"CBS Movie Theme" Recording Session logs from 1978

From logbooks found at the UCLA Music Department Special Collections, 
here is an summary of the CBS recording log for the 1978 session in 
which new arrangements of the CBS Prime-Time and Late-Night Movie Theme
was recorded. The basic tune for all of these versions is the 1966 
composition filed for copyright as:

   "CBS Thursday Night Movie Theme"
    by Morton Stevens, 
    Copyright Date: November 1, 1966; Eu 963 586.

The composition was apparently re-recorded in 1971 with a more 
jazz-flavored arrangement for use on the "CBS Friday Night Movie", 
so the first version title reflects this...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here is an expansion of the recording log for ONE version. A summary 
of all the versions follow...

TITLE:     CBS Friday Nite Movie - '71
LIB #:     78 - CTN 229
1/4" REEL: 72 & 73 DD
DATE:      8-10-78
PLACE:     SC
           11 6/8 click [frames per click --  a setting on a
                         digital metronome used for film scoring,
                         corresponding to 122.5 beats per minute
                         on a standard Maelzel's Metronome.]
EPISODE:   Movie Theme
PROD #:    26 - 1520 - 5289 ["Prime Time Movie Theme"]
CONDUCTOR: M. Stevens
COMPOSER:  Morton Stevens
MIXER:     P. Yeend
ARRANGER:
ORCH SIZE: 25   WW [woodwind]: 4 
                BRASS: 15  
                PERC [percussion]: 2  
                RYH [rhythm]: 4
                STRINGS: [blank] 
                OTHER: [blank]

[circled below were the words MONO, 8-TRACK, and 3-TRACK,
 with 1/2" Reel for the 8-track: #23, and 35mm for 3-track: FC
 which I think means "Full-Coat". In other words they made
 a recording of individual sections on the 8-track machine, and
 duplicate masters on the 1/4" MONO tape machine, and the 35mm 
 Magnetic Film recorder made a 3-track stereo recording with 
 a center channel. In my circles, the normal procedure would have
 been to do an 8, 16, or 24-track recording, and then come back
 later and do a "Mixdown" session to a master. But perhaps these
 guys didn't have time, and just "mixed it right off the monitor".]

...there followed on the log sheet a number of takes:

SD  LOG#  SECS  INFORMATION        DAILY TIME
=========================================================
                Reh. [rehearsal]   2:00 pm
 6   82   :22   Comp. [complete]   2:15
                Plbk  [playback]   2:17
 5   83   :22   Comp.              2:23
     84   :15   F.S. [False Start] 2:24
 4   85   :22   Comp.              ----
                Plbk               2:26
 3   86   :22   Comp.              2:30
 2   87   :21   11 7/8 click-Comp. ---- [changed metronome faster]
 1   88   :21   11 6/8 click-Print 2:33 [changed metronome back
                   but must have cut something because it's shorter]
                End                2:35

The number 88 above was circled, so presumably that and the fact that 
the engineer noted "Print" for it, meant it was the "keeper" -- the 
take that was actually used on the air. 

So it took 35 minutes to rehearse and record a :22-second composition. 
This is a bit more time than usual for such a short CUE, but I guess 
they spent the extra time since it would be heard repeatedly as a THEME.

So, the above was an expansion of just ONE recorded piece. Here is a 
summary of the whole session, which focused on two main compositions -- 
one was the "PrimeTime Movie Theme" and the other the "Late Night Movie
 Theme" that Robert Drasnin arranged from Stevens original melody and 
added an introduction and tag. It's interesting to note that Drasnin 
got credit on the cue sheet, but curiously I find no credit for him 
in ASCAP or BMI repertoire files on this composition.

Now here is a summary of all the different versions recorded during 
this session...

===========================================
Prod. #26-1520-5289 "PrimeTime Movie Theme"
===========================================

1. "CBS Friday Nite Movie - '71"
    Morton Stevens
    78 - CTN 229
    11 6/8 click (:21)
    Orch: 25

2. "Thursday Nite Theme Bumper #1"
    Morton Stevens
    78 - CTN 235
    (:06) and ("slow" :08)
    Orch: 16

3. "Thursday Nite Theme Bumper #2"
    Morton Stevens
    78 - CTN 236
    (:05)
    Orch: 23

============================================
Prod. #26-1280-5288 "Late Night Movie Theme"
============================================

4. "CBS Movie Theme H"
    Morton Stevens
    78 - CTN 811
    8 - 0 click (:09)
    Orch: 22

5. "CBS Movie Theme M"
    Morton Stevens
    78 - CTN 810
    12 - 6 click (:11)
    Orch: 22

6. "CBS Movie Theme B"
    Pt. 1 - Bars 1-4 (:07) Morton Stevens (ASCAP)
    Pt. 2 - Bars 5-6 (:03) Robert Drasnin (BMI)
    78 - CTN 812
    10 - 6 click (:10)
    Orch: 25

7. "CBS Movie Theme R"
    Pt. 1 - Bars A, 4-5    Robert Drasnin (BMI) 
    Pt. 2 - Bars 1-3 (:07) Morton Stevens (ASCAP)
    78 - CTN 813
    13 - 2 click (:10)
    Orch: 25

[ I believe the above may be the most frequently heard 
"CBS Late Movies" version]

8. "CBS Movie Theme A (in F)"
    Pt. 1 - Bars 1, 5, 6 (:03) Robert Drasnin (BMI) 
    Pt. 2 - Bars 1-3 (:07) Morton Stevens (ASCAP)
    78 - CTN 814
    12 - 0 click (:10)
    Orch: 25

9. "CBS Movie Theme A (in C)"
    Pt. 1 - Bars 1, 5, 6 (:03) Robert Drasnin (BMI) 
    Pt. 2 - Bars 1-3 (:07) Morton Stevens (ASCAP)
    78 - CTN 815
    12 - 0 click (:10)
    Orch: 25

10. "Movie Bumper"
    Pt. 1 - Bar 1 (:02) Morton Stevens (ASCAP)
    Pt. 2 - Bar 2 (:02) Robert Drasnin (BMI)
    78 - CTN 816
    12 - 3 click (:04)
    Orch: 25

Source: CBS Inc. collection of music manuscripts, books, and
printed music, 72, Music Library Special Collections, 
University of California, Los Angeles

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