Just a quick note to say we’re thrilled with the Johnny Douglas ‘On Screen’ CD, so much so that we now have ‘Where Did the Night Go’ too. The recordings are brilliant, the clarity and warmth are as we would expect from a good vinyl record. One thing that is missed these days are the great orchestras. I have always loved the Railway Children theme and didn’t realise until I recently started ‘listening again’ to David Jacobs that there was more to Johnny Douglas.

Over his career, Johnny Douglas scored a number of films, including one for a film entitled “Dulcima”. Johnny recorded this on a couple of compact discs for his own label, also named Dulcima. I found this theme from the film so hauntingly beautiful, plaintive, and soaringly inspiring that I was moved to locate the Dulcima address on the internet and write the company inquiring about any other Johnny Douglas recordings.

I am wild about your three CD’s – ‘On Stage’, ‘On Screen’ and ‘It’s Magic’! Since Andre Kostelanety, Percy Faith, David Rose, Henry Mancini etc left the stage, and pop rubbish is all over the place I never thought I would be buying again such perfectly lovely orchestral music.

But oh those beautiful colourful orchestrations of JD’s with lovely beginnings and endings; wonderful solos by flute, oboe, tenor sax, piano! And those horns, oh those horns!! – forgive me but these Johnny Douglas orchestra and strings CD’s are just what I’ve wanted for years!!  Moonlight Serenade with Ronnie Price’s piano makes this version the best we’ve ever heard.

Johnny Douglas was something of a British Henry Mancini; a well known music director, arranger and composer throughout the 1960s and 70s and something of an icon of easy listening music; he was also involved in some big British movies of the day. While The Railway Children remains the peak of his recognisable film work, movies such as Dulcima, City of Fear and Day of the Triffids bear his mark in some form. His later career was spent on the small screen, writing scores for some of the biggest children’s animated series on television at the time. The 1980s saw him score the likes of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk, Transformers, G.I. Joe and Dungeons and Dragons.His knack with melody, brought to life with stirring, memorable orchestration ran through those series’, and indeed his earlier film work, and some of those moments can be found on this album from Dulcima Records, a label keenly promoting the work of the late composer (he passed away in 2003).

In the tradition of the aforementioned Mancini, Johnny Douglas assembled ‘The Johnny Douglas Strings’ for ‘On Screen’, an album of ‘Classic Melodies from Classic Movies’. The line-up showcases well known compositions by some of the biggest names in the business, including Mr. Mancini, whose theme from Days of Wine and Roses opens the selection. Pieces such as ‘Gigi’, ‘Call Me Irresponsible’, ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘As Time Goes By’ give you some example of what to expect here. All the pieces are warmly orchestrated for strings, augmented in places with light woodwind, piano, brass and percussion.

Douglas threw in a handful of his own tunes amongst the otherwise ‘popular’ selection, beginning with the sweet, carefree theme from Dungeons and Dragons (a favourite of mine as a child). His music from The Railway Children is always a highlight and here it is lovingly recreated with piano, shimmering strings and a particularly lovely solo violin. The final Douglas piece comes from the 1971 British comedy/drama Dulcima, a fitting companion to the previous piece, replete with similar shimmer and warmth.
‘On Screen’ is perhaps elevator music of the highest order and may not appeal to anyone used to today’s crash, bang, wallop approach to film music. But if you like your listening easy, then Johnny Douglas is your man.

From Silents to Satellite

Looking down a list of track titles, it seemed like it could be Henry Mancini album, and the comparison doesn’t stop there, for it seems at times as if Johnny Douglas could be the English Mancini!  Excellent arrangements, fine strings, and to be honest a thoroughly enjoyable album. In this world of synthesiser’s it’s nice to hear a album of pure orchestral sound with no electronics in sight!  Amongst the lighter-weight DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, SMILE, THE WAY WE WERE etc. are three Douglas originals, DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, DULCIMA and the lovely THE RAILWAY CHILDREN.  I, for one wouldn’t have minded a full suite from this film, say about 10 minutes containing all the principle themes.   As engineered by Mike Ross-Trevor, the sound is superb.