Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein

Born: 4 April 1922, New York, New York.
Died: 18 August 2004.

Biography:
Widely regarded as one of the best and most influential film composers in history, Elmer Bernstein was a student Walden School, NYU, and the highly respected Juillard Institute, where he was a protégé of Aaron Copland. A talented actor and dancer, as well as a composer, Bernstein was heavily involved in the arts in his youth. During World War II he joined the US Army Air Corps to write music for UN radio programmes and American propaganda documentaries, and filled his spare time writing music the theatre. His first experience of screen composition came in the early 1950s, scoring his first feature - "Saturday's Hero" - for director David Miller. His infectious jazz score for "The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955) was critically acclaimed, but it was not until the following year, when he was unexpectedly asked to take over scoring duties from an ailing Victor Young on Cecil B. De Mille's "The Ten Commandments" that his reputation as one of film music's most graceful exponents was cemented. Classic works such as "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "Summer and Smoke" (1961), "Walk on the Wild Side" (1962), "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), "The Great Escape" (1963), "Hawaii" (1966), the Oscar-winning "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (1967) and "True Grit" (1969) soon followed, ensuring that Bernstein's place in soundtrack history was assured. Commercial successes including "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978), "Airplane!" (1980), "An American Werewolf in London" (1981), "Trading Places" (1983) and "Ghostbusters" (1984), as well as critically acclaimed works such as "My Left Foot" (1989), "The Grifters" (1990), "The Age of Innocence" (1993) and "Far From Heaven" (2002) gave him a much needed career boost – and a trio of Oscar nominations - after a lean 1970s, and despite his advancing years he continued to work well into his 80s. Bernstein died at his home in Ojai, California, on 18 August 2004, aged 82, after a short illness, leaving his wife Eve, son Peter (also a composer), and daughters Elizabeth and Emilie, who often worked with her father on orchestrations and album production. Click Here to read Bernstein's obituary

Reviews:
The Age of Innocence, Bringing Out The Dead, The Deep End of the Ocean, Keeping the Faith, Twilight, Walk on the Wild Side and Wild Wild West.

Filmography:
American Epic: The Story of Cecil B. DeMille (2004), Far From Heaven (2002), Chinese Coffee (2001), Keeping the Faith (2000), Bringing Out The Dead (1999), The Deep End of the Ocean (1999), Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), Wild Wild West (1999), Twilight (1998), Buddy (1997), Hoodlum (1997), Puppies For Sale (1997), The Rainmaker (1997), Rough Riders (1997), Bulletproof (1996), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Frankie Starlight (1995), Roommates (1995), Search and Destroy (1995), Canadian Bacon (1994), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Cemetery Club (1993), The Good Son (1993), Lost in Yonkers (1993), Mad Dog and Glory (1993), The Babe (1992), Cape Fear (1991), Oscar (1991), A Rage in Harlem (1991), Rambling Rose (1991), The Field (1990), The Grifters (1990), My Left Foot (1989), Slipstream (1989), Da (1988), Funny Farm (1988), The Good Mother (1988), A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987), Leonard Part 6 (1987), Legal Eagles (1986), Three Amigos! (1986), The Black Cauldron (1985), Gulag (1985), Marie Ward (1985), Spies Like Us (1985), Ghostbusters (1984), Prince Jack (1984), Class (1983), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), Trading Places (1983), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Five Days One Summer (1982), An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Chosen (1981), Genocide (1981), Going Ape! (1981), Heavy Metal (1981), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Stripes (1981), Today's F.B.I. (1981), Airplane! (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980), Saturn 3 (1980), This Year's Blonde (1980), Bloodbrothers (1979), Charleston (1979), The Great Santini (1979), Meatballs (1979), Zulu Dawn (1979), Art Game (1978), Cézanne (1978), Degas in the Metropolitan (1978), Little Women (1978), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Powers of Ten (1978), The 3,000 Mile Chase (1977), Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977), Daumier: Paris and the Spectator (1977), Polavision (1977), The Worlds of Franklin and Jefferson (1977), From Noon Till Three (1976), The Incredible Sarah (1976), The Look of America (1976), Serpico: The Deadly Game (1976), The Shootist (1976), Ellery Queen (1975), Metropolitan Overview (1975), The Old Curiosity Shop (1975), Report to the Commissioner (1975), Gold (1974), McQ (1974), Men of the Dragon (1974), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), Cahill: United States Marshal (1973), Copernicus (1973), Nightmare Honeymoon (1973), The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972), The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), The Rookies (1972), SX-70 (1972), Big Jake (1971), Doctors' Wives (1971), Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law (1971), See No Evil (1971), Cannon for Cordoba (1970), The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), Walk in the Spring Rain (1970), The Bridge at Remagen (1969), The Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), The Gypsy Moths (1969), Midas Run (1969), Tops (1969), True Grit (1969), Where's Jack? (1969), I Love You Alice B. Toklas (1968), Rough Sketch (1968), The Scalphunters (1968), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), 7 Women (1966), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), Hawaii (1966), Return of the Seven (1966), The Silencers (1966), Baby The Rain Must Fall (1965), Four Days in November (1965), The Hallelujah Trail (1965), The Reward (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), View from the People Wall (1965), Westinghouse in Alphabetical Order (1965), The Carpetbaggers (1964), House of Science (1964), The World of Henry Orient (1964), The Caretakers (1963), The Great Escape (1963), Hud (1963), Kings of the Sun (1963), Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), Rampage (1963), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), A Girl Named Tamiko (1962), San Francisco Fire (1962), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Walk on the Wild Side (1962), By Love Possessed (1961), The Comancheros (1961), Hollywood: The Golden Years (1961), Summer and Smoke (1961), The Young Doctors (1961), The Fabulous Fifties (1960), From the Terrace (1960), The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Making of the President (1960), The Rat Race (1960), The Miracle (1959), The Race for Space (1959), The Story on Page One (1959), Anna Lucasta (1958), The Buccaneer (1958), Desire Under the Elms (1958), God's Little Acre (1958), Johnny Staccato (1958), Kings Go Forth (1958), Some Came Running (1958), Drango (1957), Fear Strikes Out (1957), Men in War (1957), Saddle the Wind (1957), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Tin Star (1957), Toccata for Toy Trains (1957), Eames' Lounge Chair (1956), Storm Fear (1956), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Eternal Sea (1955), House (1955), It's a Dog's Life (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The View from Pompey's Head (1955), Make Haste to Live (1954), Miss Robin Crusoe (1954), Silent Raiders (1954), Sofa Compact (1954), Cat-Women of the Moon (1953), Robot Monster (1953), Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952), Boots Malone (1952), Never Wave at a WAC (1952), Sudden Fear (1952), Saturday's Hero (1951).

Highest Grossing Films (adjusted for inflation):
The Ten Commandments ($804.3m), Ghostbusters ($483.0m), National Lampoon’s Animal House ($398.2m), The Trial of Billy Jack ($313.2m), Airplane! ($219.6m), Stripes ($217.2m), Trading Places ($203.2m), Wild Wild West ($158.6m), The Blues Brothers ($150.6m), Spies Like Us ($119.8m)

Awards:
1967 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Thoroughly Modern Millie
2002 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Far From Heaven
1994 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Age of Innocence
1983 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Adapted Score - Trading Places
1974 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Wherever Love Takes Me" from Gold
1969 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "True Grit" from True Grit
1967 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Hawaii
1967 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Adapted Score - Return of the Seven
1967 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "My Wishing Doll" from Hawaii
1962 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - To Kill A Mockingbird
1962 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Walk on the Wild Side" from Walk on the Wild Side
1961 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Summer and Smoke
1960 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Magnificent Seven
1955 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Man with the Golden Arm
1966 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - Hawaii
1962 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - To Kill A Mockingbird
2002 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Far From Heaven
1969 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "True Grit" from True Grit
1993 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Age of Innocence
1985 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Ghostbusters
1977 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Music Composition Series – Captains and Vikings

Links:
Official Site
Tribute to Elmer Bernstein by Bill Reynolds and Mark Larsen

The Age of Innocence Airplane! Amazing Grace and Chuck The Babe Baby The Rain Must Fall Big Jake The Birdman of Alcatraz The Black Cauldron The Blues Brothers The Buccaneer Buddy Bulletproof Cape Fear The Carpetbaggers Cast a Giant Shadow The Cemetery Club The Comancheros Deep End of the Ocean Devil in a Blue Dress Drango Far From Heaven The Field Frankie Starlight From the Terrace Genocide Ghostbusters God's Little Acre Gold The Good Son The Great Escape The Grifters The Gypsy Moths The Hallelujah Trail Hawaii Heavy Metal Hoodlum I Love you, Alice B. Toklas! Introducing Dorothy Dandridge Johnny Staccato Keeping the Faith Last Man Standing (Rejected) Legal Eagles Lost in Yonkers Mad Dog and Glory The Magnificent Seven The Man with the Golden Arm Marie Ward McQ Meatballs Men in War Midas Run/The House My Left Foot/Da National Lampoon's Animal House Oscar A Rage in Harlem The Rainmaker Rambling Rose Return of the Magnificent Seven Roommates Saddle the Wind The Scalphunters The Shootist/Cahill, United States Marshall The Silencers Slipstream Some Came Running The Sons of Katie Elder Spacehunter Spies Like Us The Story on Page One/The Reward Stripes Summer and Smoke The Ten Commandments Thoroughly Modern Millie Three Amigos To Kill a Mockingbird Toccata for Toy Trains The Trial of Billy Jack True Grit Twilight The View from Pompey's Head Walk on the Wild Side Where's Jack? Wild Wild West The World of Henry Orient Zulu Dawn


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