Salute to Jerry Goldsmith

It doesn’t seem possible, but it has been five years since the death of film and television composer Jerry Goldsmith, who would have celebrated his 80th birthday in February if he were still with us. Arguably, Goldsmith is second only to John Barry in musical influence of 1960s spy entertainment. (Lalo Schifrin would also be a contender.)

Barry, of course, was the composer was associated with every 007 movie of the decade (arranging Monty Norman’s James Bond theme in Dr. No and composing the scores for the five other Eon-produced Bond films of the decade).

Goldsmith’s effect on spy entertainment had two legs: he composed the theme for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. along with scores for three episodes. Because the series only had original scores for about half of its episodes, that music got recycled so that Goldsmith’s music could be heard on a majority of first-season episodes. In the show’s fourth, and final, season, Goldsmith’s music was re-recorded and used liberally.

Here’s the “documentary” style opening for the seventh episode, The Giuoco Piano Affair, that features Goldsmith’s original verison of the theme:

Goldsmith also scored the two Derek Flint movies, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint. Here’s his stylish Flint theme from the main titles of Our Man Flint:

Near the end of the film, Flint (James Coburn) engages in some derring-do, which provides a chance to sample Goldsmith’s score:

In the sequel, Flint combats a general who wants to take over the U.S. who has manipulated some powerful women who want to take over the world. Don’t ask, just go with the flow and enjoy Goldsmith’s score (with the possible exception of a “pop goes the weasel” effect):