Cat Ballou | Soundtrack Suite (Frank De Vol)

[@napoleon-sk5oc]

So powerfully entering that everything else pales in comparison!

[@SoundtrackFred]

In “Cat Ballou” (1965), Cat(herine) Ballou (Jane Fonda) is off to get help from the legendary gunslinger Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin) in order to save her family’s farm, which is being threatened by the railroad company. After finding out that Kid Shelleen is (or was) not only the best gunslinger, but now also the drunkest - she more or less has to get things in her own hands, but of course not with Kid Shelleen’s swipesy accompaniment… A very entertaining movie, starring Fonda and Marvin in one of each best roles (Marvin would win an Oscar for this performance), we also get the unusual accompaniment of “storytellers” (Stubby Kaye & Nat King Cole) that appear here and there throughout the movie. As nice the tunes are they sing, it was one of Cole’s last performances. He was sick at the time and died way too soon of lung cancer, even before the movie opened. The musical score was provided by Hollywood’s man for funny-flicks, Frank De Vol. As composer and part-time actor he had a profound understanding of (film) music and his acting / music career in Hollywood stands out as pretty unique. While “Cat Balou” spawned a soundtrack vinyl, mainly containing song-material, here we are listening now to the film versions of score and songs, as featured as isolated score track on the Twilight Time blu-ray. Enjoy!

[@TheVid54]

I'm so glad they remastered this score for stereo on the blu-ray. I know a lot of folks are purists for original mono soundtracks in movies, but I for one have really preferred some of the new stereo remixes on movies originally released theatrically in monaural. Columbia, Paramount and United Artists have done some great work in this area.

[@napoleon-sk5oc]

Twilight Time was thE best!

[@Harringtonml54]

Thank you for this! Would you consider posting the entire score? It is such a delight. Both the score and the title tune were Oscar nominees.

[@biancabarbasgrimiao301]

Hello, Fred! Who could imagined that the film that won the most awards for the eternally grumpy Lee Marvin ( five awards, in the USA, England and Germany ) was a comic western with songs written by Livingston & David?!? Doesn't the sound like a Mel Brooks idea??!!? Here, the good De Vol has the chance to remember the times when he was an arranger for Alvino Rey's band, exercising the difficult task of musically balancing drama, comedy, action, suspense and, on top of hat, songs!! Marvin drunk on top of a horse seems like something autobiographical, and the dissonant note is that the unforgettable Nat King Cole didn't even see the result, passing away four months and nine days before the release -- real life imposing itself... Thanks and bye!!! A big storm is falling here now!!! Bye again!!!

[@morlock2086]

Another fun one, Fred. Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole as balladeers (shakes head). Thumbs up.

[@stephensorenson-z6h]

i'm glad you have this one!🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@madlenellul3430]

We desperately need this released on CD.. Thanks Fred. 🥰👵🇦🇺🇺🇸

[@miltonabbiati7598]

Grazie Fred❤ Well done Frank De Vol👍🏻 Very old western parody kept afloat by the glamor of Jane Fonda and the verve of Lee Marvin, here in an unusual double role awarded with an Oscar. The singing performances of Nat "King" Cole and Stubby Kaye, who comment on the story like a Greek chorus, are curious but no longer there. The screenplay is an adaptation made by Walter Newman and Frank Pierson of a novel by Roy Chanslor. The novel was originally a serious western, but was turned into a comedy for the film. Nat "King" Cole died of lung cancer several months before the film's release. He began showing symptoms of the disease during the filming of the film. Kirk Douglas turned down the role of Shelleen; ironically, many years later he would play a similar double role in the film “The Man From Snowy River.” Jack Palance, on the other hand, desperately wanted this role, but it was never offered to him. Ann-Margret was the first actress asked to play Catherine, but she refused. While receiving the Oscar, Lee Marvin said, "Half of this Oscar belongs to a horse somewhere out there in the valley." At the beginning of the film, the Torch Lady from Columbia Pictures was replaced with a cartoon Cat Ballou, firing guns in the air. The film was presented in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, where Lee Marvin won the Silver Bear for Best Actor. Lee Marvin, in addition to winning the Oscar (the film received a total of five nominations), won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the National Board Of Review Award. In 2000, the American Film Institute placed the film in 50th place in its ranking of the hundred best American comedies of all time. In 2008 he placed it in 10th place of the ten best westerns.

[@kslfrasl]

That's great

[@BSilva1984]

Good soundtrack

[@madlenellul3430]

P.S. brilliant job in this suite.. love it. 🥰👵🇦🇺🇺🇸

[@greggormick5255]

Orchestrated by Al Woodbury, who worked extensively with Frank De Vol -- and many others from Johnny Green to John Barry. The music coordinator was Paul Mertz, who was on the staff of the Columbia Pictures Music Department for 20 years and then freelanced at various studios (primarily Columbia) until he worked on the musical version of Lost Horizon. The non-musical version was his first assignment at Columbia in 1935. Paul said the difference between the two movies convinced him it was time to retire, which he did.

[@tsf5-productions]

"Miss Ballou!...I am here!" "I never seen a man get through the day so quick." This movie is fun to watch a few times. The soundtrack is very good, and yes, it's a shame the dynamic icon singer, Nat King Cole passed away to not have some enjoyable time in the movie accolades of comments.

[@eisyone]

🤠❤

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

🌎👍❤

[@JeffreyKenison]

If I may be so bold. Maybe you can do a soundtrack suite video for Miklos Rozsa’s score for The Thief of Bagdad (1940).

[@SoundtrackFred]

Hello Jeffrey! Oh, how dearly I would love to! Usually we try everything here to spare out re-recordings to feature the pure and (mostly composer-conducted) original recordings - as bad as they maybe even sound (a recent video of Waxman's "Rebecca" comes to mind). Anyway, there is nothing we have now of Rózsa's original recordings from "Thief Of Baghdad". The only compromise I see, would be presenting Rózsa's own re-recording, which he did in 1983 with a runtime of 18 minutes but still... It's something! What do you think? :-) Best! Fred

[@JeffreyKenison]

Let me give you some advice. Just do your best when you get around to it.

[@JeffreyKenison]

One thing for sure. When I made the suggestion, I wasn’t expecting you to make promises, it was just something worth taking under advisement. So good luck.