= TOUCH OF EVIL =

Henry Mancini's great renown in film composition and popular song writing, apart from his personal success as a performing pianist and conductor, needs no further pointing up, but in this movie he demonstrated that he also a gifted dramatic composer. "Touch of Evil" was actually when he was still a staff composer at Universal, the studio that he joined in 1952 as a newcomer to the business of providing films with music.

The musical score for "Touch of Evil" is unique among motion picture scores. In the parlance of the film composer it is called "source music", which means that the music comes from a visible source such as a juke-box, an orchestra, the radio, or, as in some cases, a player-piano. Orson Welles, who not only starred in "Touch of Evil" but also directed the movie, had suggested to Mancini that the conventional type of score would not be suitable for a picture of this kind. Listening to this album, you will find that his wishes were carried out to the letter, resulting in a very exciting and compelling blend of picture and music.

The sound track of the film is also notable for its clarity in picking up everyday sounds,  including the confusion of overlapping dialogue. In deciding upon the important function of the music, Welles had conferred with Mancini to arrive at an understanding that "Touch of Evil" needed a special kind of score, what Welles himself termed "a jazz-type score ... sort of AfroCuban jazz". The result is a score, written with the total exclusion of strings and woodwinds, which is foreground music rather than background, and since the picture was set in a busy Mexican border town, it was decided to accentuate the kind of music that would be part of life in such a setting. A setting where a constant barrage of cheap music emanated from bars, juke boxes, cars and local street musicians. The score therefore contributed to the reality of the location, and also provided an unsettling contrast to the vicious characters and action taking place in the seedy town.

To provide the necessary vibrancy for the livelier sequences, certain top jazz musicians were added to the Universal-International studio orchestra under the baton of its conductor Joseph Gershenson. The jazzmen featured were: Pete Candoli, trumpet; Plas Johnson, tenor sax; Dave Pell, baritone sax; Red Norvo, vibes; Ray Sherman, piano; Barney Kessel, guitar; Rollie Bundock, bass; Mike Pacheco, conga drum, and Jack Constanzo on bongos.

"Touch of Evil" is a dynamic, compelling story of the narcotics underworld carried on along the United States-Mexican border, and the tension-filled film, with its series of scenes of violent intrigue, murder and seamy characters builds to a climax that cannot be anticipated and yet which is somehow inevitable. There are stars galore in the cast, including Charlton Heston as a special investigator for the Mexican government, and Janet Leigh as his American wife. Orson Welles plays the part of a murderous American cop, and his portrayal of the thoroughly despicable character was superb. Fat, sweaty and malevolent, obsessed with bringing criminals to justice, but not above manipulating the law himself to suit his own gain, Welles is thoroughly convincing as Hank Quinlan, the corrupt police officer. Co-starring were Joseph Callea and Akim Tamiroff, with guest appearances from Marlene Dietrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Albert Zugsmith produced and Orson Welles directed from his own screen play, based on the novel "Badge of Evil" by Whit Masterson.

© 1993 by Movie Sound Records
Distributed by Camarillo Music Ltd.
(Recorded in 1958 and originally released on Challenge Records)