West Side Story (1961 Soundtrack)
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West Side Story (1961 Soundtrack)
''West Side Story'' is the soundtrack album to the 1961 film ''West Side Story'', featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Released in 1961, the soundtrack spent 54 weeks at No. 1 on ''Billboard''s album charts, giving it the longest run at No. 1 of any album in history, although some lists instead credit Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', on the grounds that ''West Side Story'' was listed on a chart for stereo albums only at a time when many albums were recorded in mono. In 1962, it won a Grammy award for "Best Sound Track Album – Original Cast". In the United States, it was one of the best-selling albums of the 1960s, certifying three times platinum by the RIAA on November 21, 1986. Though the album was released just a few years after the release of the original broadway cast recording, it is according to musical theater historian Ethan Mordden preferred by some to the earlier version both sentimentally, as the film succeeded in establishing the mus ...
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Film Soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film, video, or television presentation; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronised recorded sound. In movie industry terminology usage, a sound track is an audio recording created or used in film production or post-production. Initially, the dialogue, sound effects, and music in a film each has its own separate track (''dialogue track'', ''sound effects track'', and '' music track''), and these are mixed together to make what is called the ''composite track,'' which is heard in the film. A ''dubbing track'' is often later created when films are dubbed into another language. This is also known as an M&E (music and effects) track. M&E tracks contain all sound elements minus dialogue, which is then supplied by the ...
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Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sound to create the finished soundtrack. The process usually takes place on a dub stage. After sound editors edit and prepare all the necessary tracks—dialogue, automated dialogue replacement (ADR), effects, Foley, and music—the dubbing mixers proceed to balance all of the elements and record the finished soundtrack. Dubbing is sometimes confused with ADR, also known as "additional dialogue replacement", "automated dialogue recording" and "looping", in which the original actors re-record and synchronize audio segments. Outside the film industry, the term "dubbing" commonly refers to the replacement of the actor's voices with those of different performers speaking another language, which is called "revoicing" in the film industry. The te ...
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Tonight (1956 Song)
"Tonight" is a song from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story'' with music written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was published in 1956. Description The song is a love duet between the protagonists Tony and Maria, sung while Tony visits Maria on the fire escape outside her apartment. ''West Side Story'' is a modernized adaptation of Shakespeare's '' Romeo and Juliet'' set in 20th-century New York; the scene in which "Tonight" appears is the adaptation of ''Romeo and Juliets famous "balcony scene". History Originally the song for the balcony scene was to have been " One Hand, One Heart". It was felt that this song was too innocent for two teenagers in love, and so it was decided to take this tune, which hitherto only existed as the overarching phrase from the " Tonight Quintet" and use it as the tune for the balcony scene. In the original 1957 Broadway production of ''West Side Story'', "Tonight" was performed by Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence in the ...
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Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects throughout her extensive career spanning over seven decades. Her work includes supporting roles in the classic musical films '' Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), ''The King and I'' (1956), and the 1961 and 2021 film adaptations of ''West Side Story''. Her other notable films include ''Popi'' (1969), ''Carnal Knowledge'' (1971), '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' I Like It Like That'' (1994) and the cult film ''Slums of Beverly Hills'' (1998). She is also known for her work on television including the children's television series ''The Electric Company'' (1971–1977), and as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO series '' Oz'' (1997–2003). She voiced the titular role of in ''Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?'' from 1994 to 1 ...
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America (West Side Story Song)
“America” is a song from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story''. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics and Leonard Bernstein composed the music. Content In the original stage/ version, Anita – the girlfriend of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, and the most important female character after Maria – praises America while a fellow Puerto Rican, Rosalia, supports Puerto Rico. This version of the song deprecates the island and highlights the positive qualities of American life ("I'll drive a Buick through San Juan/If there's a road you can drive on"). The irony of this supposedly pro-American number, however, is its vibrantly Hispanic musical style, with Latin percussion, complex cross-rhythm and Spanish guitar. In the 1961 film version, Anita, played by Rita Moreno, still sings in favor of the United States while Bernardo, played by George Chakiris, replies with corresponding criticisms of America and American ethnic prejudice, especially against Puerto Ricans ( ...
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Maria (West Side Story Song)
"Maria" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical ''West Side Story'', sung by the lead character Tony. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956. "Maria" is sung by the male lead Tony when he learns the name of the girl he's fallen in love with is "Maria". The name "Maria" is spoken or sung in the song 29 times. Originally written in B major by Bernstein – but later lowered a half step to Bb major for the Original Broadway production – which then modulates to D major respectively. In the 1961 and 2021 films however, the song was in the key of A major modulating to D-flat major. The song is widely known for its use of the melodic interval of a tritone in the main theme. The song is an example of the use of Lydian mode, which is the same as the major scale but with a raised 4th, giving the tritone characteristic of this piece. Cover versions * Peter Alexander * Alfie Boe * Andrea Boc ...
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Jimmy Bryant (singer)
James Howard Bryant (June 2, 1929 – June 22, 2022) was an American singer, arranger and composer. He is best known for providing the singing voice of Tony (played onscreen by Richard Beymer) in the 1961 film musical ''West Side Story''. Citing While he received no screen credit, he states that Beymer was "a nice guy, and every time he did an interview he would mention my name." He also sang for James Fox in the 1967 film musical ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'', and sang in "The Telephone Hour" number in ''Bye Bye Birdie''. He also sang in the group that performed the theme song of the TV series ''Batman''. Bryant was born in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and grew up in Tarrant, Alabama. He attended Birmingham Southern College and the Birmingham Conservatory of Music before receiving a Scholarship in Composition at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He then moved to New York City in 1953, where he worked as a background singer. He later moved to ...
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Something's Coming (song)
"Something's Coming" is a song from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story''. It was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and is sung solo by the male lead character and tenor 'Tony'. The part of Tony was played by Larry Kert in the original Broadway production, Richard Beymer (voiced by Jimmy Bryant) in the 1961 film and Ansel Elgort in the 2021 film. Production In his work ''Leonard Bernstein'', Humphrey Burton explained: "When it was decided to add Tony’s first-act song “Something’s Coming,” Bernstein and Sondheim raided the scene-setting page in Laurents’s outline. “something’s coming,” Laurents had written: “it may be around the corner, whistling down the river, twitching at the dance – who knows?” The lines were incorporated in the lyrics. “We raped Arthur’s play-writing,” Bernstein said. “I’ve never seen anyone so encouraging, let alone generous, urging us, ‘Yes, take it, take it, make it a song.’”" Bernste ...
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Tucker Smith
Tucker Smith (born Thomas William Smith, April 24, 1936 – December 22, 1988) was an American actor, dancer, and singer who performed the role of Ice in the movie musical ''West Side Story''. Life and career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tucker Smith was an American Theatre Wing scholarship winner, and he first moved to New York City from his native Philadelphia in September 1955. Shortly afterward, he joined the national tour of ''Damn Yankees''. In 1958 he joined the cast of the original Broadway production of ''West Side Story'', as a replacement for the role of Big Deal, then going on to play the roles of Diesel and Snowboy. He understudied for the character of Riff and had played that role many times. The musical went on a national tour in the United States from June 14, 1959‚ to April 23, 1960‚ and Smith went along with it. Smith was one of several cast members from the Broadway production that were chosen to appear in the movie version of ''West Side Story''. ...
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United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studio was premised on allowing actors to control their own interests, rather than being dependent upon commercial studios. UA was repeatedly bought, sold, and restructured over the ensuing century. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired the studio in 1981 for a reported $350 million ($ billion today). On September 22, 2014, MGM acquired a controlling interest in entertainment companies One Three Media and Lightworkers Media, then merged them to revive United Artists' television production unit as United Artists Media Group (UAMG). However, on December 14 of the following year, MGM wholly acquired UAMG and folded it into MGM Television. United Artists was again revived in 2018 as United Artists Digital Studios. Mirror, the joint distribution ventur ...
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Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring role at age 8 in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), followed by a role in John Ford's ''The Searchers'' (1956). Wood starred in the musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''Gypsy'' (1962), and received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in ''Splendor in the Grass'' (1961) and ''Love with the Proper Stranger'' (1963). Her career continued with films such as ''Sex and the Single Girl'' (1964), ''Inside Daisy Clover'' (1965), and ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969). During the 1970s, Wood began a hiatus from film and had two daughters: one with her second husband ...
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Saul Chaplin
Saul Chaplin (February 19, 1912 – November 15, 1997) was an American composer and musical director. He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York. He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley. In film, he won three Oscars for collaborating on the scores and orchestrations of ''An American in Paris'' (1951), ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' (1954) and ''West Side Story'' (1961). Biography Born to a Jewish family, Chaplin graduated with a B.A. in accounting from New York University's School of Commerce. After school, Chaplin joined the ASCAP and started out penning tunes for the theatre, vaudeville and for New York's famous songwriting district, Tin Pan Alley. While in New York, Chaplin teamed with Sammy Cahn to compose original songs for Vitaphone movie shorts, filmed in Brooklyn by Warner Brothers. During this period the team was sometimes billed only by surname ("Cahn and Chaplin"), in the manner of Rodgers and Hart or Gilbert and Sullivan. ...
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