by SBD on 9/19/2002
favorite track: 11
 
Before I picked up this compilation, I only knew Vic Mizzy from his themes to "The Addams Family" and "Green Acres." My eyes (or ears, rather) were opened wide when I listened to it.

Rather than turn this review into a track-by-track analysis/slobbering rave, I'll list the highlights. In the "film" half: the swinging shanty in the "Main Title" of The Spirit is Willing (which features, at 1:27, a killer player piano solo); the easygoing "Main Title" from The Busy Body, albeit with shooting guns; the beautiful cha-cha music of The Caper of the Golden Bulls' "Main Title"; the concentrated musical madness of "Hoedown Ballet" from Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?; Don't Make Waves' bustling "Driverless"; the icy cool and creepy opening of The Night Walker; and the main title of The Perils of Pauline which sounds as if it was written for an old-time silent movie featuring a hero, a damsel, a villain and an oncoming train.

Mizzy's work for several Don Knotts comedies is particularly noteworthy. The Ghost & Mr. Chicken features a fine main theme and a wonderfully ghoulish organ melody that gets its own track at the very end. The Reluctant Astronaut also has a great theme, but "Over the Top" is an excellent track signaling what can only be called nervous urgency. The Shakiest Gun in the West (the album's one true suite) features just what you'd expect from a comic western score, like gunfights and stagecoach chases, only with a novel Mizzy spin. The jaunty "Main Title" of The Love God? is a fun piece, and the opening of How to Frame a Figg is nice and bouncy.

Fans of Mizzy's themes to "The Addams Family" and "Green Acres" will be surprised to learn of his other work in the medium. "The Pruitts of Southampton" is a terrific theme, well performed by Phyllis Diller (I consider it a nice touch having her laughter at the track's beginning). "Legal Eagle" is a bustling theme that gets funnier with each listen (you'll know why). "The Secretary" has to be heard to be believed, making good use of chimes, organ and a typewriter (!). "The Don Rickles Show" is a good big band theme that wouldn't sound out of place in a talk show. "Rhubarb" is interesting in that it features a weird meowing sound along with the music. "The 13th Gate" is a remarkable theme that would fit right into a sci-fi movie. "Portofino" is a beautiful waltz, while "Pioneer Spirit" is a folksy, banjo-led cue. "Kentucky Jones" is another standout, with its bluesy harmonica. "Shakespeare Loves Rembrandt" sounds like Mozart by way of "Room 222." "Terror on the 40th Floor" (written for a TV movie) features a lovely theme over a bass line and what sounds like synths.

The packaging is sensational, containing generous liner notes about various projects, anecdotes from Mizzy as well as one-sheets and stills from many films and TV shows that the composer worked on. Reading about the various types of music found in the score of The Relcutant Astronaut, I'd gladly welcome its own album. What leaps out at you about Mizzy's music is the way he writes for different instruments, like fuzz guitar ("Green Acres," The Shakiest Gun...), electric guitar (The Busy Body, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Shakiest Gun...), player piano (Did You Hear the One..., The Spirit is Willing) and many others.

To say that one specific track is worth the price of admission would sell the rest of this wonderful music short. Just buy it. It's well worth $20 to discover the work of a great composer like Vic Mizzy, don't you think? Would that there be a rating higher than five stars....