Oscar-winning composer Goldsmith dies

I decided to post this in movies rather than music because I have found, in the past, that movie fans are more receptive to the works of composers who score films than some music fans (myself included).

Goldsmith's list of credits is nothing short of staggering. Patton, Chinatown, Papillon, The Planet of the Apes, The Twilight Zone, and Perry Mason just to name a few. And yet for all that, only a single academy award for The Omen despite 17 nominations.

Still and all, if I could trade a single, shiny statuette for the knowledge that the simple do-do-do-do do-do-do-do of The Twilight Zone theme is synonymous in so many people's minds with something eerie, well, that's a legacy.

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LT, you're always first with the bad news. I didn't learn until this morning's paper. I'm a guy who doesn't buy movie soundtracks, but I pay strict attention to film scores (can't help it), and Goldsmith was one of the best.

As well as "Planet of the Apes" (my fave of his), there was a long stretch after Papillon escaped from Devil's Island where there was nothing on the soundtrack except for some of Goldsmith's best music. Who can think of "Patton" without remembering the theme? I also love his scores to "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct."

One other thing I'll remember is that on the special features of several DVDs, he was interesting and clear about what he was trying to do, and of course, that pony tail he always had his hair in.