Day Three: Song and Musical Score, 1968

Usually, I like to group the Score categories together - Musical/Adapted/Song Score with Original/Comedy or Dramatic Score - since, you know, they're sister categories. For 1968, I decided to do things a little differently and pair Musical Score with Original Song, mainly because it's only natural for there to be overlap (and there is!); even better, it saves me room on the tags.

Some great music...and some dull music! All after the jump.
For Best Original Song, the nominees are:

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
***

Titular tunes do well here, as you'll see. A catchy ditty, this, and one that actually bears some relevance to the story - a feat sorrowfully rare for this phoned-in Sherman Brothers score. If we had to go with this film, I would have preferred "Hushabye Mountain" or "Doll on a Music Box" or "Truly Scrumptious".

"For Love of Ivy" from For Love of Ivy

music by Quincy Jones

lyrics by Bob Russell
***

What did I say about titular tunes! I quite like this one, it puts a nice stamp on things.

"Funny Girl" from Funny Girl

music by Jule Styne

lyrics by Bob Merrill
****

Fits into the narrative beautifully, seamlessly transitioning us back to the film's beginning. Lovely and heartbreaking and perfect for Fanny.

"Star" from Star!

music by Jimmy Van Heusen

lyrics by Sammy Cahn
**

Forced and awfully dull.

"The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair

music by Michel Legrand

lyrics by Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman
*****

Weird and enchanting - just like Thomas Crown! Just like Vicki Anderson! Just like this whole movie! It's wonderful!

---------------------------------------

Perhaps being the sole nominee not named after its film benefited "The Windmills of Your Mind":

As for my vote?

LEGRAND and THE BERGMANS

for

"THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND"

from

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR

As for Musical Score. The nominees:

Finian's Rainbow

Ray Heindorf

based on music written by Burton Lane for the 1947 Broadway show
*****

Funny Girl

Walter Scharf

based on music written by Bob Merrill for the 1964 Broadway show
*****

Oliver!

Johnny Green

based on music written by Lionel Bart for the 1960 West End show
****

Star!

Lennie Hayton

based on music written by Philip Braham, Saul Chaplin, Noel Coward, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jimmy Van Heusen, Kurt Weill, Walter Williams...and more
***

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Michel Legrand
*****

-----------------------------

Oliver! won: 

It was winning a lot that night - but I'm personally torn between Scharf's adaptation and Legrand's totally original creation. Hardly fair to compare, but that's what one has to do when voting. And so I give my final stamp of approval to:

 

WALTER SCHARF

for

FUNNY GIRL

Tomorrow, the nominees for Best Actor: Alan Arkin in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Alan Bates in The Fixer, Ron Moody in Oliver!, Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter and Cliff Robertson in Charly.

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