Sammy Film Music Awards For 2011

Now in their 24th year, the Sammy Awards (or Sammys) are the longest-running awards chosen exclusively for film music recordings.

"What really makes the Sammy Awards worth checking out is the irregular addition of irreverent and praiseworthy categories."

The Sammys have no connection to the Oscars, BAFTA, Golden Globes, or any other awards and are given in only one category -- film music .

I named these awards in honor of Sammy Cahn, who 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 75^th birthday. When notified, Sammy said he was “flattered and honored" to have these awards named after him.

For many years, the Sammys were announced on the popular WGBH radio program, "Music America," with Ron Della Chiesa. Some of these radio shows are included on the bonus audio with the multimedia DVD, A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC.

Sammy Cahn certainly deserved the honor since he received four Oscars for co-writing 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, who was a huge admirer of Sammy's lyrics.

This year there are a few changes.

Read the comments about a film score that has already received a lot of attention but I believe, like the film, it is not the best of the year --
THE ARTIST.

Also, I am pleased to add a new cateogry this year for Best New Television Score.

Unlike some previous years, this has been a very good year for film music recordings.

-- Roger Hall

The Sammys have been listed in previous years at these sites:

Cinema Retro

Elmer Bernstein - The Official Site

Film Score Monthly

Film Score Click Track (article by Jim Lochner)

MFiles

SoundtrackNet

John Williams Fan Network

If you would like to list the Sammys and exchange links, write to:

The Sammy Awards

The International Film Music Critics Association have announced their awards for best of the year and they agree with the Sammy for Best Film Score of the Year. See the complete list at their site:

IFMCA

See the movie songs and scores from the past chosen by readers at

Favorite Film Music Poll

Words by Sammy Cahn

Many of Sammy's popular movie songs are included
in this great collection...

New Sammy Cahn Songbook

Read his frank and witty autobiography...

I Should Care: The Sammy Cahn Story

Help Support The Sammy Awards!

If you donate to help support The Sammy Awards you will receive a copy of a multimedia DVD-R with the useful film music guide and bonus audio from Oscar music tributes by Roger Hall on WGBH radio with announcements of the Sammy Awards between 1989 and 1995. The book and bonus features are included on the DVD-R, playable on any computer, and titled,

You will receive a copy of this multimedia DVD-R with a donation of $25 or more to help support The Sammy Awards.

You can donate by credit card payable to PineTree Productions,
through safe and secure PayPal.

Click on this button to

After you have made your donation,
to insure proper delivery,
please send your mailing address to:

Film Music Guide DVD-R

Click on this link to see the contents:

A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC

See also this limited edition CD,

Oscar Meet Sammy: Film Music Awards On Radio

Categories for this year's Sammy Awards, chosen by Roger Hall:

Once again this year, there is no award for Best Film Song since I didn't think any song was worth special praise. For many years now film songs have been mostly forgettable.

But this was a good year for film scores. I have already chosen the ones I believe are superior, listed under the Best Film Music Releases of 2011, and make up the nominees for this year's Sammy Awards.

As Sammy Cahn would say with words from one of his Oscar-winning songs, they are the nominees...

Now, on to the CD recordings I have selected for both new and vintage film scores...

After several years without a new film score and the recipient of more Sammy Awards than any other film composer, John Williams has returned with two very good scores for 2011: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN and WAR HORSE. I believe WAR HORSE is the better of the two and the film
directed by Steven Spielberg is an exceptional achievement.
WAR HORSE is my pick for Best Film and Best Score of the Year.

THE ARTIST Hits A Sour Note!

The score to this film has been winning many awards and is an enjoyable album to listen to. But there is a major problem -- the number of musicians involved in its creation: 5 arrangers and 5 orchestrators. How much of this score did Ludovic Bource actually compose? Who knows? An annoyance for anyone who enjoys Bernard Herrmann's beautiful love theme from VERTIGO, is its use (all 5 minutes of it!) for a key scene in THE ARTIST. This is an inappropriate use of a beautiful theme from a great Hitchcock film (which is not even given proper credit in the end credits). Why not write an original theme for this scene in THE ARTIST? Kim Novak was correct for objecting to this "borrowing" of Herrmann's music from VERTIGO.