The Legacy of John Williams

Pete ‘n’ Tillie

Table Of Contents

Film Details

Year: 1972
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Martin Ritt
Producer: Julius J. Epstein
Executive Producer: Jennings Lang
Writer: Julius J. Epstein, based on the novella “Witch’s Milk” by Peter DeVries
Main Cast: Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Page, Barry Nelson, Rene Auberjoinois, Lee H. Montgomery
Genre: Comedy – Drama

For synopsis and full cast and crew credits, visit the IMDb page

Music Credits

Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams (credited as “John T. Williams”)

Orchestra Contractor: Sandy DeCrescent
Concertmasters: Erno Neufeld, Israel Baker
Orchestrators: John Williams, Bill Stafford
Recorded at Universal Studios Scoring Stage, Hollywood, California
Recording Dates: October 27, 30 and 31, 1972

Essential Discography

Music from the Universal Pictures feature Pete ‘n’ Tillie – CD (2017)
Varèse Sarabande – VCL 0317 1178
Produced by Mike Matessino and Robert Townson
Mixed and Edited by Mike Matessino
Mastered by Patricia Sullivan
Liner notes: Mike Matessino
Premiere release of the film’s original score; CD also contains the expanded soundtrack for Stanley and Iris (1990)

“Love’s The Only Game In Town” (Love Theme from Pete ‘n’ Tillie) Single – 45rpm vinyl (1972)
Decca – 33050 (Promo)
Walter Matthau, Vocals
Arranged and Conducted by Al Capps
Produced by Gil Rodin

“Love’s The Only Game In Town” (from Pete ‘n’ Tillie) Single – 45rpm vinyl (1972)
Columbia – 4-45765 (Promo)
Carol Burnett, Vocals
Arranged and Produced by Peter Matz

“Love’s The Only Game In Town” is a song based on the love theme from Pete ‘n’ Tillie, for which lyrics were provided by Alan & Marilyn Bergman

In Williams’ Words

“[Director] Martin Ritt […] is tough, serious, realistic, theatrically orientated–if you have ten minutes of music in one of his films you’ve done well, because he doesn’t like the cosmetic distraction of music.” 1

Quotes and Commentary

The score is based around a singular love theme, which became the song “Love’s The Only Game in Town,” with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman (collaborators with Williams on Fitzwilly and Sabrina), but which is not sung in the film itself. A Decca Records promo was arranged by Al Capps and recorded by Matthau, with an instrumental version on its B-side. Carol Burnett also later recorded a cover version for her own album. The composer (unusually credited as “John T. Williams” on the project) brings a nuanced touch to several variations of the love theme in his score, for which he recorded nearly 20 minutes of music… but this was reduced by more than half during the editorial process. Happily, the full recordings survive to make their debut here, revealing a score of emotional depth despite its brevity. Pete and Tillie, like Stanley and Iris, are a couple who, through the other, begin a new chapter of life just when it looked like there might never be one, so it is unsurprising that the music for these two scores is idiomatically similar – delicate, direct and romantic. 2
-Mike Matessino

Videos

Main Title from Pete ‘n’ Tillie | Universal Pictures

“Love’s The Only Game In Town” (from Pete ‘n’ Tillie) | Vocals by Carol Burnett

Bibliography and References

. Elley, Derek – “The Film Composer: John Williams – Pt. 2”. Films and Filming, August 1978
. Matessino, Mike – “Learning to Read and Ritt Music,” Stanley and Iris – The Deluxe Edition liner notes, Varèse Sarabande, 2017

Footnotes

  1. Quoted in Elley, Films and Filming, 1978 ↩︎
  2. Matessino, Stanley and Iris – The Deluxe Edition liner notes, Varèse Sarabande, 2017 ↩︎

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