= SWITCH =

In 1958 Blake Edwards hired me to compose the music for his T.V. show, Peter Gunn. Thirty-three years later I scored my 26th film, Switch, for Blake. Thanks Coach.

For over 30 years Henry Mancini has written countless songs and scores covering the entire spectrum of film genres. Born in Cleveland and educated at Julliard, Mancini began his musical career as an arranger and pianist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He became acquainted with the techniques of film scoring through a 6-year apprenticeship at Universal Pictures between 1952 and 1958. Working under the supervision of music director Joseph Gershenson, Mancini developed his craft while arranging and composing for a myriad of diverse films such as The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954), The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958). Mancini's jazz-driven music for Welles' classic brought him to the attention of Blake Edwards, who was searching for a composer to work on his new television series Peter Gunn ( 1958). Mancini's popular theme for the show signalled the start of one of the lengthiest and most productive composer-director relationships in American film history.

Blake Edwards broke into films in the early 1940s as an actor before gaining prominence as a screenwriter for many Richard Quine films during the 1950s (Rainbow Round My Shoulder). After establishing himself as a promising director in television, Edwards made his film directing debut with Bling Your Smile Along (1955), which he also scripted. Before long Edwards was heralded by critics as an important new talent. Although Edwards' career has seen many fluctuations in fortune during the 36 years that have passed since his first directorial assignment. the promise that was expressed early in his film career has been fulfilled several times over. It would be a formidable task to attempt even a partial listing of the Mancini-Edwards collaborations. Their first film partnership occurred with the lightweight comedy High Time (1960), starring Bing Crosby. Some of their more famous films include Breakfast At Tifanny's (1961, and Oxar winner for Mancini's much-recorded song "Moon River"), Experiment In Terror (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (1962, another Oscar for the title song, and possibly Edwards' best picture), The Pink Panther (1964), which spawned a string of six sequels starting with A Shot In The Dark (1964), The Great Race (1963), Gunn (1967), The Party (1968) and Darling Lili (1970). 

Mancini reels that Edwards' trust in his dramatic instincts is a key determinant of their enduring success. As Mancini puts it. "Communication is the most important thing between composer and director. Blake always regarded the music as a vital voice in the total picture. But we rarely get into many deep conversations, because we don't have to. Our ideas always seem to coincide." More recently Mancini has penned the music for Edwards' 10 (1979, for which Mancini received an Oscar nomination), Victor, Victoria (1982, another Oscar winner for Mancini and his personal favorite), The Man Who Loved Women (1983, a remake of Francois Truffaut's 1977 comedy), That's Life (1986, which starred Edwards' wife Julie Andrews and was filmed partly at their Malibu home), Sunset (1988) and now their latest project, the Warner Bros. picture Switch (1991).

Of course, Mancini's film work is not limited to the movies of Blake Edwards. In fact, he has worked for many other well-known directors such as Howard Hawks (Hatari!, 1962), Stanley Donen (Two For The Road, 1967), Terence Young (Wait Until Dark, 1967), and Stanley Kramer (Oklahome Crude, 1973). Moreover, Mancini has continued to work in television as evidenced by his theme for the popular series Newhart and his eloquent score for ABC's 10-hour mini-series The Thorn Birds (1983). Through all of these projects Mancini has proven himself to be a composer of remarkable versatility. Compare the poignant mood of Days of Wine and Roses with the turbulent expressionism of Lifeforce (1985), or the rich textures of The Molly Maguires (1970) with the eerie sonorities of Night Visitor (1971). Whether it be pop, jazz, vocal or symphonic expression, Mancini feels equally at home. His music for Switch is merely the latest example of his eclecticism.

Mancini's contributions to the art of film scoring are not limited to musical achievements. He was the first composer to constructively adapt his scores into profitable recordings. His extensive catalogue of recordings for RCA helped make Mancini a household name. In the process, Mancini labored to improve the sound quality of audio tracks by elevating the technical standards of studio recording methods. More recently, Mancini has replaced his pen with a word processor: his autobiography, titled "Did Anyone Mention The Music?" is a fascinating account of his life and a valuable addition to the literature.

Despite his enormous success in all aspects of the film scoring profession, the soft-spoken Mancini is quick to point out that film composers are not miracle workers. According to Mancini, "Good music can improve a bad film but it can never make a bad film good. We're not magicians. But when it works and we feel we've made a contribution, it's a great source of satisfaction." It goes without saying that Mancini's music has been a reservoir of satisfaction for audiences all over the world. With his fine music for Switch, Mancini has written yet another chapter in the Edwards-Mancini narrative, an association that is destined to continue in the forseeable future. 

- Kevin Mulhall