TAS Music Question

[Christopher]

Yep sounds just like him, but more reserved than I've normally heard him.

Announcers adapt their delivery to the work. Frees seemed to be going for an Orson Welles sound there.

He did a solid job considering it was small scale. This test convinced the studio that the project was viable. I thought Maurice Evans was great as Zaius, but I would have loved to see what Robinson would have brought to the actual film if he wasn't allergic to the makeup.

I haven't seen much of Robinson's work, but he was great in Double Indemnity. I also saw him in Soylent Green, his last role, and another team-up with Heston.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I associate Frees' voice with one of those Rankin-Bass stop-motion Christmas specials. Good times.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Yes, and he also did a lot of work for Disney theme parks.

Never had the slightest inclination to see any of the "Planet of the Apes" movies, or even read the book whence they came, and I've always wondered: is there any in-universe reason given why the Apes spoke English (and with an accent Cary Elwes would be proud of)?

(And I think there's a tiny fragment of the TAS open/close in the LD open, too).

 

[Phaser Two]

This may be a semi-good thread for this request, economizing without starting another one and taking advantage of all the music gurus in one place. I don't have access to my clip/soundtrack libraries at the moment. Sorry, but this is TOS, not TAS.

Does anyone know the name of the percussive piano (and, as the cue progresses, horns) cue that is used at the following junctures? It's the music that plays (in long form) near the end of "Catspaw" when Kirk and Spock emerge from the cell through the ceiling hole and battle the Sylvia-controlled McCoy, Scotty, and Sulu. It's later used, in abbreviated form, in "Mirror, Mirror" when Kirk and Mirror Sulu have their short little face-off in Sickbay after Marlena eliminates the guards with the Tantalus Field, and is also heard in "The Changeling" (also in abbreviated form) when Kirk and Spock are alerted that Nomad has broken into Sickbay. It begins with a six-note motif played low on a piano, twice (I have bargain-basement "perfect" pitch and can supply the notes of the motif if needed), and in abbreviated form, that's pretty much the extent of the cue, but when it goes longer (as in "Catspaw"), a bunch of horns come in. It's a very vivace (or con brio) piece that moves quickly and is clearly meant to convey action. Great stuff. I thought it came from S1 (specifically "Shore Leave") but haven't been able to find it there, and in recently rewatching "Catspaw" I was surprised to find it there in extended form.

 

[Christopher]

Never had the slightest inclination to see any of the "Planet of the Apes" movies, or even read the book whence they came, and I've always wondered: is there any in-universe reason given why the Apes spoke English (and with an accent Cary Elwes would be proud of)?

It was never addressed in the movie. In the book, I think the main character had to learn the apes' language, but I don't recall.

But then, the movie wasn't really trying to be realistic science fiction. It was more of a satirical allegory, as one would expect given that it was substantially based on Rod Serling's work.

The reason they cast so many strong-voiced English actors was because the heavy masks would obscure their facial acting, so they compensated with actors who could give big, expressive vocal performances. This same logic is behind the casting of a lot of the Klingons, Cardassians, and other heavy-prosthetic aliens in Star Trek.

 

[Tallguy]

This may be a semi-good thread for this request, economizing without starting another one and taking advantage of all the music gurus in one place. I don't have access to my clip/soundtrack libraries at the moment. Sorry, but this is TOS, not TAS.

Does anyone know the name of the percussive piano (and, as the cue progresses, horns) cue that is used at the following junctures? It's the music that plays (in long form) near the end of "Catspaw" when Kirk and Spock emerge from the cell through the ceiling hole and battle the Sylvia-controlled McCoy, Scotty, and Sulu. It's later used, in abbreviated form, in "Mirror, Mirror" when Kirk and Mirror Sulu have their short little face-off in Sickbay after Marlena eliminates the guards with the Tantalus Field, and is also heard in "The Changeling" (also in abbreviated form) when Kirk and Spock are alerted that Nomad has broken into Sickbay. It begins with a six-note motif played low on a piano, twice (I have bargain-basement "perfect" pitch and can supply the notes of the motif if needed), and in abbreviated form, that's pretty much the extent of the cue, but when it goes longer (as in "Catspaw"), a bunch of horns come in. It's a very vivace (or con brio) piece that moves quickly and is clearly meant to convey action. Great stuff. I thought it came from S1 (specifically "Shore Leave") but haven't been able to find it there, and in recently rewatching "Catspaw" I was surprised to find it there in extended form.

You're talking about two or three different cues. It's Gerald Fried's theme "Captain Kirk". The cue for Catspaw was written for Catspaw. I believe the cue you mention in The Changeling comes from Friday's Child. As do the cues from Mirror Mirror. I think. Fried used this theme in all three of his season two scores, including Amok time. I'm certain that none of these come from Amok Time.

 

[Phaser Two]

You're talking about two or three different cues. It's Gerald Fried's theme "Captain Kirk". The cue for Catspaw was written for Catspaw. I believe the cue you mention in The Changeling comes from Friday's Child. As do the cues from Mirror Mirror. I think. Fried used this theme in all three of his season two scores, including Amok time. I'm certain that none of these come from Amok Time.

The cue I'm after is not in "Amok Time." I'll check out the Kirk theme.

 

[Tallguy]

I'm certain that none of these come from Amok Time.

The cue I'm after is not in "Amok Time." I'll check out the Kirk theme.

And the nuclear vessels are in Alameda?

 

[Ssosmcin]

You're talking about two or three different cues. It's Gerald Fried's theme "Captain Kirk". The cue for Catspaw was written for Catspaw. I believe the cue you mention in The Changeling comes from Friday's Child. As do the cues from Mirror Mirror. I think. Fried used this theme in all three of his season two scores, including Amok time. I'm certain that none of these come from Amok Time.

The piano bit is in the cue "Racial Memories/Captain Kirk/Mace Fight" in the Catspaw soundtrack.

The other piece where Kirk knocks out Sulu in Mirror, Mirror is "Sylvia / Unguarded Entrance / Sympathetic Magic."

Do those fit what you're looking for?

 

[Phaser Two]

And the nuclear vessels are in Alameda?

I was confirming what you said. Chill.

 

[Phaser Two]

The piano bit is in the cue "Racial Memories/Captain Kirk/Mace Fight" in the Catspaw soundtrack.

The other piece where Kirk knocks out Sulu in Mirror, Mirror is "Sylvia / Unguarded Entrance / Sympathetic Magic."

Do those fit what you're looking for?

I believe so—thank you so much! It's one of those. I watched "Catspaw" the other night for unrelated reasons (I left things running after a rewatch of "The Doomsday Machine"). In addition to enjoying what for me is a highly underrated ep, I was surprised and delighted to find that staccato piano bit in "Catspaw." I would have testified on any stand that the cue came from S1, and sounded like "Shore Leave." At least I had the composer right! Thanks again and I'll check my cues when able.

 

[Tallguy]

I was confirming what you said. Chill.

I thought quoting The Funny One would make it funnier. I was wrong. Glad you found the cues you were looking for.

 

[Phaser Two]

I thought quoting The Funny One would make it funnier. I was wrong. Glad you found the cues you were looking for.

No, no, no—my bad for getting chippy for zero reason. Sorry and thanks.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

So now that we've all got our box sets out, I'm dipping into Who Mourns for Adonais. Obviously I wanted to leap in and answer the Catspaw question (Mace Fight! Mace Fight!) but I was too late.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

And besides, it's "Nuclear Wessels." Chekov's exaggerated not-quite-Russian accent is important.

 

[Ssosmcin]

So now that we've all got our box sets out, I'm dipping into Who Mourns for Adonais. Obviously I wanted to leap in and answer the Catspaw question (Mace Fight! Mace Fight!) but I was too late.

I also initially thought "Mace Fight" was the answer, but...if you listen to the library recordings of that cue, every one of them leaves out the piano intro. It seems that "Racial Memories" ends with Korob being flattened by the door. "Captain Kirk" kicks off with Jim bouncing on the bed after tossing the transmuter to Spock. Then "Mace FIght" begins with.....the mace fight. So I am going with @Tallguy's "Captain Kirk" as the actual title of that bit.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Could the piano intro be created editorial, from another cue or library cues? Series would do that, even small bits.

I remember an insane edit-job cue from the QMP series "Most Wanted" that took edited bits from two or three cues and laid them over each other.

 

[Ssosmcin]

If the cue was composed specifically for the episode, they edited it into the music where it was supposed to go. I asked Neil Bulk this question about Catspaw before. In the beginning of the episode, the drum stinger for when Jackson falls off the transporter was also used on its own in other episodes. And the music was also used without the drums in other shows, but it was placed in the soundtrack as heard in the episode because that drum riff was recorded specifically for that moment.

If I explained that right, it should make sense

 

[tharpdevenport]

So then I think this means: it's not on the La La Land Records mega CD set because that was not how the cue was recorded. Something recorded and added later.

Kind of like the percussion material as Kirk takes command of the Enterprise B in star Trek: Generations, as that's not how Dennis McCarthy recorded the cue (I think it was ford A. Thaxton who said that was created editorially by an un-named person without Dennis' knowing).

 

[Phaser Two]

And just for the record, correcting myself about the piece for anyone who might come along later, the percussive piano part that starts it (and was reused in "Mirror, Mirror" and "The Changeling") isn't a six-note motif played twice; it's a six-note motif that, when repeated the second time, adds an additional note between the first iteration's fifth and sixth notes, for a seven-note phrase. (Which thirteen-note total sequence is then in turn repeated, alternating with low horns.) It's very catchy and not hard to see/hear why it was reused. If anyone has a piano or other instrument handy to learn it (I can attest that it sounds great on a bass with slapping and popping), I believe the phrase is akin to C#-D-G-G#-D-A (six notes, first time), then C#-D-G-G#-D-D#-A (adding the D# the second time). You could transcribe the accidentals as flats too, but using sharps makes more sense to me given the brightness of the sequence.