The Barry Very Best

Not surprisingly, the death yesterday of distinguished 77-year-old British film and TV composer John Barry--the man who gave us 11 James Bond film scores--has engendered quite a few tributes. Among them is this from author Martin Edwards:

John Barry will forever be associated with the music for James Bond, and rightly so, but he achieved so much more. Working with a variety of lyricists, including Don Black and the great Hal David, he produced some of the finest songs of the ’60s. My personal favourite is ‘We Have All the Time in the World,’ co-written with Hal David and sung by Louis Armstrong, of all people, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. And the best tune might just be ‘The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair,’ from You Only Live Twice, even though most people associate it with a TV commercial.

There’s a drama and a dynamism about Barry’s music that sets it apart. He’s associated with lush, romantic sounds, but it’s no coincidence that he wrote music for classic crime films and TV shows. His music is truly exciting.

Beyond his efforts on Bond’s behalf, especially his unforgettable theme for Goldfinger (1964), the Barry scores I remember best come from Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, and The IPCRESS File. I’ve also always been quite fond of the theme he cooked up for the 1971-1972 UK TV series The Persuaders!, which starred Tony Curtis and Roger Moore as a pair of millionaire international playboys who are coerced into fighting crime. The Persuaders pilot opening is embedded below.



READ MORE: “John Barry, an Appreciation” (The HMSS Weblog); “John Barry, 1933-2011,” by Nicolas Pillai (Squeezegut Alley); “John Barry, Movie and TV Composer, Dies at 77,” by Catherine Lawson (TV Squad); “John Barry: 1933-2011,” by Armstrong Sabian (Mister 8); “R.I.P., John Barry,” by Tanner (Double O Section); “John Barry: 1933-2011,” by Stephen Woolston (Film Score Monthly); “Sound of the Cimbalon--On the Death of John Barry,” by Rob Mallows (The Deighton Dossier); “Composer John Barry Passes On,” by Mercurie (A Shroud of Thoughts); “John Barry: 1933-2011,” by Jason Whiton (Spy Vibe); “And the Band Played On,” by Ali Karim (The Rap Sheet); “For Your Ears Only,” by J. Kingston Pierce (The Rap Sheet).

Meanwhile, in Other News ...

• Here’s something worth listening to on your weekend off: In the latest installment of BBC 4 radio’s Thinking Allowed program, “Laurie Taylor brings past and present together to explore the culture of the detective. He talks to Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, or The Murder at Road Hill House, as well as criminologists Dr. Louise Westmarland and Professor Dick Hobbs. They discuss the theory and practice of detection based on Kate’s book, a gripping story of a real-life 19th-century murder as well as a sociological treatise on the nature and significance of the detective in fact and fiction.” Tune in soon, as these programs aren’t available forever. (Hat tip to Elizabeth Foxwell.)

• Another fine way to while away a Saturday afternoon.

• Illinois author Laura Benedict, author of Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts, is the latest inductee into January Magazine’s catalogue of “Author Snapshots.” Read more here.

• From Carnival of the Criminal Minds queen Barbara Fister: “Kerrie of Mysteries in Paradise ushers in the new year with a ‘murder in the outback’ carnival theme. She points out (with appropriate video accompaniment) that Australia may be uniquely suited to murder--having a harsh climate, hardy roots transported in convict ships, and heroes who range from sheep thieves to the bushranger who was hanged for murder and gave his name to the country’s highest mystery writing honor, the Ned Kelly Award.”

• Although it looks as if some roadblocks are stalling the feature-film adaptation of that 1970s Roger Moore/Tony Curtis TV thriller series, The Persuaders!, some clever enthusiast has gone ahead and imagined a teaser for the new movie. A version of the original series opener can be seen here.

• Speaking of 1970s TV suspensers, does anyone else remember this one? A refresher can be found here.

• J.M. Hayes casts his eccentric “Mad Dog & Englishman” series for Hollywood consumption.

• And wrapping up (or perhaps not) the recent run of “best of 2008” books lists, Sharon Wheeler and Dark Party Review both name their favorite titles.

Consider Me Unpersuaded

I have to confess that I don’t have strong memories of The Persuaders!, a 1971-1972 British TV series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore as a pair of millionaire international playboys from opposite sides of “the pond,” who are coerced into fighting crime, in order to stay out of jail for trashing a restaurant. (If that sounds to you rather like the premise for both Alias Smith and Jones and It Takes a Thief, you’re not alone.)

Apparently, though, the muckety-mucks at DreamWorks recall this short-lived series (which also showed in the States on ABC-TV) with greater fondness than I. More than a year ago, that U.S. movie studio announced its intention to remake The Persuaders! as a feature film, starring--of all people--Ben Stiller. Now, Variety is reporting that Dan Dorfman, whose credits include scripting the comedies Anger Management and My Boss’s Daughter, has been signed to write the Persuaders flick. British actor Steve Coogan has been recruited to fill Roger Moore’s shoes.

Given what a dreadful job the twitchy Stiller did with the 2004 Starsky & Hutch cinematic remake, and the generally poor track record American studios have when it comes to turning once-popular TV series into big-screen hits, I’ll be surprised if this Persuaders doesn’t go straight to video. The only thing that could make the project more unpromising than it already is, would be if DreamWorks chose to stick with the original series’ uninspired theme music.

The film is scheduled for release in 2007.