Dominic Carmen Frontiere (June 17, 1931 – December 21, 2017) was an American composer, arranger, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

accordionist Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

. He composed the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series '' The Outer Limits'', as well as the theme song for ''

The Rat Patrol ''The Rat Patrol'' is an American action and adventure television series that aired on ABC between 1966 and 1968. The show follows the exploits of four Allied soldiers — three Americans and one British — who are part of a long-range desert ...

''.

Biography

Early years

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of a musical family, at age seven Frontiere was already playing several instruments before deciding to concentrate on the accordion. At age twelve, he played a solo recital at Carnegie Hall.

Hollywood

After a period with The

Horace Heidt Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 19 ...

Orchestra in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Frontiere moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, where he enrolled at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

. He eventually became musical director at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. He scored several films under the tutelage of Alfred and

Lionel Newman Lionel Newman (January 4, 1916 – February 3, 1989) was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He won the Academy Award for Best Score of a Musical Picture for '' Hello Dolly!'' with Lennie Hayton in 1969. He ...

, while also recording jazz music. He composed the music for two

exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny Exotica (Martin Denny album), album of the same name that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon Wa ...

LP records ''Pagan Festival'' (1959) and ''Love Eyes, The Mood of Romance'' (1960). An association with director and producer

Leslie Stevens Leslie Clark Stevens IV (February 3, 1924 – April 24, 1998) was an American producer, writer, and director. He created two television series for the ABC network, '' The Outer Limits'' (1963–1965) and '' Stoney Burke'' (1962–63), and ''Se ...

began with Frontiere scoring ''

The Marriage-Go-Round ''The Marriage-Go-Round'' is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens. The 1961 film adaptation of the same name, written and produced by Stevens, stars Susan Hayward, James Mason and Julie Newmar, who reprised her role from the play. The play wa ...

'' (1961). This association led to several projects, such as his innovative blend of music and sound effects for '' The Outer Limits''. He composed several famous television themes of the 1960s, such as those for ''

'', '' Branded'', ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Tere ...

'', and for producer Quinn Martin ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', and '' 12 O'Clock High''. After scoring for television shows, he went on to compose the music for the Clint Eastwood film '' Hang 'Em High''. The title theme for that movie became a top-10 hit for the group Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He also composed the soundtrack to the 1971 motorcycle documentary '' On Any Sunday'', which featured Steve McQueen and was directed by Bruce Brown. He composed the scores of three films starring John Wayne, ''

Chisum ''Chisum'' is a 1970 American Western film directed by Andrew McLaglen, starring John Wayne in the titular role, and adapted for the screen by Andrew J. Fenady from his short story "Chisum and the Lincoln County War." The supporting cast featu ...

'' (1970), '' The Train Robbers'' (1973) and '' Brannigan'' (1975). Frontiere became head of the music department at Paramount Pictures in the early 1970s, where he again worked on television and film scores, while concurrently orchestrating popular music albums for, among others,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Examples of Frontiere's sweeping, cinematic orchestrations appear in the opening and closing songs of the 1977 album ''

Nether Lands ''Nether Lands'' is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). The album title is a play on Nederland, Colorado, the location of one of the studios used to record the album. Track list ...

'' by

Dan Fogelberg Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1970s and 1980s songs, including " Longer" (1979), " Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and ...

. He won a Golden Globe Awards for the score to the 1980 film '' The Stunt Man''. He also composed a jingle for the studio's television division. Frontiere composed a theme for the lion Togar that was featured in the film '' Roar''. ''Stunt Man'' director Richard Rush's son Tony Rush served as camera assistant on ''Roar''.

Tax evasion conviction

In 1986, Frontiere was incarcerated for nine months in a federal penitentiary after scalping tickets to the 1980 Super Bowl, which he obtained through his then-wife, Los Angeles Rams owner

Georgia Frontiere Georgia Frontiere (born Violet Frances Irwin; November 21, 1927 – January 18, 2008) was an American businesswoman and entertainer. She was the majority owner and chairperson of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams NFL team and the most prominent fema ...

. He was estimated to have scalped as many as 16,000 tickets, making a half million dollars in profit that he did not report to the Internal Revenue Service. Frontiere pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and one day in prison, three years probation, and fined $15,000 for failing to report income from the sale of the tickets and for lying to the IRS. Georgia Frontiere filed for divorce shortly after Dominic's release from prison.

Death

Frontiere died on 21 December 2017, at the age of 86 in Tesuque, New Mexico, where he lived.

Selected works

Television * 1961: '' The New Breed'' * 1962: '' Stoney Burke'' * 1963: '' The Outer Limits'' (first season only) * 1964: '' 12 O'Clock High'' * 1965: '' Branded'' * 1966: ''

'' * 1966: ''

Iron Horse ''Iron horse'' is an iconic literary term (considered by the early 21st century to be transitioning into an archaic reference) for a steam locomotive, originating in the early 1800s, when horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domes ...

'' * 1967: ''

'' * 1967: '' The Fugitive'' * 1967: ''

'' * 1970: '' The Immortal'' * 1970: ''

The Silent Force ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' * 1970: '' Swing Out, Sweet Land'' (TV special) * 1972: '' Search'' * 1974: ''

Chopper One ''Chopper One'' is a short-lived ABC action-crime television series in early 1974, depicting the activities of a fictional California police helicopter team. The program was produced by television powerhouse Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The s ...

'' * 1974: '' Movin' On'' * 1977: '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' * 1978: '' Perfect Gentlemen'' * 1978: ''

Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mic ...

'' * 1981: '' Strike Force'' * 1982: ''

Don't Go to Sleep ''Don't Go To Sleep'' is a 1982 American made-for-television horror film that was produced and directed by Richard Lang. The movie features Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Ruth Gordon, and Robert Webber, and youngsters Kristin Cumming, Robi ...

'' * 1982: '' Matt Houston'' Film * 1960: ''

One Foot in Hell ''One Foot in Hell'' is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Cirith Ungol. The original LP was produced by Brian Slagel and Cirith Ungol. It was released in August 1986 on Metal Blade Records and re-released in March 1999 b ...

'' * 1961: ''

'' * 1965: '' Billie'' * 1966: ''

Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

'' * 1968: '' Hang 'Em High'' * 1969: ''

Popi ''Popi'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Hiller, and starring Alan Arkin (in the title role) and Rita Moreno. The screenplay was written by Tina Pine and Lester Pine. The film focuses on a Puerto Rican widower struggling ...

'' * 1969: ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' * 1970: ''

'' * 1971: '' On Any Sunday'' * 1972: '' Hammersmith Is Out'' * 1973: '' The Train Robbers'' * 1973: ''

A Name for Evil ''A Name for Evil'' is a 1973 American horror film directed by Bernard Girard and starring Samantha Eggar and Robert Culp. Plot Dissatisfied with the family architectural business, a man and his wife pack up and move out to his great-grandfath ...

'' * 1974: ''

Freebie and the Bean ''Freebie and the Bean'' is a 1974 American buddy cop black comedy action film directed by Richard Rush and starring James Caan, Alan Arkin, Loretta Swit and Valerie Harper. The film follows two off-beat police detectives who wreak havoc in San ...

'' * 1975 '' Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold'' * 1975: '' Brannigan'' * 1976: ''

The Gumball Rally ''The Gumball Rally'' is a 1976 American comedy film directed and co-written by Charles Bail, a former stunt coordinator also known as Chuck Bail, about an illicit coast-to-coast road race. It was inspired by the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining- ...

'' * 1980: '' Defiance'' * 1980: '' The Stunt Man'' * 1981: '' Roar'' (credited as the composer of "Togar's Theme") * 1981: ''

Modern Problems ''Modern Problems'' is a 1981 American science fiction black comedy film written and directed by Ken Shapiro and starring Chevy Chase, Patti D'Arbanville, and Dabney Coleman. The film grossed $26.2million on an $8million budget (about $million ...

'' * 1985: '' The Aviator'' * 1994: ''

Color of Night ''Color of Night'' is a 1994 American erotic mystery thriller film produced by Cinergi Pictures and released in the United States by Buena Vista Pictures (through its Hollywood Pictures label). Directed by Richard Rush, the film stars Bruce Wil ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frontiere, Dominic 1931 births 2017 deaths American people of French-Canadian descent American film score composers American male film score composers American television composers Male television composers American music arrangers American accordionists American jazz accordionists American male jazz musicians Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut Jazz musicians from California American people convicted of tax crimes People from Tesuque, New Mexico Jazz musicians from Connecticut Varèse Sarabande Records artists Golden Globe Award-winning musicians La-La Land Records artists