Jack Elliott
Encyclopedia
Jack Elliott was an American
television and film composer
, conductor
, music arranger
, and television producer
.
, Elliott graduated from the Hartt School of Music and worked as a jazz pianist in New York Paris in the 1950s. He continued his post-graduate studies in composition with Arnold Franchetti, Isadore Freed, Bohuslav Martinů
, and Lukas Foss
, but it was Judy Garland
who brought Elliott to California to become an arranger for her television show
.
Elliott continued his run in television as music director for Andy Williams' long running series
and later produced and conducted the NBC television special Live From Studio 8H: 100 Years of America's Popular Music. He also wrote themes for television shows Night Court
, Barney Miller
, and Charlie's Angels
. He is listed in New Grove's Dictionary of American Music and was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music.
Elliot was co-founder and music director of the American Jazz Philharmonic (formerly the New American Orchestra) and creator of the Henry Mancini Institute. The original name of the Orchestra was "The Big O" and was the largest jazz
orchestra of its kind featuring over 92 musicians. Elliott blended the classical European style orchestra with modern American jazz
style. His professional repertoire was diverse, highlighted by stints as music director for the Academy Awards, Emmy Award
s, Kennedy Center Honors
and the 1984 Summer Olympics
. In addition, he holds the distinction of serving as music director
of the Grammy Award
s for 30 consecutive years.
He had an accomplished career in film, scoring numerous hit movies, including Sibling Rivalry
, The Jerk
, Oh God!, and Where's Poppa?
. He also produced the Blade Runner
soundtrack album with the New American Orchestra, and composed the song "It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House" in 1948.
on August 18, 2001.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television and film composer
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, music arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
Biography
Born Irwin Elliott Zucker in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Elliott graduated from the Hartt School of Music and worked as a jazz pianist in New York Paris in the 1950s. He continued his post-graduate studies in composition with Arnold Franchetti, Isadore Freed, Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
, and Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss was a German-born American composer, conductor, and pianist.-Music career:He was born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922. His father was the philosopher and scholar Martin Fuchs...
, but it was Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
who brought Elliott to California to become an arranger for her television show
The Judy Garland Show
The Judy Garland Show is an American musical variety television series that aired on CBS on Sunday nights during the 1963-1964 television season. Despite a sometimes stormy relationship with Judy Garland, CBS had found success with several television specials featuring the star...
.
Elliott continued his run in television as music director for Andy Williams' long running series
The Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976...
and later produced and conducted the NBC television special Live From Studio 8H: 100 Years of America's Popular Music. He also wrote themes for television shows Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
, Barney Miller
Barney Miller
Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker...
, and Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. He is listed in New Grove's Dictionary of American Music and was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music.
Elliot was co-founder and music director of the American Jazz Philharmonic (formerly the New American Orchestra) and creator of the Henry Mancini Institute. The original name of the Orchestra was "The Big O" and was the largest jazz
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
orchestra of its kind featuring over 92 musicians. Elliott blended the classical European style orchestra with modern American jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
style. His professional repertoire was diverse, highlighted by stints as music director for the Academy Awards, Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
and the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. In addition, he holds the distinction of serving as music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for 30 consecutive years.
He had an accomplished career in film, scoring numerous hit movies, including Sibling Rivalry
Sibling Rivalry (film)
Sibling Rivalry is a 1990 black comedy starring Kirstie Alley, Sam Elliott, Jami Gertz, Bill Pullman, Carrie Fisher, and Scott Bakula, directed by Carl Reiner.-Plot:...
, The Jerk
The Jerk
The Jerk is a 1979 American comedy film. Directed by Carl Reiner, the film was written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias. This was Steve Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmet Walsh and Jackie Mason.-Plot:The film begins...
, Oh God!, and Where's Poppa?
Where's Poppa?
Where's Poppa? is a 1970 black comedy film based on the novel by Robert Klane starring George Segal, Ron Leibman and Ruth Gordon. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a lawyer son played by Segal and his senile mother played by Gordon...
. He also produced the Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
soundtrack album with the New American Orchestra, and composed the song "It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House" in 1948.
Death
Elliot served as music director of the Henry Mancini Institute until his death from a brain tumorBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
on August 18, 2001.
Selected filmography
- The ComicThe ComicThe Comic is a 1969 drama/black comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Carl Reiner. It stars former Disney regulars Dick Van Dyke as Billy Bright and Michele Lee as Bright's love interest...
(1969) - T.R. BaskinT.R. BaskinT.R. Baskin is a 1971 American drama film directed by Herbert Ross. It stars Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd and James Caan.The screenplay by Peter Hyams focuses on a naïve young woman who moves to Chicago with the hope of finding romance and a fulfilling career.The film was released as A...
(1971) - Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
- Get to Know Your RabbitGet to Know Your RabbitGet to Know Your Rabbit is a 1972 American comedy film written by Jordan Crittenden and directed by Brian De Palma.-Synopsis:Corporate executive Donald Beeman, fed up with the rat race, impulsively quits his job and takes to the road as a traveling tap dancing magician under the tutelage of Mr....
(1972) - Just You and Me, KidJust You and Me, KidJust You and Me, Kid is a 1979 comedy film that stars Brooke Shields, George Burns, Ray Bolger and Burl Ives. It was directed by Leonard Stern. It is rated PG for brief nudity and adult language.-Plot:...
(1979)
Television
- McHale's NavyMcHale's NavyMcHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
(15 episodes, 1965–1966) - Pistols 'n' PetticoatsPistols 'n' PetticoatsPistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom that ran on CBS during the 1966-1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966 to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song...
(3 episodes, 1966) - The New Dick Van Dyke ShowThe New Dick Van Dyke ShowThe New Dick Van Dyke Show is an American sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1974. This was Van Dyke's first return to series television since The Dick Van Dyke Show.-Production:...
(2 episodes, 1971–1974) - The RookiesThe RookiesThe Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
(6 episodes, 1973–1975) - Really RaquelReally RaquelReally Raquel was a prime-time variety show adapted from Raquel Welch's 1973 live night club show. The special showcased Welch's talents as a singer, dancer and comedienne, pitting her in a variety of skits with the Krofft Puppets, who were the only guest stars...
(1974)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Academy Award | Nominated | Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment Academy Award for Original Music Score The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:... |
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Shared with Robert Armbruster Robert Armbruster Robert Armbruster was a Philadelphia-born American composer, conductor, pianist and songwriter. After studying with Constantin von Sternberg he became a concert pianist, then branched out into conducting and a composing for radio, then television and film. He debuted as a pianist with the... , Leo Arnaud Leo Arnaud Leo Arnaud or Léo Arnaud was a French-American composer of film scores, best known for Bugler's Dream, which is used as the theme by television networks presenting the Olympic Games in the United States.... , Jack Hayes, Calvin Jackson Calvin Jackson Calvin Jackson was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.... , and Leo Shuken Leo Shuken Leo Shuken was an American film music composer, arranger, and musical director.... ) |
| 1987 | BMI Film & TV Awards Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed... |
Won | BMI TV Music Award | Night Court |
| 1988 | ||||
| 1989 | ||||
| 1981 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction | Omnibus (For December 28, 1980 episode Shared with Alf Clausen Alf Clausen Alf Clausen is an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of The Simpsons, of which he has been the sole composer since 1990... and William Goldstein) |
| 1989 | Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour |