Cinema: Theme Song

Many a Hollywood movie lacks a real theme, but practically every movie these days has a theme song. The man on top of the trend is Dimitri Tiomkin, a 54-year-old concert pianist turned composer, who made a deep impression on the industry and the rest of the U.S. with one folksy tune: Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling (from High Noon).

Composer Tiomkin, who speaks fractured English splinted with a Russian accent, explains: "Hollywood begin to come to song mostly from matter of exploitation . . . When I make the title tune for...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!