Baby Doll Soundtrack CD

Recorded on October 2, 1956. Originally released on Columbia (958).

Baby Doll, a drama based on two of Tennessee Williams' one-act plays, with a screenplay by him and directed by Elia Kazan, is imbued with Williams' feel for rural Southern lust and corruption. Kenyon Hopkins, for whom this was his first major score (he went on to handle a relatively small body of work including Twelve Angry Men, The Strange One, The Fugitive Kind, Wild River, Lilith, and Downhill Racer), was a protégé of Kazan's, and his music was not prominently used in the picture, although it came up dramatically here and there. His writing struggles to conform to the varying moods of the film and to the contrast of Hollywood moviemaking in a down-home setting. So, the Warner Bros. Orchestra, under the direction of Ray Heindorf, finds itself augmented by harmonica and mandolin on occasion, while playing music that mixes fairy tale references with barrelhouse blues (particularly when it accompanies Smiley Lewis singing "Shame, Shame, Shame!") Released in 1956, Baby Doll was a transitional effort for Hollywood, moving into a more mature subject matter while trying to continue to appeal to a family audience. (The film was notoriously condemned by the Catholic Church's Legion of Decency, but is innocent by later standards.) Hopkins' score similarly mixes conventional orchestral movie themes with more earthy elements, with fitful success. ~ William Ruhlmann

Original score composed by Kenyon Hopkins.

This is part of DRG Records "Hollywood Collector" series.

1956 Remastered W/ Bonus Instrumental Tracks.

Personnel: Smiley Lewis (vocals).

Liner Note Authors: Carroll Baker; Eli Wallach; Karl Malden.

Recording information: 10/02/1956.Mojo (Publisher) (12/03, p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Using a basic orchestra, Hopkins conjured an atmosphere as steamy as the Louisiana night. Enjoy it like a mint julip."