Dimitri Tiomkin

While Dimitri Tiomkin hailed from Russia, many of his most famous scores were, rather ironically, rip-roaring Westerns. After spending some years in Berlin and Paris, Tiomkin moved to America, starting his Hollywood career following the Great Depression. He swiftly established a relationship with Frank Capra, scoring Lost Horizon, You Can't Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, and perennial Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life. He also collaborated with Howard Hawks on The Big Sky and Land of the Pharaohs and with Alfred Hitchcock on Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, I Confess, and Dial M for Murder. But Tiomkin's talents really flourished in the Western genre--not only did he provide High Noon, Gunfight at the OK Corral, and The Alamo with scores that perfectly depict the optimistic, adventurous spirit of the Western frontier, but he also wrote title songs that became breakaway hits with the public (i.e., those who aren't nerdy about film scores). Although the lyrics sound rather cheesy to thus writer's ears, the tunes themselves prove that one does not have to be born in a specific country in order to understand its musical ethos.


Gunfight at the OK Corral
The High and the Mighty (Suite)
Land of the Pharaohs
Search for Paradise