Some of my favorites are those mentioned above and:
Newman’s Wuthering Heights, Waxman’s Mr. Robert’s theme,
Barry’s Out of Africa, John Dunbar’s theme especially when
sped up during the civil war scene, and Robin and Marian.
I like Dying Young, The Piano, the Ludlow theme, Morricone’s
Love Affair theme on piano and his Ecstasy of Gold. Today I watched
Lionheart, with John Scott’s score and loved the melody. One
of my favorites is Michel Legrand’s theme from Brian’s Song.
(Am I sappy or what.) I’m sure there are many more that I enjoy, but
I’d like to read your recommendations for lovely melodies. Thanks!

-Galaxy Quest
-Star Trek: TMP
-Starship Troopers
-James Bond
-Indiana Jones
-Armageddon (hey, it's hummable)
-Twister
-Star Wars anything...
-Goldsmith anything... =)

Of course, anything Goldsmith goes without saying.

Body Heat (that's sultry sax hook you in)
The Russia House
Rudy
Total Recall
Reindeer Games
Ghostbusters
The Empire Strikes Back
Playing By Heart
Big
The Goonies
Die Hard
Back to the Future
The Shawshank Redempton
The Abyss
Mulholland Falls
Point Break
Summer of 42
Carlito's Way
The Hunt for Red October
Murder In The First
Dante's Peak
Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan
48 Hours
Pyscho
Fly Away Home
The Freshman

there are so many.

Anythign Williams and Goldsmith

You may hate Horner, but he sure rights some of the best melodies.

The Mighty has a great melody.

Oh so many, too many to count.

Gotta watch wrestling. Getting interesting.

Back to the Future
Roger Rabbit
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
A Bug's Life
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Star Wars (1, 2, or 3)
Batman animated movie - "Ski Mask Vigilante"
Batman
Gremlins
Great Mouse Detective
Flintstones the movie theme
Indiana Jones
and many others.

Cenzo

Heinz Roemheld's gorgeous "Ruby" from "Ruby Gentry", a memorable love theme (and song) which was also used very effectively in the Federico Fellini "Toby Dammit" sequence of the trilogy, "Spirits Of The Dead" (WHY isn't this one on home vid?). Haunting.
Alex North's love theme for Spartacus & Varinia in "Spartacus".
Jerome Moross's "Night In The Valley" theme from "The Valley Of Gwangi". Everytime I watch this movie, that wonderful theme is stuck in my head for DAYS!

Another less obvious choice: "Marion" and "Marion and Sam" from PSYCHO. Heartbreaking stuff in the middle of such a frozen landscape.

The opening horn solo from THE LAND BEFORE TIME (even if it IS lifted from Bartok's "Wooden Prince," I think Horner's version is better. Horner also did a string variation of the same idea throughout ONCE AROUND.)

"On Earth as It Is in Heaven" -- THE MISSION (Ennio Morricone)

"I Remember" -- THE WIND AND THE LION (Goldsmith)

Main theme from THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS -- John Williams

"Something To Think About" -- HELLBOUND (Christopher Young)

One could go on forever, but here's another no one ever mentions -- the Main and End Title theme to VENOM by Michael Kamen -- wretched movie that I'd only watch again just to kype those two cues. Someone GAVE me a copy of music from VENOM that Kamen himself had cut for that person -- but it didn't include that theme!!! I asked the guy why. He shrugged, "Maybe he didn't WRITE the main theme!" But I bet he did, it's just too typical of his twisty melodies.

NP: SON OF GODZILLA (Masaru Sato) (okay, another great theme -- the worker's march from SON OF GODZILLA)

Yes, Chris, I saw Valley of Gwangi about a month ago. Loved the music
and melodies. About three-fourths of the way through the movie, when
they enter the dinosaur valley, his action music has the same background beats,
rhythm, and almost the same instrumentation as the second theme (and my
favorite) from The Big Country that occurs when the good guys
enter the valley for the shoot out. (Make sense?)

Some of the movies listed so far I haven’t seen but will. I keep a list
next to my computer. I have not seen Cross of Iron, Ruby Gentry,
Reindeer Games, Great Mouse Detective, Venom, Son of Godzilla
or Spirits of the Dead. What a unique combination!! I finally had to
explain to the videos stores that I rent a lot of older (and new) movies
to hear the scores. (Last week they shook their heads when I hauled out South
Park, Uncut AND The Iron Giant. I told them I’d quit my meds. )

Lots of neat action scores mentioned that do have melodies. Another
western melody I LOVE is Bassman’s Ride the High Country. (Thumbs
up, PeterD!) I’m reading a book call PECKINPAH: THE WESTERN
FILMS by Paul Seydor. He says Sam HATED the score, and Seydor
agreed with him. (Taz fit right now. I would burn the book, but I need
to find out if he liked Fielding’s score to The Wild Bunch. I should hope
so.)

A real piece of trivia ahead. I rented the movie Big Bad Mama II because
I had heard a piece taped from the TV. Horrid movie. Composer’s name
is Chuck Cirino. Check out IMBd for his other stellar compositions. Anyway
it is a synth score. Near the end during the hostage exchange when the bad
guy says, “Walk,” a most melodious, fantastic theme is played for only about
40 seconds. Super western Morriconeish. If only it was longer and been
orchestrated.

While we're in the 40s, Rozsa's Double Indemnity, Spellbound and The Killers! For pete's sake all of you "Dragnet" television fans! THE KILLERS!!

Ahem. The 30s???? The Bride of Frankenstein by Franz Waxman? "Entrance of Kong" from King Kong in 1933????

Let's not think too hard!

PeterK

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
THE WAR OF THE ROSES
TOTAL RECALL
THE VANISHING
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN
and...

NP - Matilda ******/***** ("The Haunting")

Ennio Morricone, John Barry, John Williams, Basil poledouris, Lalo Shifrin, Michel LeGrand.

Of those that are no longer with us, 'phew'!, Just TOO many to mention!

A gal after my own heart. As Randy Newman once said: "Maybe there's places you wouldn't want melody. Don't know where that would be, though." I totally agree--melody is my emotional connection to a piece.

Morricone, The Mission: The Falls, Gabriel's Oboe
Williams' theme's for Star Wars & the main theme for E.T

And a bunch of other stuff that H Rocco & Chris & others have already listed. I'd say timmer's list of composers is pretty accurate as well. A gift for melody is surprisingly uncommon, even among established composers.

Just finished watching Cross of Iron, which several people mentioned on this thread. Throughout this ballet of blood, I kept wondering, "Where's the music, the melody?" And then that lovely melody some of you must have been talking about plays during the tragic and ironic killings near the end and in the end credits. The melody was astonishing as was the movie.

debi ...Good to see you here!

I've got the old Cross Of Iron LP "back home", and must admit I haven't heard it for years, but if I'm not mistaken there are no songs on it. Ernest Gold did incorporate some traditional melodies into his orchestral score, but that's about it.

Joan--another quite lovely Beck melody is the Magic Snow music that played at the end of last year's Christmas episode, Amends--walking through the snow. Gorgeous melody plus OBOE--that instrument is just hauntingly beautiful.