David Raksin’s stunningly lyrical music for Forever Amber (1947)

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

Readers of a certain age will remember David Raksin’s (1912-2004) powerful, surging theme music for the young doctor show, Ben Casey (1962-1967, not to be confused with that other popular, young doctor show, Dr. Kildare, also 1962-1967), which he cribbed from one of his great movie scores.

Other readers yet older will be familiar with a number of his stunning movie scores from the 1930s through the ‘50s: Modern Times (1936), Laura (1944), Across the Wide Missouri (1951), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

Forever Amber was the film adaptation of Kathleen Winsor’s bestselling novel set in 17th century england of the eponymous, social-climbing heroine. She (Linda Darnell) grows up dirt poor, and loves one poor man (Cornel Wilde), marries a second who is wealthy (Richard Greene), and is mistress to a third, the King of England (George Sanders).

The novel was widely banned, due to its sexual allusions, and the movie waas widely condemned for the same reason. I have yet to see it.

Numerous observers noted that the heroine survived the london fire, while star Linda Darnell died, at 40 or 41 in a fire. (Even Darnell’s imdb page contradicts itself on her year of birth.) However, no one I’d read noted that, like her role, Linda Darnell herself grew up in poverty, the last of five children of a mailman and his wife. It is very rare for a poor child to grow up to be a hollywood star.


Forever Amber (1947) (Main Theme, brief)




Forever Amber (1947) - Suite



"David Raksin conducting the new philharmonic orchestra. recorded in 1976."