El Dorado | Soundtrack Suite (Nelson Riddle)

[@SoundtrackFred]

"El Dorado" (1966) is a western from the silver age of the genre, starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. It was almost the last movie of legendary director Howard Hawks (only "Rio Lobo" (1972) would follow). While he enjoyed very fruitful collaborations with Dimitri Tiomkin before, he also took opportunities to work with other composers. This time he got gifted arranger Nelson Riddle for the job (widely known for his arrangements and recordings for Frank Sinatra). While the score itself is set very subtle and rather short (only 27 minutes of recorded music), it is the main title song, sung by George Alexander that marks one of the greatest western theme tunes ever. Enjoy!

[@TheVid54]

Riddle did a wonderful stereo re-recording of his EL DORADO score on a an Epic/Reprise LP back in the day.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Thanks for posting this marvelous music from one of my favorite Westerns, Fred ! And I greatly appreciate the fascinating background information ! Please keep up the good work ! George Alexander sings the theme song ? I always thought that was Ed Ames singing it. It sounds SO much like Mr Ames !

[@dorothyvelthaus4867]

Yup!....I could listen to this and visualize the cast and the action- great stuff! Thank you as always....dv

[@Craigs_Cartoon_Capers]

One of my wife's favorite westerns! She says thanks for posting it, especially with James Caan just passing. "Alan Bedillion Tre-who?"

[@alilapointe5832]

It always reminds me my father who loved western movies and John Wayne.. since then I always cry when I hear the song … time runs and only memories remain

[@spitfiremark1a768]

Wow. Seen this film many times. Thanks for posting the soundtrack.

[@chrisj2539]

One of the very BEST movie themes ever! (And of course I love the movie too...)

[@henrykelso7349]

Such a delightful coincidence! I was at Walmart the other day and managed to pick of a dvd of the movie for less than $8.00- definitely plan on seeing it in full soon!

[@robertjewell9727]

My friend Joseph McBride who wrote a book about Howard Hawks said this is his favorite Western and personal favorite Hawks film. I need to remember to post this for him on his birthday which is coming up next month. Thanks, Fred!

[@JohnInTheShelter]

McBride is my favorite writer on film. He did a great audio commentary on My Darling Clementine--wish he'd do more of them.

[@robertjewell9727]

@@JohnInTheShelter , he's done quite a few commentaries, not certain how many, but it's up there. The last one I heard was for John Ford's silent film Straight Shooting.

[@JohnInTheShelter]

@@robertjewell9727 I'll have to look for a web page that indexes commentaries. If one doesn't exist, it should.

[@morlock2086]

Welcome back! What an underrated score. It is nice to see Riddle getting some love. There are moments in this score where 60's and 70's TV really comes out. Thanks Fred!

[@jubalcalif9100]

As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point ! I can hear TV-type music in many parts of this score !

[@danielagallo]

Thank you,Fred!

[@jubalcalif9100]

I heartily concur ! Fred has once again found a cinematic gem for us !

[@biancabarbasgrimiao301]

Very good!! A western with the unconventional style of Nelson Riddle! I like the harmonica in " Hasta Luego ". One year before, Mr. Riddle made the arrangements to brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim in " The Wonderful World of Antonio Carlos Jobim " ( including the main theme of " Porto das Caixas ", a brazilian film released in 1962 ). Thanks again, Fred ( and sorry my english )!!!

[@JohnInTheShelter]

This is a fine score, perfect for the movie. The song goes through my head for days every time I watch the movie. Thanks so much for posting.

[@rogerkeppler9161]

Best John Wayne western theme song ever

[@BammerD]

I have been looking for this soundtrack forever! Thanks for uploading!

[@robdykes3659]

One of the first john Wayne movies l ever remember seeing, born in 1960, so didn't have much choice,living in New Zealand,we were pretty backward in the 60,s tv wise only had one channel

[@kaponei]

This Finale is incredible.

[@schaffermatt]

A good early unconventional Western score. Thanks, Fred!👍🏼 BTW, 1966 is the year of filming and copyright; it was scheduled by Paramount execs for summer ‘66 release until Henry Hathaway objected, saying he didn’t want a John Wayne western to swamp his Steve McQueen western (Nevada Smith) at 1966’s boxoffice. So, El Dorado was held back until the summer of ‘67, hitting theatres about a month or so behind Universal’s The War Wagon. Together, they gave Duke a very good summer’s boxoffice.

[@spitfiremark1a768]

Interesting. Different from now with tbe BO being swamped with fantasy.

[@schaffermatt]

@@spitfiremark1a768 Right. But only the topic of interest has changed; the boxoffice still targets the greatest common interest. Until we lost Vietnam, that was the Western (and the Liz & Dick soaps).

[@nstix2009xitsn]

@schaffermatt Thanks for the back story, buddy. At that point in Wayne's career, that sort of change didn't hurt him at the box office, but by the '70s...

[@ThePhantommigkiller]

Love It Pilgrim !!!

[@massimoferraro6277]

Bellissima colonna sonora!!!!!🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@user-LLPp9yy9om4sos]

🍻💯👍👌🎶🌹🌹🌹🎶❤❤❤ I was looking for a good singer of this beautiful song Mr. Nelson Riddell🥂🎶👍👌

[@agenorgomesferreira9857]

LINA, LINDA TEMA DO FILME ELDORADO COM O INESQUECÍVEL JHON WAYNE É SÓ SAUDADES ...

[@NimbleTack]

I was listening to this and was caught off guard by how familiar the music in the Luke's Life Lingers segment sounded (3:31). I didn't realise that Nelson Riddle also composed the music for the 1966 Batman tv series. It's strange how composers can have their own accents which you can pick up in different pieces of music.

[@jubalcalif9100]

So very true ! The same could be said of much of Benard Herrmann's film & TV music.

[@anonimity5548]

Can this be the end of our beloved caped crusaders?

[@suecollins3246]

I didn't know that Nelson Riddle was also a composer!

[@TheStockwell]

He won his only Academy Award for his score to Jack Clayton's 1974 film of "The Great Gatsby."

[@TheVid54]

Riddle wrote the terrific YA YA theme for Stanley Kubrick's LOLITA; a couple of other terrific works of his are PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES and A RAGE TO LIVE.

[@TheStockwell]

The lyrics of the chorus are very loosely based on the poem "El Dorado" quoted throughout the film by (the late!) James Caan. If you've wanted to hear Edgar Allan Poe quoted in a John Wayne film, this is your movie!

[@DipanwitaPaul-c9v]

Exactly

[@sharonterao9613]

I love this song i have it as my ring tones

[@JustinWalterSweeney]

Such a motivational song, more young boys should hear this song.

[@fanofcameron]

Great quality - no crackling! Thanks a lot!

[@joseraimundo6055]

Um dos melhores Bang Bang que já assisti , com uma atuação soberba de Robert Mitchum como um Xerife bebado

[@alexeisunderland4079]

Amazing score what love to see a Indiana jones and last crusade soundtrack

[@hansrunne9420]

A great movie with the Duke at is best. 🎉😊😊

[@gergydj]

RIP MISSISSIPPI JAMES CAAN

[@miltonabbiati7598]

Grazie Fred.🤠👍🏻 Il film, secondo i recensori, appare una sorta di remake di "Un dollaro d'onore", del quale recupera elementi base del canovaccio narrativo: Tra essi, il pistolero eroe ed integerrimo contrapposto ad uno sceriffo buono ma indebolito dall'alcolismo, la presenza di un partner più giovane ed entusiasta, il vice-sceriffo anziano quasi macchiettistico, una solida amicizia virile che sfida pericoli anche mortali, un radicato senso dell'onore e della lealtà tra gli eroi positivi. Le pellicole sono accomunate dalla presenza del medesimo regista e produttore, Howard Hawks, della sceneggiatrice (e scrittrice di fantascienza) Leigh Brackett, abituale collaboratrice di Hawks, e infine del protagonista, John Wayne: La loro radicata maturità artistica e i sette anni trascorsi tra le due opere contribuiscono a dotare il film del 1966 di un'atmosfera vagamente più disincantata e crepuscolare. Mentre il primo film è commentato da una celebrata colonna sonora di Dimitri Tiomkin, contenente il brano "Degüello", una celebre ballata in stile messicano anche presente nel film "La battaglia di Alamo", e alcune canzoni interpretate dal coprotagonista Ricky Nelson, la partitura musicale di "El Dorado" è affidata a Nelson Riddle, arrangiatore jazz e pop molto noto negli anni '50 e '60, famoso, sul versante cine-televisivo, per la sigla della serie televisiva Batman, ma apparentemente non a suo agio con un commento sinfonico epico e drammatico come quello richiesto da questa produzione, e quindi autore, in questo caso, di una partitura dimessa e meno memorabile. Nelson Riddle lo ricordo per le musiche di "Lolita" del 1962.💋😉 RIP James Caan👏🏻🥲

[@VeritasExanimo]

In 1966, Riddle was hired by television producer William Dozier to create the music for the Batman television series starring Adam West. (Neal Hefti had written the Batman theme song and was originally hired for the series, but became unavailable.) Riddle did the first two seasons of Batman (sans two episodes scored by Warren Barker), along with the theatrically released Batman: The Movie. There was a "Batmanesque" tone in the soundtrack for Howard Hawks' John Wayne film El Dorado, also scored by Riddle in 1966, due to his continued heavy use of brass.

[@TheStockwell]

Congratulations for noticing the small flourishes in this score which were echoes in the Batman series. The recurring trumpet riffs - very Riddle - became the leitmotif of the Riddler (no relation!). 🤔

[@TweetlordandToymakerReviews]

I can't believe has been actually released! Not in it's entirety, though certainly about 95% of the entire score. I've been trying to extract it from the actual Film, looks like I don't have to haha, thanks for sharing! :)

[@TedKilroy]

Is there an extended version of this soundtrack? There are tracks missing, like the saloon piano music.

[@stephenborsbey4350]

I like the opening music from chisum.1970.

[@cybrarian9]

Thank you for posting this. I’ve looked for any sort of album and George Alexander and The Mellowmen but could not find anything. By the way, does anyone notice slight similarities to the “Batman” television series theme music. Maybe it’s a 1960’s thing, but I hear it in certain sections of this music.

[@chargerfryar]

If this music sounds a lot like a Batman episode set in the Wild West it's because Nelson Riddle also did the music for the Batman TV series.

[@stevemcdaniels2825]

Did Toots play on the sound track?

[@janemarkham4133]

JOHN WAYNE WAS A GREAT " PILGRIM " !😇🥰❤🤍💙👌👍💪🙏 🌝⭐