KEVIN McCORRY, HOST: I’m Kevin McCorry and this is ‘Jukebox Journey.’
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “Debaser” by The Pixies, “Act Naturally” by The Beatles, “Motion Pictures” by Neil Young]
KM: This week: ahead of the Academy Awards, songs and scores from Philadelphia cinema.
[MUSIC: “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach, as played by the Philadelphia Orchestra for the film “Fantasia”]
KM: The 1940 Disney film “Fantasia” features a classical score famously recorded by The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music — with the players getting $10 an hour for their trouble.
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: From Bach to Mozart:
[MUSIC: “The Marriage of Figaro” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as conducted by Elmer Bernstein for “Trading Places”]
KM…whose “Marriage of Figaro” is the underlying theme of “Trading Places.”
[CLIP: “Trading Places”]
KM: The music opens the film as a montage perfectly captures an upper and lower class dichotomy. Scenes of gritty Philly streets, el train platforms and ‘x-rated’ theatres are intercut with Dan Ackroyd’s butler preparing him breakfast in bed.
[CLIP: “Trading Places”]
KM: Both examples, not being original to the films, are not awards material.
Add to that list pop songs that have soundtracked Philly area films over the decades.
[MUSIC: “The Dangling Conversation” by Simon and Garfunkel]
KM: To name just a few: Simon and Garfunkel show up in Frederick Wiseman’s documentary “High School” when a teacher plays it in class over a reel-to-reel.
[CLIP: “High School”]
KM: Wiseman, who died this year, shot it cinema veritae style over 5 weeks at Northeast High in 1968.
[MUSIC SWELL]
The big dance finale in “Silver Linings Playbook” had Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence going all out to a mashup of Stevie Wonder, The White Stripes and Dave Brubeck.
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder, “Fell in Love with a Girl” by The White Stripes, “Maria” by The Dave Brubeck Quartet]
KM: Then there’s the Adam Sandler basketball movie “Hustle.”
[CLIP: “Hustle”]
KM: It’s ripe with Philly hip-hop, including this one by Eve and Beanie Sigel.
[MUSIC: “Philly Philly” by Eve and Beanie Sigel]
KM: Moving into potential awards territory, original scores:
[MUSIC: “Blow Out” by Pino Donaggio from the film “Blow Out”]
KM: The ‘80s gave us what many consider to be Friends’ Central grad Brian De Palma’s masterpiece, “Blow Out.”
[CLIP: “Blow Out”]
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: Also, “Witness” with Harrison Ford as a Philly cop.
[MUSIC: “Murder” by Maurice Jarre]
KM: It starts with a murder at 30th Street Station before heading to Lancaster County.
[CLIP: “Witness”]
KM: And in the 2000s, M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” had Mel Gibson in Bucks County as a widower protecting his family from aliens with a baseball bat.
[MUSIC: “Hand of Fate, Pt. 1” by James Newton Howard]
KM: And now the tune you know has been coming. In the original song category: Classic, iconic, almost cliche…
[MUSIC: “The Blob” by The Five Blobs]
KM: From the 1958 Steve McQueen flick filmed in Phoenixville, it’s “The Blob.”
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: Often overlooked is the not-disturbing-at-all “Lady in the Radiator” song from David Lynch’s “Eraserhead.”
[MUSIC: “In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)” as sung by Laurel Near in the film ‘Eraserhead”]
KM: And Eugene Levy and the late, great Catherine O’Hara vamping in “Best in Show.”
[MUSIC: “God Loves a Terrier” as sung by Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara in the film “Best in Show”]
KM: And yeah, the true Oscar contenders include the Rocky stuff.
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “Gonna Fly Now — Theme from Rocky” by Bill Conti, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor]
KM: Also nominated but didn’t win:
[MUSIC: “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us” by Starship]
KM: This one by Starship from the 1987 shot-in-Wannamaker’s movie “Mannequin.”
[CLIP: “Mannequin”]
[MUSIC: “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion]
KM: And this Celine Dion jam from the 1996 Michelle Pfeiffer/Robert Redford/Holmesburg Prison movie “Up Close and Personal.”
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: The only one that did win?
[MUSIC: “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen]
KM: That’s right: the boss, from the 1993 Tom Hanks/Denzel Washington classic.
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: I’m Kevin McCorry and this has been a Jukebox Journey on WHYY.
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