#31 – The Man with the Golden Arm

Jonesing for a fix of score analysis? This time Jon and Andy lock themselves in a room with Elmer Bernstein’s score for the 1955 noir drama of drug addiction, The Man with the Golden Arm. How did its use of jazz influence the sounds of the subsequent decades? How is that jazz able to suggest both seediness and sophistication? And, why would anyone want to play poker with Frank Sinatra?

Om Podcasten

Join Jon and Andy as they explore the world of film music, one score at a time. Each episode is an in-depth discussion of a classic film score: what makes it tick, how it serves the movie, and whether it's, you know, any good. It's a freewheeling, opinionated conversation with an analytical bent, richly illustrated with musical examples. No expertise required. The series began by tackling “100 Years of Film Scores," the AFI's list of (purportedly) the 25 greatest scores in American cinema history, and now draws from a broad range of distinguished scores old and new. Jonathan Dinerstein writes music for film and television in Hollywood. Andy is a pianist and music director. They've been chatting together about movie music for 20 years. Support the show at Patreon.com/SettlingtheScore. Write us at scoresettlers@gmail.com.