Cool News
ScoreKeeper Says Goodbye To Composer Earl Hagen...
ScoreKeeper here with news of a painful loss in the film and television music community.
Earle Hagen was one of the titans of television scoring from the early 1950’s through the 1970’s. His work can be heard in many classic television series including THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW (1961-1966), THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (1960-1968), THE MOD SQUAD (1968-1972), GOMER PYLE, USMC (1964), and I SPY (1965-1968). Aside from his composing work, the highly sought after Hagen orchestrated and arranged music for a variety of films including MY BLUE HEAVEN (1950), GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953) and CAROUSEL (1956).
He was a nominated for an Emmy Award multiple times and in 1968, won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition for his work on I SPY (1965). He was also nominated for an Oscar for his collaborative work with Lionel Newman on LET’S MAKE LOVE (1960).
When speaking of great composers one might quip, “He wrote the book on scoring.” In Earle Hagen’s case he really did write the book on scoring! Long before the academic study of film music became popular, Hagen penned two of the first books written on the technical and aesthetic study of film scoring.
SCORING FOR FILMS (1971) and ADVANCED TECHNIQUES IN FILM SCORING (1990) will forever remain two staples in my library.
He was a pioneer in opening up the cryptic world of film scoring to future generations of new composers and film music enthusiasts helping catalyze the exploding popularity of the medium to this day. You can read more about Mr. Hagen HERE.
Thank you, Mr. Hagen for your incredible mentorship and devotion to your craft.
On behalf of Ain’t It Cool News, I send our condolences to the Earle Hagen family. He will be missed.
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Interesting, I'll look those books up.
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Where the hell have I been?
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Is the only tune I can whistle with any confidence.
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...roasted a bowl almost daily. Or so I was told. I believe it. Good on him. You can kinda hear it in his voice on that old Cosmos show.
RIP Earl Hagan! Thanks for the music. -
He did the "That Girl" theme too, which sounds so "aspirational". Sorry to hear this. TV theme composing is a lost art.
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I heard this on the radio this morning, and they said the guy who "whistled the andy griffith show died". Um yeah. He will be missed.. actually we have been missing him for a few years now. TV scores just aren't as memorable now. What with the movement towards using Who songs, etc.
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Had no clue about this man until I read his obit in the local paper this morning. He really was a pioneer in his field. No one did what he did back then. I also read he was putting in 16 hour days all season long writing for multiple shows back in the day too. A quote from him said that he'd kill anyone that even mentioned music during his time off. Classic!
You'll be missed. -
Why is this "ain't it cool news"?
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that's cold, dude. Waaay unnecessary.
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As a big fan and collector of film soundtracks, I know the modern greats wouldn't have been possible without guys like you first laying the groundwork and creating the "language" of movie music. Wherever you are now, keep writing brilliant scores. I'll need something to listen to when I get there. :) RIP
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i'll bet even YOU can whistle the theme to the andy griffith show, and can remember in an instant many of the themes from shows he did. *that* is the power of his work. whether you like it or not, it is a part of your life, and someone who was that good at what he did should be remembered. thank you, mr. hagen -- i didn't know your name until today, but you supplied music to a large chunk of my formative television years. i think of your music today and smile.
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ok....my childhood is now dead and buried...time for the trip on the iceberg...how the fuck is dick cheney still kickin?
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even your family wont care...karma...it is a bitch
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and none of the main blogs had anything....without his music, there was no star trek you stupid fucks
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And with Jim Nabors back at the Indy 500 once again, I can't get the Gomer Pyle themesong out of my head. (but I think that's a bad thing!) Thanks, Earl, for many a memorable tune and my early appreciation into soundtracks.
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He never scored.
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I've sent off articles honoring both and should be published here soon.
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Oh wait, you said Hagen. Ooopps.
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More recognizably known as the "Mike Hammer" tv series theme from the 80's.
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I don't try to glamorize drug use, neither do I try to hide from my
past. This is simply a true story.
I tried to learn to play the guitar on several occasions. Once I tried learning a few simply chords but I have small hands so it was difficult and eventually I gave up and left the guitar in the attic.One night I was smoking some pot and I went and picked up the guitar and started playing around with it. I picked a note and another until I found a few that sounded familiar together, then searched around for the next note in the sequence, and the next and the next...When I was done, I'd learned to pluck out the melody to "The Old Fishing Hole." It was the first song I learned to play on the guitar..I also made a compilation Mix Tape called "Spy Lounge" with various James Bond themes, Man from U.N.C.L.E. (as you'd expect from someone named Napoleon) and Hagen's I-Spy theme, from old '60s RCA Camden jazz albums. I think I drove around with that in m car for over a year. -
What's the matter, did he die with your dick in his mouth? Douche.
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He was an unsung hero. Theme songs always have a great effect on us viewers. We sing them, hum, them and whistle them... They call us to watch the show even if the show is past it's prime.. Sad day indeed.
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