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Miles Goodman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elliott Thomas Goodman August 27, 1948[1] Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 1996(1996-08-16) (aged 47) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Antioch College |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, record producer |
| Years active | 1975–1996 |
| Spouse | Katherine Copple (m. 1980) |
| Children | 2 |
Elliott Miles Goodman (August 27, 1948 – August 16, 1996) was an Americancomposer fortelevision andfilm. He frequently collaborated withfilm directorFrank Oz, for whom Goodman scored such films asDirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988),What About Bob? (1991) andHousesitter (1992). For his score to Oz'sLittle Shop of Horrors (1986), Goodman was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Goodman was born on August 27, 1948[1] inLos Angeles.[2][3][4][5][6][7] He graduated fromAntioch College inYellow Springs, Ohio, in 1972 with a degree in English.[2][3][4][5][6][7] In 1969, he studiedShakespeare inLondon.[3][4][5][6][7]
Goodman became interested in film scoring through his cousin,Johnny Mandel, anOscar-winningfilm composer.[2][3][8] Goodman at first planned to become a director, despite his strong and eclectic taste injazz and other music. But composing for film intervened in conversations with Mandel.[4][5][6] As a result, Goodman returned to Los Angeles and studied music and film scoring with private teachers includingAlbert Harris.[4][5][6]
"He was very eclectic in his musical tastes. Before film scoring he was very attracted to jazz, Brazilian music and theater. He started life as a songwriter," Mandel said.[3] Mandel would serve as amentor for Goodman.[7]
When Goodman relocated toHollywood, he metOscar Castro-Neves, who became his friend and music partner. They worked together for 30 years.[2][3] "He started from ground zero, (learning) 'This is a middle C,' and became . . . a great musician," said Castro-Neves. "He was a very inspired composer with a great ability to write melodies and a great orchestral talent."[3][4][5]
By the mid-1970s, Goodman did his first film projects as composer for such films asSlumber Party '57 (1976).[7]
In 1979, Goodman arranged orchestrations on thePeter Sellers comedyBeing There for Mandel. Goodman and Mandel would continue to collaborate with each other over the next few years, most notably to scoreSidney Lumet'sOscar-nominated film,The Verdict (1982).[7] He later composed the score forTeen Wolf (1985), starringMichael J. Fox.[9]
He also orchestrated or scored music forFootloose (1984),About Last Night (1986),Little Shop of Horrors (1986),La Bamba (1987),Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988),Problem Child (1990),What About Bob? (1991),Housesitter (1992),Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993),Dunston Checks In (1996),Larger than Life (1996) and'Til There Was You (1997), the latter two released posthumously.[2][10][11][12] Working so often infilms under the genre of comedy manifested Goodman's reputation as the "King of Comedy."[7]Variety praised Goodman's score forDirty Rotten Scoundrels, calling it "a great, imitative '30s jazzy score."[13] Goodman also composed music for the 1989Australian film,The Delinquents.[14]
When a friend suggested to Goodman that he try producing records, he conceived an album of contemporaryBrazilian music withharmonica greatToots Thielemans titledThe Brasil Project.[4][5][6][8][11]
Goodman and Castro-Neves were also co-producers of a series of well-reviewed jazz albums. They arranged 12 selections for the successfulThe Billie Holiday Songbook and forColor and Light: Jazz Sketches on Sondheim,[11] which featured jazz artists interpreting the works ofStephen Sondheim.[2][15]Color and Light: Jazz Sketches of Sondheim was produced by Goodman and Castro-Neves in 1995 and was highly praised. The album was named one of the year's top five albums byTime and reached No. 6 onBillboard's jazz charts.[4][5][6][16]TheBillie Holiday Songbook, featuring trumpeterTerence Blanchard, was also a hit with critics and customers.[4]
"Working with Miles Goodman was also a great experience with me," Blanchard said. Blanchard considered Goodman his mentor. According to Blanchard, they met when Goodman hired him to play on the soundtrack for his score toHousesitter. They remained friends until Goodman's death.[7]
Goodman and Blanchard have collaborated with Brazilian vocalist and pianistIvan Lins.[17] Goodman had also produced the album,A Brazilian Christmas, as well as having produced discs byVanessa Rubin.[11] Goodman and Castro-Neves had also worked on a project of an audio-only series of classic children's stories narrated over newly composed music with other artists.[18]
He even completed work on several albums that were scheduled for release by 1997 that featured such artists as cellistYo-Yo Ma, sopranoKathleen Battle and pianistOttmar Liebert.[3][4]
According toFrank Oz, Goodman completed and recorded a full score for the film,The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), but it was rejected and replaced byRandy Edelman's score as a result. Oz also claimed to have asked Goodman just before his death to do the music for his subsequent filmIn & Out (1997).[19]
In January 1996, Goodman and Blanchard were hired to score the romantic comedy,'Til There Was You (1997), released byParamount Pictures. DirectorScott Winant approved the duo, thinking the comical mastery of Goodman and the jazzy romance of Blanchard would make the perfect combination. Blanchard was even excited about collaborating with his friend and mentor that he rearranged his summer tour ofThe Heart Speaks around Goodman's ever-busy scoring schedule.[7]
On November 18, 1996, Goodman was posthumously awarded the SOCAN Film Music Award by theSociety of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.[20][21]
Goodman died from a heart attack at St. John's Hospital and Medical Center inSanta Monica, California on August 16, 1996.[2][3][4][5][6][8][10][11][16]
"There was some heart disease in the family. His father passed away from a heart attack, but he was really healthy and it was entirely unexpected," Dylan Goodman said. He was described as "a wonderful talent" by his cousin, Johnny Mandel.[3] He was also close friends with Frank Oz, who referred to Goodman as "Bud."[19]
"I had nothing but respect for his work," said fellow jazz producer Steve Backer, "He realized that jazz needed a smart contextualization to sell in big numbers, and he and his partner Oscar Castro-Neves had great ideas that revitalized several artists."[8]
Since his death,Antioch College, Goodman's alma mater, has implemented ascholarship fund in his name.[4][7]
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1977-1978 | James at 16 | 6 episodes: Fast and Loose The Blowout Champions An Hour Before Midnight Ducks Queen of the Silver Dollar |
| 1978 | Lou Grant | Episode: Mob |
| 1979 | A Last Cry for Help | Television movie |
| 1981 | Eight Is Enough | 4 episodes: The Way We Were The Best Little Telethon in Sacramento Yet Another Seven Days in February Goals |
| 1982 | King's Crossing | 3 episodes: Long Ago Tomorrow Confusion by Cupid One Afternoon |
| Having It All | Television movie | |
| Cagney & Lacey | 3 episodes: Witness to an Incident Mr. Lonelyhearts Recreational Use | |
| 1983 | The Face of Rage | Television movie |
| High School U.S.A. | Television movie | |
| An Uncommon Love | Television movie | |
| 1984 | Things Are Looking Up | Television movie |
| 1985 | A Reason to Live | Television movie |
| Poison Ivy | Television movie | |
| Me and Mom | Series | |
| Space | Miniseries | |
| Children of the Night | Television movie | |
| 1986 | Passion Flower | Television movie |
| Thompson's Last Run | Television movie | |
| Blind Justice | Television movie | |
| American Geisha | Television movie | |
| Amazing Stories | Episode: The Eternal Mind | |
| 1988 | Outback Bound | Television movie |
| 1989 | Mick and Frankie | Television movie |
| Travelling Man | Television movie | |
| Money, Power, Murder. | Television movie | |
| 1990 | Tales from the Crypt | Episode: The Ventriloquist's Dummy |
| 1992 | For Richer, For Poorer | Television movie |
| Indecency | Television movie |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
