By David Gideon
"45,332 views oct 17, 2020"
"Ben Casey was a major hit for ABC in the early 60s. It and Dr Kildare popularized 'doctor shows' on tv. Few remember Ben nowadays, but the show's iconic blackboard opening, and the modernistic David Raksin theme with its distinctive 5/4 time signature, are timeless."
N.S.: I'm not sure I ever saw Ben Casey, except for re-runs much later. However, I did occasionally see Dr. Kildare, which came over from radio and a movie series (Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore). Both shows ran from 1961-1966. Dr. Kildare was the model for both shows: a headstrong, brilliant, confident young doctor, and the old hand who steadies him.
Both shows had brilliant themes. Jerry Goldsmith's (1929-2004) theme for Dr. Kildare, featuring church bells, was brilliant and more cvulturally influential than David Raksin's (1912-2004) theme to Ben Casey. Goldsmith turned medicine into a holy vocation.
And yet, Raksin's hard-charging theme to Ben Casey, which he snipped from early in his grand score to The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), is even more brilliant.
The first score below has the best sound I could find. However, the second version is much longer and richer. If only the sound was clear! Especially, the brass sections. The third score is a version of Dr. Kildare that Jerry Goldsmith (no longer "Jerrald") conducted, along with his other most famous tv themes many years later.
Imagine that: Two brilliant themes for two medical shows in the same year!
Ben Casey: Short but sweet, and with the intro speech by Sam Jaffe
Ben Casey: The longer version
Dr. Kildare
"77,758 views feb 28, 2011"
"Theme from the TV series Doctor Kildare written by Jerry Goldsmith. This is an excerpt from the "TV Themes Medley" track from the CD Goldsmith Conducts Goldsmith conductionng the Philharmonia Orchestra. This beautiful melody has been haunting me over 40 years. One of my favorite soundtrack composers. What he does with the French horn is beyond description. Enjoy!"
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2 comments:
60s music was magnifico.Quite a decade for ALL genres.
--GRA
I never watched the Doctor shows very much. I remember the Ben Casey Intro.
I watched The Defenders. My favorite TV shows were crime stories, The Untouchables, Westerns and war stories. I watched Leave It to Beaver age seven-eight, but tired of it. When older I never liked sitcoms nor comedy films.
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