Press Release from Dragon's Domain:
Dragon’s Domain Records proudly presents the seventh volume in our ongoing series of music from classic science-fiction films, a triple feature of music from three beloved films, THE TIME TRAVELLERS, JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET and REPTILICUS.
From the 1950s on, Ib Melchior (1917-2015) struggled to bring his science fiction visions to the silver screen. Yet despite limited budgets, he somehow always managed to succeed. Many of these films, though far from critical gems, are, for better or worse, fondly remembered as “classics” of the genre. THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION VOL. 7 focuses on three of his films.
Although released first, JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET was actually the second of two productions Sidney W. Pink and Melchior made in conjunction with Denmark’s Saga Studios. American genre star John Agar played one of a team of astronauts who battle a series of illusions created by an evil alien brain on the planet Uranus. Agar is supported by several English-speaking Dutch actors, many of whom had already worked together on REPTILICUS.
Primarily known as a big band and jazz musician, Copenhagen-born Ib Glindemann (born Ib Niels Carl Glindemann Nielsen, 1934-2019) composed the film's original score. However, American International Pictures chose to re-edit and replace several visual effects sequences, which required the addition of previously-recorded music by Ronald Stein.
Of the two films shot in Denmark, REPTILICUS had the larger budget. It was also shot twice, once with Sidney Pink directing the actors speaking in English, the other in Danish under director Poul Bang. Unfamiliar with the tropes of the genre, Bang infused his version with comedic and musical bits by entertainer Dirch Passer as the night watchman Peterson.
American International Productions, who financed the English version, was unhappy with the product that Pink had delivered. Though the film was released quickly in Denmark, AIP delayed its premiere in the U.S., employing Melchior to extensively rework it with added visual effects that depicted the title monster spewing acid slime. Due to all these changes, additional music by composer Les Baxter was required, once again likely sourced from earlier AIP films, and added to supplement the original score.
Les Baxter (1922-96) began his career as a vocalist in Mel Tormé’s “Meltones,” and by the 1950s he had achieved worldwide acclaim as an arranger, composer, and conductor of swing music. He also released several best-selling albums in the instrumental pop and “exotica” genres. Baxter eventually found himself in the role of American International Pictures’ primary in-house composer, scoring not only the studio’s self-produced films, but also re-edited versions of foreign films they had acquired for English-language distribution.
The original music retained from the Pink/Bang versions was composed by Sven Rudolf Sidenius Gyldmark (1904-81). Born in Søllerød, Denmark, he originally aspired to be a classical composer, but commissions to score silent films quickly changed the course of his professional life. Between 1921 and 1975, Glydmark scored 190 films in his native country, frequently collaborating with director Poul Bang.
Ib Melchior also wrote and directed THE TIME TRAVELLERS, released in 1964, which manages to succeed despite its limited budget due to its intriguing premise. A trio of scientists develops a device that allows them to view events that transpire in both the past and the future. When they are ordered to shut down their electricity-draining experiment by the powers-that-be, they make one last desperate attempt, inadvertently opening a physical portal that leads to a barren landscape of the future.
The music for THE TIME TRAVELLERS was composed by Richard W. (aka, “Dick”) LaSalle (1918-2015). He was born in Louisville, Colorado, where he wrote music for local radio while performing in area hotels. His film scoring career began in 1958 with TANK BATTALION, and within two short years he was churning out multiple scores on a regular basis — nine per year in 1961 and 1962 alone. Eventually, his musical talents caught the ear of producer Irwin Allen, who engaged him to score many made-for-TV movies including CITY BENEATH THE SEA (1971), ADVENTURES OF THE QUEEN (1975), FLOOD! (1976), FIRE! (1977), and the mini-series THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO (1978).
SPECIAL NOTE: These recordings were originally taken from analog masters and music & effects tracks and therefore certain limitations from the source tapes may be evident. We have tried to preserve as closely as possible, the quality of the original recordings.
