate cues, pre-production work and other ephemera.

Ordering info for the two-fer is here, while Dr. T.‘s page is here. The track lists are below.

Jim Helms and Johnny Harris, Kung Fu / Man in the Wilderness (Film Score Monthly Vol. 13, No. 15, 2010 – original LPs released 1973 and 1971)

1. Caine’s Theme
2. The Shaolin Temple/The New Student/Ten Times Ten
3. The Ancient Warrior/Shawn’s Theme
4. A Children’s Game/Divine Strength
5. Alethea/Su Yen
6. Grasshopper
7. Power of the Other/The Lotus Pond/One With Nature
8. Dark Angel (Hymn)
9. On Evil/The Peaceful Path/Time of the Soul
10. King of the Mountain/An Eye for An Eye
11. The Search
12. Sign of the Dragon
13. Main Title (Capt. Henry Theme)
14. Zach Discovers Water
15. Shadows of Reckerys
16. Zach Makes His Bed
17. Zach’s Music Box
18. Zach Bass Theme
19. Mandam Massacre
20. Lost Horizons Part One
21. Lost Horizons Part Two
22. Henry Meets Redthorn
23. Henry Continues
24. Zach Goes Mountain Climbing
25. Survival Time
26. Zach Bass Theme
27. Zach Meets Redthorn
28. Zach Goes for Henry
29. Finale (Zach Bass Theme)

Tracks 1-12 released as Kung Fu: Music & Dialogue from the Warner Bros. T.V. Series (Warner Bros. BS 2726, 1973)
Tracks 13-29 released as Man in the Wilderness: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (Warner Bros. K 46126 (U.K.), 1972)

Frederick Hollander (and Dr. Seuss), The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, (Film Score Monthly Vol. 13, No. 16, 2010 – original film released 1953)

Disc 1: Music for the Original Version

1. Main Title (Original)
2. Ten Happy Fingers
3. Before Concerto/Theme and Variations
4. After Transition
5. Meeting the Twins/The Uncles’ Skating Waltz
6. Balloon Cue/Finding Mom/Why, Why, Why
7. Many Questions
8. Enter Dr. T./Hypnotic Chant
9. Take an Essay/Terwilliker’s Do Re Mi
10. Search and Chase/Bart Kicks
11. The Dungeon
12. Bart Kicks
13. Dungeon Shlim Shlam
14. Bart Runs/After Shlim
15. Lead to Grindstone/The Grindstone
16. Lead to Involved/I Will Not Get Involved
17. Bart Miffed
18. Pete Rows/Dream Stuff/Dream Stuff Reprise
19. Massage Opera
20. Some Prisoner
21. Love is Grand/You Opened My Eyes
22. Love Song Lead-In/Hypnotic Duel
23. New Lead-In to Get Together Weather/Get Together Weather
24. Go On/Kid’s Song
25. Bart Goes for Money
26. Money
27. Track Down Dr. T./Dr. T.’s Bedroom
28. The Flower Pot Chase
29. Freckle on a Pygmy
30. Mound Country/Before Ballet
31. Butterfly Ballet
32. Rescuing Mother
33. Mrs. C. Freed/Intro to Twins’ Death
34. Drum Roll/Victory Procession

Disc 2: More Music for the Original Version/Alternate Versions/Orchestral Tracks

1. Follow Me/The Whammy/Dungeon Elevator
2. The Cage
3. The Chase
4. Cut to T./Dressing Song
5. It Works/Atomic Success/Presenting Dr. T.
6. Chopsticks
7. Reality/End Title
8. Finale
9. Main Title (New)
10. Search and Chase (Alternate Sequence)
11. Roller Skating Waltz (Insert)
12. Many Questions (Alternate)
13. Up and Down, Part 1/End of Up
14. I Will Not Get Involved (Alternate)
15. Pete Rows (Alternate)
16. Bart in Hall
17. Say, Dr. T./Hypnotic Duel
18. Freckle on a Pygmy (Alternate)
19. Dungeon Elevator (Alternate)
20. Dressing Song (Alternate Vocal)
21. Reality (Revised)
22. Finale
23. The Uncles’ Skating Waltz (Orchestral)
24. Many Questions (Orchestral)
25. Terwilliker’s Do Re Mi (Orchestral)
26. Dream Stuff (Orchestral)
27. You Opened My Eyes (Orchestral)
28. Get Together Weather (Orchestral)
29. Kid’s Song (Orchestral)
30. Victory Procession (Orchestral)
31. Dungeon Elevator (Orchestral)
32. Dressing Song (Orchestral)

Disc 3: Composer Sketches, Pre-Production Material and Soundtrack Cuts

1. Main Title (Composer Sketch)
2. Ten Happy Fingers (Composer Sketch)
3. The Boy’s Theme (Composer Sketch)
4. Childhood Theme (Composer Sketch)
5. Many Questions (Composer Sketch)
6. I Will Not Get Involved (Composer Sketch)
7. One Moment (Composer Sketch)
8. Kid’s Song (Composer Sketch)
9. The Plumber’s Song (Freckle on a Pygmy) (Composer Sketch)
10. Count Me Out (Composer Sketch)
11. Valse Phantastique (Composer Sketch)
12. The Uncles’ Skating Waltz
13. Dream Stuff (First Version)
14. Dream Stuff (Second Version)
15. Massage Opera
16. Get Together Weather
17. Butterfly Ballet
18. Victory Procession
19. Dressing Song
20. Dungeon Shlim Shlam
21. Main Title/Butterfly Ballet
22. Ten Happy Fingers
23. Before Concerto/Happy Fingers—Theme and Variations
24. Dream Stuff
25. Hypnotic Duel
26. Get Together Weather
27. Kid’s Song
28. Dungeon Shlim Shlam
29. Twins’ Death
30. Victory Procession
31. Dungeon Elevator
32. Dressing Song
33. End Title

Portions released on El Records CD ACMEM 126CD, 2007