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 27th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards 
The Sammy Film Music Awards (SFMA) are the longest-running awards chosen exclusively for film music recordings. They are named after Sammy Cahn (1913-1993) the movie lyricist who received 4 Oscars and 1 Emmy Award.
Since 1988, the Sammy Film Music Awards have been chosen for their Excellence by Roger Hall, a member of the International Film Music Critics Association, author of the popular book, A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC,
and he is Managing Editor of the online magazine, Film Music Review.
Click on these links:
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Help Support The Sammy Film Music Awards
Sammy Cahn Centennial Tribute CD
Highest Number of Sammy Awards
27th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards
Past Lifetime Achievement Awards
Previous Best Album Producers
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
He certainly deserved the honor for these awards. He was nominated for an Oscar 26 times, more than any other songwriter. Sammy received four Oscars for co-writing these songs:
- "Three Coins in the Fountain" from
THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN (1954) -- music by Jule Styne
- "All the Way" from
THE JOKER IS WILD (1957) --
music by James Van Heusen
- "High Hopes" from
A HOLE IN THE HEAD (1959) --
music by James Van Heusen
- "Call Me Irresponsible" from
PAPA'S DELICATE CONDITION (1963) --
music by James Van Heusen
Sammy also received an Emmy for his lyrics to "Love and Marriage" from the television production of OUR TOWN in 1955.
All five songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, who was a longtime friend and admirer of Sammy's lyrics.
You can help support the Sammy Film Music Awards
by ordering this CD:
A CD recorded live in concert with a marvelous group of singers,
accompanied by a swinging jazz combo,
produced by the American Music Recordings Archive and American Classics
Click here
Sammy Cahn Centennial Tribute
Highest Number of Sammy Awards
12 Sammy Film Music Awards:
John Williams
*THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, 1988
*BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1989
*"Somewhere In My Memory,"
from HOME ALONE,
1990,
*SCHINDLER'S LIST, 1993,
*"Moonlight" from SABRINA,
1995
*SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, 1997
*SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, 1998,
*A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,
2001,
*THE TERMINAL, 2004
*MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, 2005
*WAR HORSE, 2011
*EMPIRE OF THE SUN (Restored, 2014)
See also:
John Williams: A Birthday Tribute
5 Sammy Film Music Awards:
Alexandre Desplat
*THE CURIOUS CASE
OF BENJAMIN BUTTON,
2008
*THE KING'S SPEECH, 2010,
*RISE OF THE GUARDIANS,
2012
*"Still Dream" from
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, 2012,
*THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, 2014
4 Sammy Film Music Awards
for these composers:
James Newton Howard
*RESTORATION, 1995
*SIGNS, 2002
*THE VILLAGE, 2004
*THE WATER HORSE:
LEGEND OF THE DEEP
, 2007
Alan Menken
*"Under The Sea" from
THE LITTLE MERMAID,
1989
*"Beauty And The Beast"
(song and score), 1991
*A Whole New World"
from ALADDIN, 1992
Randy Newman
*"When She Loved Me"
from TOY STORY 2, 1999
*"A Fool In Love"
from MEET THE PARENTS, 2000,
*SEABISCUIT,
2003
*"Our Town" from CARS, 2006
The 27th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards
"What really makes the Sammy Awards worth checking out is the irregular addition
of irreverent and praiseworthy categories."
-- Timothy Sexton (Yahoo Network)
8 February 2015
By Roger Hall
On this, the 83rd birthday of composer John T. Williams, who is named below for his 12th Sammy Film Music Award,
I'm pleased to announce the latest awards in eight categories.
The Sammy Film Music Awards have no connection to the Oscars, BAFTA, Golden Globes, or any other awards and are given only for superior film music recordings. They are based on the quality of film scores and songs on CDs.
These awards are named in honor of Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), who was Oscar-nominated more than any other songwriter– 26 times in all between 1942 and 1973.
The first Sammys were chosen for best score and song of 1988 – the year of Sammy Cahn’s 75th birthday. When notified, Sammy said he was “flattered and honored" to have these awards named after him.
For many years, I announced these awards on the popular radio program, "Music America," on WGBH-FM in Boston, hosted by Ron Della Chiesa. Some of these radio shows are included on the special commemorative CD:
Oscar Meets Sammy - Film Music Awards On Radio
The current awards are based on CDs released in 2014.
Categories for the 27th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards:
27th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards for 2014
Best New Film Score CD Release
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014)
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Orchestrations by Alexandre Desplat and Mark Graham
Wes Anderson and Randall Poster, Album Producers
ABKCO Music & Records CD
Like the late Jerry Goldsmith, Alexandre Desplat has the extraordinary ability
to compose more than one outstanding film score a year.
For 2014 he composed these scores
for vastly different films, and in addition to
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, I list them in my order
of preference:
THE IMITATION GAME,
THE MONUMENTS MEN,
SUFFRAGETE,
UNBROKEN,
and GODZILLA.
I have chosen THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (with THE IMITATION GAME a close second place)
because of
of its
delightfully infectious music
which perfectly fits
this wildly inventive and wonderful film by Wes Anderson.
As Alexandre Desplat wrote:
"Where and when can a film composer use alpenhorns, whistles, balalaikas, pipe organ,
choir, bells, and cymbalom? Well, only in Wes' World. Thank you, Wes."
And thank you to Alexandre Desplat for your delightful score and that coming from
one of the "whistlers,"
Mr. Desplat himself. Grand music for a grand film!
Best Golden Age CD Release
(1930s - 1950s)
ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Douglass Fake, Album Producer
INTRADA CD
After such a long wait, it has finally arrived
and being Leonard Bernstein's only film score,
that makes this release of the complete soundtrack
a cause for celebration.
One of the great soundtracks from a great film of the 1950s.
Best Silver Age CD Release
(1960s - 1970s)
MARY POPPINS (1964)
Music by Richard B. Sherman and Robert M. Sherman
The Legacy Collection
Walt Disney Records (3 CDs)
Not only is this Walt Disney's masterpiece film,
he was also fortunate to hire the extremely gifted, Richard M. and Robert B.Sherman,
as the songwriters
for this soundtrack.
The first disc is the expanded soundtrack (79 minutes).
Disc Two has "pre-demos" by the Sherman Brothers
and "Lost Chords" of all wonderful songs not used in MARY POPPINS.
Disc Three contains the story meetings with the author, Mrs. P.L. Travers,
the Sherman Brothers and Don DaGradi. If you enjoyed SAVING MR. BANKS,
this third disc will be a revelation to hear the real author herself.
Also on that disc are
reminiscences from the Sherman Brothers recorded in 1989.
A marvelous music treasury of Mary Poppins magic!
Best Bronze Age CD Release
(1980s - 1990s)
EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)
Music by John Williams
La-La Land Records (2 CD set)
La-La Land Records, WEA and Warner Bros. together have produced this remastered and expanded, limited edition
2-CD set of the John Williams score which was nominated for an Oscar in 1987. Assembled and mastered by Mike Matessino,
this release features improved sound and features a second disc with alternate cues and other music.
There is also a handsome 29-page booklet with detailed notes by Mike Matessino and art design by Jim Titus.
Another high quality production and release from La-La Land Records. Limited edition of 4000 units.
Best Compilation Release
THE AVA COLLECTION
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Douglass Fake, CD Producer
INTRADA (3 CDs)
Back in the good old days of LP albums with all those pops and other distortions,
I collected some of these titles but wished for better sound.
Now that has happened and they are together
in this wonderful collection
with these titles:
CD 1 WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (33:17)/ THE CARPETBAGGERS (25:26)
CD 2 THE CARETAKERS (23:50)/ BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL (25:26)
CD 3 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (29:59) & MOVIE AND TV THEMES (31:27) .
They are on the short side time wise, but the stereo sound is truly outstanding.
Bravo to Intrada for re-releasing these essential Elmer Bernstein recordings!
Most Overrated New Film Score Release
GONE GIRL
Music by Trent Reznor
and Atticus Ross
Columbia Records
I know these two guys are darlings of some listeners
but for me this score was really annoying.
It has no dramatic impact on key scenes in this creepy, violent and vastly overrated film.
Some might call the score dark and sinister but for me it was dreary and boring,
a soundtrack with an endless
series of electronic droning and no emotional heart.
Special Preservation Award
Best Album Producers
Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson (2015)
INTRADA Records
For their over 25 years of dedicated work to restore and release outstanding vintage releases,
released on INTRADA, Producer Douglass Fake and Executive Producer, Roger Feigelson,
fully deserve this recognition for their excellence, including
this year's awards for
ON THE WATERFRONT and THE AVA COLLECTION.
Sammy Lifetime Achievement Award
For Past Composer or Songwriter
Since 1988, there have been 19 past American film composers/ arrangers and 7 songwriters and lyric writers named for this Lifetime Achievement Award, each of them have made significant accomplishments in film music.
The American film composers and arrangers are (in the order of their listing):
Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Miklos Rozsa, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Dimitri Tiomkin, Franz Waxman, Victor Young, Hugo Friedhofer, Johnny Green, Bronislau Kaper, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, , Aaron Copland, John Barry, David Raksin, Jerome Moross.
The songwriters and lyricists are (in order of their listing):
Sammy Cahn, Ken Darby, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, Johnny Mercer, James Van Heusen, Harry Warren.
This year it is time to recognize an unjustly neglected film composer who worked from the 1930s to 1950s
and composed or arranged music for over 150 films:
Roy Webb (1888-1982)
Like other composers who worked mainly at one studio, like Alfred Newman at 20th Century-Fox,
Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold at Warner Bros.,
and Victor Young at Paramount,
Roy Webb worked almost his entire film music career at RKO Radio Pictures.
"Though he never won an Oscar, Webb was nominated for an Academy Award seven times between 1937 and 1945 for QUALITY STREET, MY FAVORITE WIFE, JOAN OF PARIS, I MARRIED A WITCH,THE FALLEN SPARROW, THE FIGHTING SEABEES and THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE. One of Webb’s proudest moments was a contemporary performance at the Hollywood Bowl of his Piano Concerto from 1945’s THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE. Fully pensioned at age 67, Webb "retired" when RKO dissolved in 1955, taking occasional freelance features like TRACK OF THE CAT and MARTY,
television assignments including Wagon Train and 77 Sunset Strip."
--courtesy of
Naxos.com
One of Roy Webb's greatest achievements was writing film scores for the cult favorite
Val Lewton
films of the 1940s:
CAT PEOPLE (1942) - a favorite score of mine
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943)
THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943)
THE BODY SNATCHER (1945)
BEDLAM (1946)
Selections from all these films are featured on this highly recommended CD,
with score reconstructions by John Morgan, booklet notes by Scott MacQueen,
performed by
the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava),
conducted by William T. Stromberg:
Roy Webb -
Music for the films of Val Lewton
It is my pleasure to call attention to this prolific film composer who has been called,
according to Scott MacQueen's excellent notes,
"The Forgotten Man"
among past Hollywood film composers.
Webb deserves to be membered for his memorable film scores
at that small yet significant studio
of the 1930s and '40s
known as RKO Radio Pictures.
-- Roger Hall, The Sammy Film Music Awards
For a complete list of Roy Webb film scores -- click here
Selection of Past Lifetime Achievement Awards
Jerome Moross (1913-1983)
David Raksin, 1912-2004
John Barry (1933-2011)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Ken Darby (1909-1992)
"River Of No Return" - Centennial Tribute to Ken Darby
Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004)
Jay Livingston (1915-2001)
and
Ray Evans (1915-2007)
Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004)
Previous Best Album Producers
James Fitzpatrick
6 Sammy Awards = 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 (2 awards), 2012
Anna Bonn, John Morgan, William Stromberg
5 Sammy Awards = 2007, 2008, 2010 (2 awards), 2012
  
Lukas Kendall
4 Sammy Awards = 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
Robert Townson
3 Sammy Awards = 2008, 2011, 2012
Nick Redman
2 Sammy Awards = 2012
"High Hopes" - Centennial Tribute to Sammy Cahn
The Sammy Film Music Awards (1988-2013)
If you have comments or questions, write to
The Sammy Film Music Awards
See also:
ASCAP Playback
Are you a fan of classic films?
If you enjoy music from older films, this DVD is highly recommended.
It is hosted with great candor by John Mauceri and includes music by
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, David Raksin, Max Steiner,
Dimitri Tiomkin, and Franz Waxman.
Click on this link to order:
Music for the Movies: The Hollywood Sound
Also recommended is this CD from a 1963 television program,
with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and music
conducted by these film composers: Alfred Newman, David Raksin, Alex North,
Franz Waxman, Johnny Green, Bernard Herrmann, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Miklos Rozsa.
Music From Hollywood
See what some fans have selected as their favorite movie songs and scores from the past:
Film Music Web Poll
If you would like to list the Sammys on your Online site and exchange links,
or have questions, write to:
The Sammy Awards
Film Music Review (Home Page)
Sammy Film Music Awards (Home page)
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