MINT.SEALED
World premiere release of original soundtrack from Robert Aldrich horror thriller with Bette Davis and Olivia De Havilland. Major success for 20th Century Fox garners numerous Academy Award nominations including two for composer Frank DeVol (Best Original Score, Best Song). DeVol anchors involved score with warm main theme, setting trend to come for scary movies with lullaby themes playing before shrieks appear. In addition to orchestra, DeVol creates complex sequences with layers of then-state of the art electronics within orchestra plus ghostly female chorus. Harpsichord, piano add further spooky elements. Central to story is haunting theme song by DeVol with Mack David lyrics. Intrada is proud to present 70 minutes of music in stereo from original scoring session masters. Typical for aged 35mm magnetic elements, some deterioration is evident but good news in balance: all individual electronic effects, choral layers, harpsichord tracks, sweeteners and overlays plus all vocals have actually survived the years! Not always the case with restorations of this nature! This allows us to present setpieces like Bette Davis's harrowing nightmare ("The Storm"), Joseph Cotten's creepy return from the dead ("Off Rocker"), main title melding of music box with taunting children's chorus over main harmonica theme plus full lullaby vocals and more! Even with occasional deterioration, meticulous stereo presentation affords rewarding premiere of important sixties spook masterpiece! Frank DeVol conducts. Intrada Special Collection Volume 26 limited to 1200 copies!
1. Music Box & Main Title 3:04
2. Love That House 1:28
3. Head Nor Tail 4:20
4. The House 3:23
5. Frighty Night 7:35
6. Torn Dress 2:32
7. Crank Notes 2:56
8. Handy Cleaver 4:27
9. The Interview 2:28
10. "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (Bette Davis Version) 2:15
11. The Storm 4:14
12. Flash in Pan 2:59
13. Velma's End 6:48
14. John Hunting 5:12
15. Hush Waltz 1:13
16. Proper Burial 4:44
17. Off Rocker 1:36
18. Lazarus 0:42
19. Plot of Gold & End Title 4:54
Total Score Time = 67:48
Bonus Track
20. "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (Jimmy Joyce Version) 3:07
An unusually long pre-credits sequence establishes the roots of faded Southern belle Charlotte's (Bette Davis) insanity; she'd been witness to the dismemberment murder of her fiance (Bruce Dern) and the suicide of the murderer, her own father (Victor Buono). Years later, Charlotte remains a recluse in her decaying southern mansion, zealously guarding the secret of her father's guilt; she is cared for by her slatternly housekeeper (Agnes Moorehead). When her house is targeted for demolition, Charlotte fears that this will uncover her lover's body parts and thus confirm that her father was a murderer. She desperately summons her seemingly sweet-tempered cousin Miriam (Olivia De Havilland) to help her fight off the house's destruction. Miriam brings along the family doctor (Joseph Cotten) to calm Charlotte's frayed nerves. When Charlotte begins to be plagued by horrific visions of the homicide/suicide of so long ago, it appears that she has gone completely insane. But soon we learn who is behind these delusions...and why. Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte was intended by director Robert Aldrich as a follow-up to the successful Joan Crawford/Bette Davis horror piece Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). Ms. Crawford was originally slated to play Miriam, but became seriously ill shortly before filming started. Davis, who disliked Crawford intensely, suggested that the role of Miriam be filled by her best friend, De Havilland. On the first day of shooting, Davis and DeHavilland pulled a "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" routine by toasting one another with Coca-Cola—a catty observation of the fact that Joan Crawford's husband was an executive with the Pepsi Cola company! 1964
Whatever happened to Baby Joan?
