The Sammy Film Music Awards (or Sammys)
are named in honor of lyricist, Sammy Cahn, 1913-1993
With songwriter Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn received his first Oscar for "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954).
Together Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen received three Oscars for their movie songs.
Both of these songwriters have been named for
Lifetime Achievement Sammy Awards.
The Sammys are announced each year for the best (and sometimes also the worst ) film music.
The Sammy Awards are the longest running ones devoted exclusively to film music on CDs.
They are chosen by Roger Hall, Director of The Sammy Awards from the beginning.
He is also a film music historian and editor-in-chief of Film Music Review, also a member of the
International Film Music Critics Association
Sammy Cahn was Oscar nominated more than any other songwriter –
26 times in all between 1942 and 1973.
The first Sammy Awards were chosen for best score and song of 1988 – the year of Sammy Cahn’s 75th birthday.
When he was notified, Sammy said he was “flattered and honored" to have them named after him. He certainly deserved the honor.
Sammy won 4 Oscars for these songs:
-
"Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954) from
THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN -
music by Jule Styne
-
"All the Way" from THE JOKER IS WILD (1957) - music by James Van Heusen
-
"High Hopes" from A HOLE IN THE HEAD (1959) - music by James Van Heusen
-
"Call Me Irresponsible" from PAPA'S DELICATE CONDITION (1963) -
music by James Van Heusen
All four songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, a big admirer of Sammy's lyrics.
The Sammy Awards (or Sammys) began with Best Score, Best Song, and Lifetime Achievement for a Film Composer or Songwriter.
Later other categories were added, such as: Best Song Compilation which began in 1997, and Platinum Award for Most Overlooked Score, first named in 2000.
The Oscars and Golden Globes are often given to the song or score with the most "buzz."
The Sammys have no connection to any other awards and are based on the quality of the soundtrack, song or compilation. How the music is used in the film is also evaluated but is not the only factor in the final choice.
NEW!
22nd Annual Sammy Awards For 2009
will be announced
on February 21, 2010.
Watch for the announcement here!
21st Annual Sammy Awards For 2008
have been announced here
20th Annual Sammy Awards For 2007
have been announced here
19th Annual Sammy Awards For 2006
have been announced here
18th Annual Sammy Awards For 2005
have been announced here
Lifetime Achievement for Past Film Composer
(2005)
Elmer Bernstein, 4 April 1922 - 18 August 2004
I think that the tide running against good music is so strong that none of us who care are surprised or outraged any more when we hear dumb music accompanying a film...Film has become, with some exceptions, a special effects medium. Films reflect the generally shoddy standards of present-day society. It's a junk culture, and people buy junk...generally speaking, film has not advanced in terms of taste and intelligence, and that makes it tough for music.
--Elmer Bernstein interviewed by Tony Thomas, quoted in Music for the Movies, 2nd edition, 1997.
For me, he was one of the composers in the Great Film Composer Triad of the past five decades. The composers who make up this triad are: Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. All three composers began their composing for TV or movies back in the 1950s. Two of them passed on in 2004: Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith. And another major film composer, David Raksin, also died that year.
In the case of Elmer Bernstein this was especially sad for me because his music was some of the first I recognized back in the 1950s.
One of his early scores was for ROBOT MONSTER in 1953, now considered one of the worst films ever made. I saw it as a teenager and still remember it as a "guilty pleasure." I wrote about first watching this film on late night TV and what a lasting impression the score made on me. My story was written as an 80th birthday tribute to Elmer.
You can read it at the official website:
www.elmerbernstein.com
Between 1951 and 2002, Elmer composed over 200 scores for films and TV programs.
Here are some of his great film scores from 1955 to 1965:
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955)
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962)
THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
HAWAII (1965)
THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965)
But the score that Elmer picked as his favorite was:
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
I agree with his choice.
This has one of the simplest and most delicate film scores ever composed. It's a masterpiece of subtle film scoring.I listed it in the Top Ten of 20th Century Film Scores in the book, A Guide to Film Music.
Elmer Bernstein had 14 Oscar nominations and strangely he received his only Oscar for his adapted score to a musical, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in 1967.
He should have received at least several more Oscars for such landmark scores as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
Later, he composed scores for "Saturday Night Live" alumni comedies like TRADING PLACES (1983) and GHOSTBUSTERS (1984).
He also wrote more serious subject scores, such as for MY LEFT FOOT (1989)and THE GRIFTERS (1990).
Even though he was probably best known for his rugged outdoor western music, like the John Wayne westerns, Elmer's ability to compose a subtle score was always evident, as in THE AGE OF INNOCENCE.
His last major score was FAR FROM HEAVEN, which I chose for The Sammy Award as Best Score of 2002. It was fortunate that he had the opportunity to close out his career with such a brilliant film score.
-- Roger L. Hall, The Sammy Awards
Additional Note: Elmer Bernstein has been inducted to the Tunemaker Hall of Fame for 2005.
Sammy Awards, 1988-2008
See the complete list
here
Several songs with lyrics by Sammy Cahn are on the list of
100 Essential Songs
If you have comments or questions, write to:
The Sammy Awards
The Sammy Awards have been mentioned at these websites:
Brad Lang's Classic Movies (March 17, 2006)
Elmer Bernstein - The Official Site
Film Score Monthly
SoundtrackNet
John Williams Fan Network
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