David McCallum RIP

[Teasing the Korean]

David Axelrod-produced recording artist and Man from U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum has shuffled off this mortal coil.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/25/entertainment/david-mccallum-dead/index.html

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[Dan Gould]

I never watched NCIS but I recall my Mother commenting about how old McCallum was compared to how old he looked in that show.  I was pretty amazed myself. 

[Milestones]

David McCallum was fantastic.  He was a talented guy in many ways.  It's a toss-up as to which of two characters is more iconic: Illya Kuryakin or Ducky Mallard.  

He will be missed.  

R.I.P.  

 

[mikeweil]

R.I.P.

I always thought he was the more interesting and attractive guy compared to Robert Vaughn, but a character of Russian descent probably couldn't be the main figure.

Edited September 26, 2023 by mikeweil

[Milestones]

For a Scot, he made a fine Russian!

[sonnymax]

NCIS is a guilty pleasure of mine. I've seen every episode numerous times. If there's nothing else on TV, or if the Red Sox are trailing by 8 runs or more, I'll watch an episode or two. McCallum's role as Dr. Mallard has always intrigued me more than any other character. When "Ducky" says, "That reminds me of the time ...." you can be sure something interesting would follow. Also, I found his practice of talking to and learning from the dead to be so respectful and caring. I'm sad, but grateful for McCallum's work.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I am a big fan of NCIS too. Ducky was a character. He was able to make the NCIS morgue a place where people didn't mind visiting. That alone took some pretty fine acting ability. To be able to get a chuckle there? Even better acting.

[GA Russell]

RIP.

I remember his LPs being promoted at the stores, but I never heard one.

I remember his Russian accent on UNCLE early on in 1964, and that it disappeared when the show became popular after Goldfinger hit the theatres.

[Big Beat Steve]

NCIS is on TV here too but I am sort of underwhelmed by the series. Too many of this type of series on TV, probably ... Certainly a sort of clutural clash ... I did notice David McCallum among the cast there, however, and his "elder authority" character does have its interest ...

But I keep thinking of him above all as the actor from the "Men From U.N.C.L.E." period, mostly because at the time I really started reading in my primary school days in the 60s the Corgi Toys scale car from that series popped up in the toy car catalogs I devoured, and the name of that TV series (promoted in the catalog) stuck forever. Though I only caught a scant few episodes at the very tail end of its showings on our national TV (to the best of my knowledge it never was rebroadcast later). And of course I did not really grasp the contents of the episodes at that tender age yet and the names of the actors did not mean anything until later. But the groundwork had been laid.

[sidewinder]

‘Man From Uncle’ was an old TV favourite from childhood. RIP.

[clifford_thornton]

Yes, U.N.C.L.E. is what I recognize him from. RIP.

[Teasing the Korean]

Lalo Schifrin's "Ilya," as interpreted by Thee Great Hugo Montenegro!

 

[sgcim]

On 9/26/2023 at 7:29 AM, Teasing the Korean said:

David Axelrod-produced recording artist and Man from U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum has shuffled off this mortal coil.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/25/entertainment/david-mccallum-dead/index.html

 

What was he supposed to have done on that track?

[JSngry]

Conducted.

Oh, arranger?

H.B. Barnum

[Teasing the Korean]

48 minutes ago, sgcim said:

What was he supposed to have done on that track?

What was he supposed to have done on the four Capitol albums released under his name?

Who knows, and who cares? The albums fucking RULE!!!

 

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

Have his Caedmon records been reissued? 

[romualdo]

we used to watch it here in Australia in the 60s - I always preferred David to Robert

RIP

[sgcim]

On 9/30/2023 at 9:29 PM, rostasi said:

“McCallum did not sing on these records, as many television stars of the 1960s did when offered recording contracts. As a classically trained musician, he conceived a blend of oboe, cor anglais, and strings with guitar and drums, and presented instrumental interpretations of hits of the day. The official arranger on the albums was H. B. Barnum. However, McCallum conducted, and contributed several original compositions of his own, over the course of four LPs. The first two, Music...A Part of Me and Music...A Bit More of Me, have been issued together on CD on the Zonophone label. On Open Channel D, McCallum did sing on the first four tracks, "Communication", "House on Breckenridge Lane", "In the Garden, Under the Tree" (the theme song from the film Three Bites of the Apple), and "My Carousel". The music tracks are the same as the Zonophone CD. This CD was released on the Rev-Ola label. The single release of "Communication" reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1966.”

I could see putting his name on the albums where he sings some tunes, but if he didn't even arrange the tunes, what's the point? His 'composition' didn't sound like much, no matter how many hip-hoppers sampled it, and combining English horn with oboe, orchestra and guitar was hardly an innovation.

It was just an ego trip and a money grab, because he was famous at the time. I fell for it, because I thought I was Illya Kuryakin, too. I wore turtlenecks and thought I was a spy ( I still think I'm a spy once in a while), just like my hero Illya did, but it reminds me of the Jackie Gleason 'albums'. What did Jackie Gleason do? Even Gil Evans did it on "Into the Hot'? What did he do on that album?

I've also realized that Lalo Schifrin practically (not legally) ripped off Jerry Goldsmith on his Mission: Impossible theme. Goldsmith came up with a minor theme with a low pitched ostinato (although not in 5/4) a few years before Schifrin wrote M:I. This has been a highly relevatory thread.😁

[JSngry]

I've been led to believe that Gleason did have input for the early albums, at least, mostly in matters of tempo and general interpretation. He knew what he wanted, in other words, and saw to it that he got it. 

And Frank Sinatra allegedly actually conducted when they said he did, although to what extent I've not seen clarified.

I can believe both, st least to that extent. 

18 minutes ago, rostasi said:

What are your feelings on Mitch Miller?

Hey, he played with Bird!!!! 

[Teasing the Korean]

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Hey, he played with Bird!!!! 

And Machito, and Alec Wilder!

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I've been led to believe that Gleason did have input for the early albums, at least, mostly in matters of tempo and general interpretation. He knew what he wanted, in other words, and saw to it that he got it. 

Also in terms of song selection and instrumentation, as far as I know.

[medjuck]

57 minutes ago, sgcim said:

What did Jackie Gleason do?   thread.

According to Milt Hinton he ran into him  the street and hired him for his (Gleason's) next session thus beginning Milt's studio career. 

[sgcim]

7 hours ago, medjuck said:

According to Milt Hinton he ran into him  the street and hired him for his (Gleason's) next session thus beginning Milt's studio career. 

Well, at least that's something.

[sgcim]

8 hours ago, rostasi said:

What are your feelings on Mitch Miller?

Mitch Miller has been literally accused of destroying American Popular Music, in a book I read about APM in the 50s.

As head of A&R at Mercury and Columbia,  he ignored the sophisticated pop songs written by songwriters such as Alec Wilder,Tommy Wolfe and Fran Landesman, and others of that ilk, and championed gimmicky crap like, "How Much is That Doggy in the Window?" To quote music historian Will Friedwald:

"Miller exemplified the worst in American pop. He first aroused the ire of intelligent listeners by trying to turn—and darn near succeeding in turning—great artists like Sinatra, Clooney, and Tony Bennett into hacks. Miller chose the worst songs and put together the worst backings imaginable—not with the hit-or-miss attitude that bad musicians traditionally used, but with insight, forethought, careful planning, and perverted brilliance.^[12]

^{It's no wonder kids turned to Elvis.}

[JSngry]

 

[sonnymax]