The Haunting Melody of The Uninvited (1944)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJ19yJFWXwRMBbC-7ZI7HoFz5t4dTa5p_wjBhbSeIyl1HgQqTuY3xgV3FDyuwZUQe_n_swHv4Hn8vVZLxOKFaqpwbu7_9SzS9LQqBMST84ACjnd96N13U8W8mwjIIwFD9E2-EqCE8vI_u/s1600/the+uninvited+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJ19yJFWXwRMBbC-7ZI7HoFz5t4dTa5p_wjBhbSeIyl1HgQqTuY3xgV3FDyuwZUQe_n_swHv4Hn8vVZLxOKFaqpwbu7_9SzS9LQqBMST84ACjnd96N13U8W8mwjIIwFD9E2-EqCE8vI_u/s400/the+uninvited+2.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">  </span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Uninvited</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, from Paramount Pictures in 1944, is an elegantly spooky <i>Rebecca</i>-esque romance with more than one haunting quality. Yes, Windward House, the sea cliff-situated home central to the story, is haunted by a malevolent woman’s ghost, but the film’s music is equally haunting (though not at all spooky).</span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Victor Young (who composed the film’s Rachmaninoff influenced score) and his orchestra introduced “Stella by Starlight” in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Uninvited</i>. The melody is a thematic refrain throughout, but takes center stage in a romantic scene between Ray Milland (Roderick Fitzgerald) and Gail Russell (Stella Meredith). The pair is spending an evening together at Windward House and Rick begins to play the music, which he has written, on his grand piano:</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B96ApEvaoBY" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Jan. 2013 update: sadly this video <span style="font-size: x-small;">is no longer available on YouTube)</span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Victor Young wasn't Academy Award-nominated for his rhapsodic score for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Uninvited</i>, but did garner 22 Oscar nominations over his prolific career. He was nominated for as many as four films in a single year, but his only win came posthumously, for<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Around the World in 80 Days </i>(1956). His scores for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden Boy </i>(1939) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Written on the Wind </i>(1956) were among many nominated for the gold statuette - and he also scored <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Palm Beach Story </i>(1942), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shane </i>(1953), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Johnny Guitar </i>(1954) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Country Girl </i>(1954). Young died in 1956 with hundreds of film credits</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> to his name.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laura</i>, another notable film of 1944 with an evocative musical theme, song lyrics were composed for "Stella by Starlight" after <i>The Uninvited</i> was released and became a popular movie. In 1946 Oscar-winning lyricist Ned Washington (“When You Wish Upon a Star”/<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pinocchio</i> and “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’”/<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Noon</i>) created lyrics to accompany the music. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In 1947, two versions of "Stella by Starlight," one recorded by Frank Sinatra the other by the Harry James </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Orchestra, climbed the pop charts. In 1952, iconic saxophonist Charlie Parker made the first jazz recording of the tune; the song remains both a popular standard and jazz standard today.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/P94vB3mLRzc" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div>

Frank Sinatra Gail Russell Ned Washington Ray Milland Stella By Starlight The Uninvited Victor Young The Haunting Melody of The Uninvited (1944)

  The Uninvited, from Paramount Pictures in 1944, is an elegantly spooky Rebecca-esque romance with more than one haunting quality. Yes, Windward House, the sea cliff-situated home central to the story, is haunted by a malevolent woman’s ghost, but t…

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