'Star Trek' theme composer dies at 88

[Greylyn58]

Source: CNN

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Alexander "Sandy" Courage, an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated arranger, orchestrator and composer who created the otherworldly theme for the classic "Star Trek" TV show, has died. He was 88.

Courage died May 15 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, his stepdaughter Renata Pompelli of Los Angeles, said Thursday. He had been in poor health for three years.

Over a decades-long career, Courage collaborated on dozens of movies and orchestrated some of the greatest musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, including "My Fair Lady," "Hello, Dolly!" "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Gigi," "Porgy and Bess" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

But his most famous work is undoubtedly the "Star Trek" theme, which he composed, arranged and conducted in a week in 1965.

...read more

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/30/obit.courage/index.html

---

Seems we have lost quite a few talented folks of late. I also read that Joseph Pevney, who directed several of the original Star Trek episodes-including "City on the Edge of Forever" has also recently passed away.

Very talented man. He will be missed.

[krispos42]

1. One by one, they are falling

DeForrest Kelly, James Doohan, Gene Roddenberry, Joseph Pevney, and now Alexander Courage.

The ranks are thinning...

[Greylyn58]

2. Truly..

:cry:

[liberal N proud]

3. That's three in three days

Sydney Pollack
Harvey Corman
Alexander Courage

Famous people always die in threes or so it seems

[Faygo Kid]

9. Korman, by the way. And I miss them all already.

Wonderful contributors to the joy of our lives. Which aren't always joyful, but they made a difference.

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Well, bless his beautiful hide............

I'm assuming he wrote that one for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers....He made a lot of great music!

[Wilms]

5. Tough month for TV Composers: Earle H. Hagen, 88; Emmy- winning TV music composer

Earle H. Hagen, 88; Emmy- winning TV music composer

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 28, 2008

Earle H. Hagen, the Emmy Award-winning television composer who wrote the memorable theme music for “The Andy Griffith Show,” "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "I Spy" and other classic TV programs, has died. He was 88.

Hagen, who composed the jazz standard "Harlem Nocturne" and was a former big-band trombonist for Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Ray Noble, died Monday night at his home in Rancho Mirage, said his wife, Laura. He had been ill for several months.

After spending seven years at 20th Century Fox as an arranger and orchestrator, Hagen moved into television in 1953 after the studio cut back on its music department.

Over the next 33 years, he composed music for about 3,000 TV series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-me-hagen28-2008may28,0,3791913.story

[klook]

6. Yeah, I was bummed about Hagen

"Harlem Nocturne" (used as the Mickey Spillane/Mike Hammer theme) is a fantastic composition, and the Andy Griffith and Dick Van Dyke themes were excellent ditties also.

[Deja Q]

10. Holy kibble. I loved his music in "I Spy".

[Faygo Kid]

11. Ohmigod. You are right, and we should not forget him.

I had a dog once who knew the theme from "Andy Griffith," because we had dinner at that time every night (about 10 years ago), and she would come to sit and beg whenever she heard the song. Sweetest dog ever; part pit bull and part lab (rescued) and I called her "bunny rabbit."

Anyway, thanks to you, Earle Hagan.

[Orrin_73]

7. RIP Alexander "Sandy" Courage

[sonias]

8. Oh no!!!

:cry:

Rest in peace, Alexander "Sandy" Courage.


Sonia

[zbdent]

12. aww awwwwwwww, aww aww aww aww awwwwwwwwwww

[roguevalley]

13. Two star trek people. how sad. they truly made me happy for a long time.

[zbdent]

17. It was attempting to sing the theme song ...

but I forgot the words ...

[cascadiance]

14. At least on one good note, George Takei just now is able to marry someone he cares for!

... thanks to the California Supreme Court!

http://www.georgetakei.com/news.asp

[liberalhistorian]

15. My stepdad got me into Star Trek as a very young child.

My mom had a much longer commute and he was responsible for getting dinner ready (late 60's-early 70's). ST was syndicated then and he'd watch it as he prepared dinner and I'd often watch it with him. He also would watch it at other times as well, since it was syndicated throughout the day. At that time, we had a TV on wheels that you could wheel almost anywhere in our small house, so he'd wheel it into the kitchen, the bedroom, hell, even into the bathroom during baths. I loved watching it with him, especially the music (I was into music even then, even before taking lessons). We lived in SD then, on the edge of town, and the prairie sky was like our own private planetarium at night. I'd look up at the sky and imagine the Enterprise among the stars. My stepdad was largely responsible for not only my lifelong love of Star Trek but my interest in science fiction as well. We couldn't wait to see the first movie when it came out, or the subsequent movies. Mom never cared much about it, so ST was kind of our own thing together.

Unfortunately, now he is in a nursing home at only 64, a victim of Lewy Body Disease, a combination of Alzheimer's-like dementia and Parkinsons-like physical symptoms. He's been deteriorating for years and is now in the last stages, having been moved to a nursing home in December. He has no memory of Star Trek or of sharing it with me, and doesn't respond to any attempts to show him anything ST-related. So this is especially sad news to me, along with all the other ST deaths these past several years.

[Book Lover]

16. Thank you for sharing your story

I remember watching Trek with my mom on Saturday evenings; Mission Impossible was on at 5, Trek at 6. We'd sit in the living room completely silent while MI was on, following the plot, and when Trek started, it was such a release to start joking and commenting. Great memories :-)

[Hugin]

18. Here's a YouTube of the theme...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHhePr0TKfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjL8WXjlGI

Please pardon me, I'll be off now... It's been a crushing couple of days. :cry: