Henry Mancini's first album - a languid and vastly superior piece of exotica initially released in 1957 as 'Driftwood and Dreams', re-issued for the first time on compact disc in both stereo and the original beautiful mono version in 2008. Henry Mancini recruited the renowned Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida to bring a distinctly tropical feel that would have been beyond the reach of even the most seasoned American player. To add a crucial touch of the other-worldly, he enlisted the soprano Loulie "Lulu" Jean Norman, whose wordless vocals would later achieve global recognition on the theme from Star Trek.Poinciana

'Touch of Evil' is a 1958 American crime thriller film written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson. Along with Welles, the cast includes Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, and Marlene Dietrich. 'Touch of Evil' is one of the last examples of film noir in the genre's classic era (from the early 1940s until the late 1950s). Unquestionably one of Mancini's greatest achievements, this score to the classic 1958 Orson Welles film of scandal and intrigue along the Mexican border used a lot of appropriate Latin accents: Afro-Cuban percussion, smoky Tijuana jazz jive, and honky tonking instrumental jump blues with a strong rock & roll flavor. Both ominous and exuberant in its evocation of temptation and deceit, it attracted the specific praise of no less a critic than François Truffaut.

An entry in RCA's Living Stereo series, 'The Mancini Touch' is said to be Henry Mancini's attempt to combine modern jazz ideas with big-band swing. The result is a carefully arranged album on which the soloists occasionally improvise. Mancini wrote "Free and Easy" for the Sal Mineo film 'Rock, Pretty Baby', which speaks to his popular focus in spite of the jazz trappings. Some numbers are moody and not at all dance-oriented, such as "Snowfall," a meditation on acoustic guitar and vibes that grows into a subtle swell of soft strings and horns. "Bijou" is a whimsical piece that anticipates the sound of "Baby Elephant Walk" and "The Pink Panther Theme." The cover of 'The Mancini Touch' depicts Henry Mancini as a puppeteer controlling a pair of dancers, suggesting a belief in the power of music to manipulate mood and action. -- Greg Adams, Allmusic

Henry Mancini was so successful with his 'Music From Peter Gunn' album that RCA-Victor brought him back into the studio for a second LP's worth of music from the Blake Edwards-produced program. The second Peter Gunn album didn't do as well as the first, but it is almost as strong musically. Notables on the sessions included drummer Shelly Manne, trumpet virtuoso Pete Candoli, and pianist (and future film music giant) John Williams. Thanks to American BMG's unwillingness to pay the higher mechanical royalties involved, they refused to combine the two Peter Gunn albums on one CD when they upgraded the first album on the Buddha label, choosing instead to simply add four bonus tracks off the second album to the CD. The remaining eight numbers are about as strong as anything on Music From Peter Gunn: "Timothy" may have its weak moments of comic effect, but even it includes some diverting trumpet passages, and none of the rest needs any apology or explanation; "My Manne Shelly" surprisingly isn't given over to Manne's drumming, though the latter does get spotlighted in some surprisingly subtle playing for a featured number; "Goofin' at the Coffee House" is a fine showcase for Victor Feldman's vibraphone, Pete Candoli's trumpet, John Williams' pianio, and Ronnie Lang's flute work; "Odd Ball" is an exciting piece of effect music, evoking action and suspense with some virtuoso playing by all concerned; and "The Little Man Theme" is a great workout for Lang's flute, Ted Nash's piccolo, Williams' piano, and Bob Bain's electric guitar. The CD reissue of 'More Music From Peter Gunn' is a European import that has been augmented with four additional tracks: the original "Peter Gunn," Mancini's main title from the series 'Mr. Lucky' and its Latin variant, and Mancini's main title theme from the Blake Edwards movie 'Experiment in Terror'. -- Bruce Eder, Allmusic. Recorded at RCA's Music Center of the World on February 17, March 5, and March6, 1959.

'The Music from Peter Gunn' is a 1959 album by Henry Mancini (RCA LPM/LSP-1956), the soundtrack of the TV series 'Peter Gunn'. It was the first album ever to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1959. It was followed by 'More Music from Peter Gunn' (RCA LPM/LSP-2040). The main theme is notable for its combination of jazz orchestration with a straightforward, rock 'n roll backbeat. 'The Music from Peter Gunn' was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". This was televison's first big hit music track. The title theme from this series produced by Blake Edwards is one of the finest things Henry Mancini ever wrote. Here is driving, popular jazz, with a beat and style. -- Bruce Eder, Allmusic

'High Time' is a 1960 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bing Crosby, Fabian, and Tuesday Weld. The film is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man who enters the world of a new generation of postwar youth. In the years since its release, 'High Time' has come to be viewed as a comedic study of the slowly emerging generation gap between the music and mores of an older generation and postwar youth, as well as an inadvertent time capsule of American adolescents and lifestyles in 1960. The film introduced the song "The Second Time Around". It was the last song Bing Crosby introduced that would be nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. The song became a hit single for Frank Sinatra, and would later be recorded by a number of artists, including Barbra Streisand for "The Movie Album" (2003). The title song, "High Time," was adopted in 1961 as the opening theme music for Mr. Peppermint, a long-running children's show in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

'Mr. Lucky' is a CBS adventure/drama television series that aired from October 24, 1959, to June 18, 1960, with repeats until September 3. Blake Edwards developed the program as a retooling of his Willie Dante character from Four Star Playhouse, where the role was played by studio boss Dick Powell. In the 1960–1961 season, Howard Duff (1913–1990) assumed the role of Willie Dante in the NBC adventure/drama series Dante. Mr. Edwards directed and co-wrote the first episode of 'Mr. Lucky', and the credits of the first eighteen episodes included "Entire production supervised by Blake Edwards." Jack Arnold (director of 'Creature from the Black Lagoon', 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', and 'It Came from Outer Space') produced the show and directed fifteen of the thirty-four episodes. Henry Mancini's smooth theme music for the show reached Number 21 in the US singles charts. He released two successful LP's based on the show, 'Mr. Lucky' and 'Mr. Lucky Goes Latin'. Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World - Hollywood, California on December 4, 10, and 17, 1959.

'Breakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture' is the soundtrack from the 1961 movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' starring Audrey Hepburn, with music composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. At the 1962 Academy Awards, Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer won Oscars for Best Original Song for "Moon River," while Mancini picked up a second statue for Best Original Score. The soundtrack stayed on Billboard's album charts for over ninety weeks. Audrey Hepburn's performance of the 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' theme song "Moon River" helped composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer win an Oscar for Best Song. In 2012, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. According to Time magazine, Mancini "sets off his melodies with a walking bass, extends them with choral and string variations, varies them with the brisk sounds of combo jazz. "Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus, finally resolved with the harmonica again." Henry Mancini won two Oscars for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' - "Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture", and "Best Original Song: 'Moon River'". Additionally, Henry Mancini won the 1962 Grammy Award for "Best Soundtrack Album or Recording or Score".

'Hatari!' (Swahili for "Danger!") is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. Portraying a group of professional animal catchers in Africa working for zoos, the film includes dramatic wildlife chases and the magnificent backdrop scenery of Mount Meru, a dormant volcano. 'Hatari!' was filmed on location in Tanganyika (in what is now northern Tanzania). 'Hatari!' grossed $12,923,077 at the box office, earning $7 million in US theatrical rentals. It was the 8th highest grossing film of 1962.

Reflecting the European setting of Stanley Donen's 1963 comedy thriller 'Charade', Henry Mancini's soundtrack provides an easy listening tour of continental musical history: Parisian café songs on "Bistro," Eastern European gypsy music on "Bateau Mouche," Schubert quartets on "Bye Charlie," and some beer barrel polka on "Punch and Judy." Thrown in for variety's sake are dashes of Bond soundtracks, Cossack songs, and Strauss waltzes. With Mancini's typically cohesive approach, though, Charade doesn't become a messy pastiche (even with his mix of Latin rhythms and classical music on some tracks). And in the spirit of inclusiveness, Mancini also shows his south of the border touch on "Mambo Parisienne" (picture Perez Prado sporting an accordion), "Latin Snowfall" (transcendentally gorgeous bolero, one of his best), and "Mégève" (bossa nova for the Biarritz set). Also don't overlook one of his biggest hits and finest melodies, "Charade" (done here in instrumental, vocal, and carousel? versions). A great Mancini recording made during the same fruitful, early-'60s period that produced two other fine soundtracks of his, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'The Pink Panther'.

'The Pink Panther' is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, and Claudia Cardinale. 'The Pink Panther' is another fine, early-'60s soundtrack from Henry Mancini. The title track became one of his most recognizable themes and kicks off a pleasant program of dreamy lounge cuts and Latin-tinged numbers. As he did on many other movie/TV albums ('Touch of Evil', 'Peter Gunn', etc.), Mancini also includes some noirish, big band numbers, like "The Tiber Twist" and the main title. Along with these up-tempo songs, he balances out the mostly light material with the solidly swinging mambos "The Village Inn," "Something for Sellers" (as in Peter Sellers, the movies' star), and "It Had Better Be Tonight" (co-written by frequent partner Johnny Mercer and something of a minor vocal hit upon its release). The program's highlights, though, come from the kind of sublime (some might say cheesy) ballads he usually included on his soundtracks; the after-hours jazz tune "Royal Blue" stands out in particular, with its tasteful string arrangement and glowing trumpet solo. -- Stephen Cook, Allmusic

The title of Henry Mancini's 1966 double album 'Academy Award Songs' is self-explanatory. The 31 tunes represent every Academy Award-winning song from 1934-1964, encompassing diverse material such as "High Noon," "Chim Chim Cher-ee," and "Lullaby of Broadway." Enthusiasts of film music will appreciate the reference value of Mancini's collection, and his arrangements -- which combine lush orchestral backing with a Ray Conniff-style vocal chorus -- are easy on the ears. Whether the choral sound of '60s-era adult contemporary music is palatable to the prospective listener is a matter of individual preference, but Mancini's enduring popularity as an arranger, composer, and film scorer attests to the legitimacy of his talent. -- Greg Adams, Allmusic

Henry Mancini composed and conducted the score for the 1966 film 'Arabesque', starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. The soundtrack album contains nine instrumental pieces, including "The Zoo Chase" in three parts and a vocal version of "We've Loved Before" performed by a mixed chorus. As you might expect from music written to serve a film about international intrigue, the moods vary from exotic ("Arabesque," "Facade") to whimsical ("Ascot") to what can only be described as spy music ("The Zoo Chase, Pt. 3"). "Something for Sophia" is a jazzy, rhythmic composition that features the guest trumpet of Jack Sheldon. The most compelling piece is the spooky "Dream Street," written to accompany a bizarre murder scene, which is nearly as ambient and odd as Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports. The first two parts of "The Zoo Chase," too, find Mancini working in this otherworldly realm of tense, atmospheric music. Unlike many film scores that amount to little more than souvenirs for moviegoers, 'Arabesque' is an intriguing instrumental work of many moods and styles that can be enjoyed on its own merits. --Greg Adams, Allmusic

Recorded in RCA Victor's Music Center of the World: Hollywood, California - August 22, 1967. Includes: 'Portrait of the Beatles', 'Foreign Film Festival', 'Music From Hollywood', and 'Three by Mancini', featuring the songs "Yesterday", "Norwegian Wood", "And I Love Her", "A Hard Day's Night", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "Charade", "Moon River", and more.

'Two for the Road' is a 1967 British comedy drama film directed by Stanley Donen, starring Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. Frederic Raphael received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Audrey Hepburn received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actress, and Henry Mancini received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. The film's theme song, "Two for the Road", was composed by Mancini, who wrote many notable theme songs for films, including "Moon River" for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. He considered "Two for the Road" his favorite of all the songs he wrote. Recorded in RCA Victor's Music Center Of The World, Hollywood, California, 1967

'The Molly Maguires' is a 1970 American film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Richard Harris and Sean Connery. The opening sequence of 'The Molly Maguires' runs 14 minutes and 51 seconds, through three Henry Mancini scores - before the first word of dialogue is spoken. Henry Mancini's score employs Irish modal harmony, played by period instruments including the Irish Harp, Tin Whistle (Pennywhistle), and Squeezebox. "Henry Mancini had a busy slate in 1970, also scoring Vittorio De Sica’s Sunflower and Blake Edwards’ Darling Lili, but he, of course, rose to the occasion. He chose to employ unusual instrumentation including pennywhistle, ocarina, button accordion and Irish harp to color his rich melodies. He even supplied a stirring song, “The Hills of Yesterday,” well-known to Scott Walker’s fans. In 1992, producer Bruce Kimmel was instrumental in bringing Mancini’s Molly Maguires score to compact disc, supported by an enthusiastic Mancini. The Bay Cities edition of the score (BCD-2039) has been out-of-print for years, commanding high prices on the secondhand market. Fast forward twenty years, and Kimmel now heads Kritzerland, a label dedicated to reissuing classic soundtracks and original cast albums. How better to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the original Molly Maguires CD than with a reissue? And what could make this reissue even more special the second time around? How about the world premiere release of the rejected score by Charles Strouse as a supplement to the Mancini score?" - The Second Disc

Recorded in RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California. 'Love Story' is a 1970 romantic drama film directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw. The film is number nine on the AFI's "100 Years...100 Passions" list, which recognizes the top 100 love stories in American cinema. The film became the highest grossing film of 1970 in U.S and Canada, grossing $106,397,186. It grossed an additional $30 million in international film markets. At the time of release, it was the 6th highest grossing film of all time in U.S and Canada gross only. Adjusted for inflation, the film remains as one of the top 40 domestic grosses of all time. 'Love Story' was nominated for seven 1970 Academy Awards, winning one: "Best Music, Original Score". In addition, 'Love Story' was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards, winning five.

'Darling Lili' is a 1970 American musical film. The screenplay was written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, who also directed. The cast included Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp. The original score was composed by Henry Mancini. He and Johnny Mercer wrote the title tune, as well as "Whistling Away the Dark". Songs from the era were performed in the film, including "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag", "Keep the Home Fires Burning", and "Mademoiselle from Armentieres". The song "Whistling Away the Dark", music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was performed by Julie Andrews at the beginning of the film, pre-credits, and reprised at the end. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Julie Andrews received a nomination for Best Actress, Musical or Comedy, while "Darling Lili" won for Best Original Song. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy.

Recorded at RCA Studios Sala A - Rome, Italy In 1970, legendary actor-director Vittorio De Sica and famed producer Carlo Ponti joined forces to make 'Sunflower' (also known by its original Italian title, 'I Girasoli'). Set mostly in the wake of World War II, the film follows an Italian woman named Giovanna (Sophia Loren) as she searches across Russia for any trace of her vanished husband, Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni). What she discovers will change her life forever. The film received notable praise for the impassioned performance of Sophia Loren (who won a David di Donatello Award in Italy for Best Actress) and its breathtaking, Oscar-nominated score from composer Henry Mancini. At the time he was asked to score 'Sunflower', Henry Mancini was a legend in his field. His unforgettable melodies for director Blake Edwards, in particular, had brought him internacional renown. The composer was specially sought after by De Sica and Ponti—who agreed on little but that Mancini was the perfect choice for their film. Mancini fully justified their confidence by producing one of his most beautiful and dramatic scores. Its twin love themes, capturing the rich flavors of both Italy and Russia, are exquisitely balanced between romantic longing and painful melancholy; while powerful themes for the characters’ journeys add depth and pathos. 'Sunflower' earned Mancini an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Best Original Score, and inspired the hit song “Loss of Love,” with lyrics by Bob Merrill. It was especially successful in Japan, where Mancini’s celebrity rose to new heights. -- Quartet Records

Recorded at RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, and RCA's Nashville, TN Studio - October, 1970. Featuring the songs, "Let It Be Me", "Almost Persuaded", "Stand By Your Man", "Release Me", "You Don't Know Me", "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Phone Call To The Past", "Last Date", "Take Me To Your World", and more. (RCA Victor LSP-3668).

Compositions for movies and TV, including "The Summer Knows", "Theme From 'Cade's County'", "Theme from Shaft", "Those Were The Days", "Mystery Movie Theme", and more. Recorded at RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California. Re-released January 13, 2000 on the RCA Spain label.

Visions of Eight remains one of the more intriguing curios in the Henry Mancini canon. Summoned to score a composite documentary spotlighting the historic 1972 Munich Olympics as seen through the eyes of eight different filmmakers, Mancini eschewed the rousing dramatics and epic orchestration one commonly associates with sports-themed projects, instead favoring the jazzy, easy listening sensibility that dominates his music of the period. Mancini's themes celebrate the humanity of the Olympians as much as their athletic achievements. It's telling that the most memorable melody, "Theme for the Losers," overflows with emotions spanning from sorrow to hope but avoids the clichés associated with both victory and defeat. The exquisite "Ludmilla's Theme" and the infectious "Pretty Girls" similarly avoid the tried and true. Only the big-band-inspired "Salute to Olympians" embraces the pageantry and scale you'd expect. --Jason Ankeny, Allmusic

Recorded at RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California in 1975, this Henry Mancini album married '70s soul hits like "Pick Up the Pieces" with a symphony orchestra, all under Henry's deft arranging touch. One of the more ambitious Mancini records! - Allmusic. Featuring Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly", Ramsey Lewis' "Sun Goddess", Barry White's "Satin Soul", Quincy Jones' "Soul Saga", AWB's "Pick Up The Pieces", and more.

The soundtrack to the fifth Pink Panther film, as usual by Henry Mancini, is typical of his light, playful touch in the series. Whether pursuing variations on his well-worn "Pink Panther Theme" or contributing German beerhall music for a film scene, Mancini's music is always buoyant and comically suggestive. Tom Jones sings the Oscar-nominated "Come To Me," with lyrics by Don Black, as does Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) himself. The Rykodisc reissue adds almost ten minutes of previously unissued music, along with liner notes, the movie poster, and for the CD-ROM-equipped, the film's trailer. -- William Ruhlmann, Allmusic Recorded at The Music Center - London, England

'Revenge of the Pink Panther' is the sixth film in The Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, it was the last entry released during the lifetime of series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980. It is also the last entry to be distributed solely by United Artists, which merged with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1981. The opening credits were animated by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

"10" is a 1979 romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Robert Webber, Dee Wallace, and Bo Derek, in her first major film appearance. Considered a trend-setting film at the time, and one of the year's biggest box office hits, the film made superstars of Moore and Derek. The original music score was composed by Henry Mancini. The film also features classical music by Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel, most notably Ravel's "Boléro".

This film marked the third collaboration between Paul Newman and Henry Mancini after 'Sometimes A Great Notion' (1970) and the TV movie 'The Shadow Box' (1980). A fourth collaboration would come in 1986 with the adaptation of Tenessee Williams' play 'The Glass Menagerie'. Paul Newman always considered 'Harry & Son' his most personal film as a director. The movie portraits the relationships and misunderstandings between an unemployed widowed father and his young son, who aspires to become a writer. In many ways, 'Harry & Son' was Paul Newman’s final song to his own deceased son just a few years before the film was shot. Henry Mancini’s score is utterly emotional, benefiting from a thrilling melody in jazz style, one of his better, used as a leitmotiv to reflect the melancholy and solitude of both Harry (Newman) and his son Howie (Bobby Benson). With less than 20 minutes of music includes in the film, it is thanks to MGM’s well-vaulted tapes with the original recording sessions that we have been able to discover almost an hour of music written and recorded by Mancini for the film, intended as both an underscore and source music, including many themes not included in the final cut. --Quartet Records Recorded August 15, 16 and 17, 1983 at Record Plant Studios, Hollywood California

'Mommie Dearest' is a 1981 biographical drama film about Joan Crawford, starring Faye Dunaway. The film was directed by Frank Perry. The story was adapted for the screen by Robert Getchell, Tracy Hotchner, Frank Perry, and Frank Yablans, based on the 1978 autobiography of the same name by Christina Crawford. The film was a commercial success, grossing $39 million worldwide. It has since become a cult classic.

'Victor Victoria' is a 1982 Metrocolor musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams, directed by Blake Edwards, and scored by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. It was adapted in 1995 as a Broadway musical. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Original Music Score. It is a remake of Viktor und Viktoria, a German film of 1933. 'Victor/Victoria' won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and its Adaptation or Adaptation Score.

'Trail of the Pink Panther' is a 1982 comedy film starring Peter Sellers. It was the seventh film in The Pink Panther series, and the last in which Sellers appeared as Inspector Clouseau. Music Composed, Conducted, and Arranged by Henry Mancini. Directed by Blake Edwards. Story by Blake Edwards. Screenplay by Frank Waldman, Tom Waldman, Blake Edwards, and Geoffrey Edwards. Produced by Tony Adams and Blake Edwards. Executive Producers: Jonthan D. Krane and Gerald T. Nutting. Production design by Peter Mullins.

For reasons unknown, it took over two decades for Henry Mancini's score for the smash 1983 television miniseries 'The Thorn Birds' to earn an official soundtrack release, but Varèse Sarabande's lavish two-disc release proves worth the wait. Nor has time dimmed 'The Thorn Birds' power -- this deeply romantic, intimate score remains one of Mancini's most stirring, rivaling the composer's most legendary big-screen efforts. Mancini eschews epic drama in favor of smaller-scale nuance, evoking the doomed romance of novelist Colleen McCullough's tale in finely honed strokes. The music is elegant yet understated, rich in variety but amounting to something far greater than the sum of its disparate elements. --Jason Ankeny, Allmusic

'The Glass Menagerie' is a 1987 American drama film directed by Paul Newman. It is a replication of a production of the Tennessee Williams play of the same title that originated at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and then transferred to the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. The film is the fourth adaptation of the Williams play, following a 1950 feature film and television movies made in 1966 and 1973. It was shown at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival before opening in New York City on October 23, 1987.

'Blind Date' is a 1987 romantic comedy film, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Kim Basinger and Bruce Willis. This is the "official" film debut of Bruce Willis in his first leading role. 'Blind Date' was a financial success and opened at number one at the box office in 1987. The soundtrack to the motion picture was released by Rhino Records in 1987.

'Sunset' is a 1988 American action comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards, starring Bruce Willis and James Garner. The musical soundtrack for the film was scored by Henry Mancini. The film features the song "Black and Tan Fantasy" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Recorded Oct. 14, 15, 16, 19, and 20, 1987; Feb. 1 and March 23, 1988 at Evergreen-Radford Studio.

Recorded six years prior to his passing, 'Mancini Rocks the Pops' finds the revered pop writer and arranger giving an easy spin to '80s rock staples by Michael Jackson, the Bangles, Phil Collins, and the Police. Featuring the songs "Thriller", "Imagine", "Every Breath You Take", "Material Girl", "With or Without You", "Walk Like An Egyptian", "In The Air Tonight", and more. -- iTunes

Master film composer meets quintessential tux-and-tails entertainer in Top Hat. Henry Mancini arranged and conducts seven orchestral medleys, each based on a film Fred Astaire made with Ginger Rogers. That means we're treated to some of the most delicious songs in the history of American music, by such stalwarts as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern. ---David Horiuchi, Amazon

'The Music of Henry Mancini' is an outstanding retrospective of the composer's most memorable material, culled primarily from his work for film and television. Virtually every song here is a classic; highlights include "Moon River," "Peter Gunn," "Baby Elephant Walk," and "Two for the Road." --Raymond McKinney, Allmusic

'Victor/Victoria' is a television film of the 1995 Broadway show of the same name. It was written and directed by Blake Edwards based on Edwards' 1982 film 'Victor/Victoria'. The music of 'Victor/Victoria' was written by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and additional musical material (music and lyrics) by Frank Wildhorn. It is based on the 1982 film of the same name which was a remake of the German film comedy Viktor und Viktoria shot by Reinhold Schünzel in 1933 from his own script. Henry Mancini died before he could complete the music, and Frank Wildhorn was brought in to finish the score.

1995 compilation on RCA Victor featuring 46 of the composer's finest & most memorable recordings from 1956-1991 on two digitally remastered CDs. Contains "The Pink Panther Theme", "Moon River", "A Shot In The Dark", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "Baby Elephant Walk", "Peter Gunn", "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)", "Mona Lisa", "Unchained Melody", "Midnight Cowboy" and much more. -- Amazon

'Martinis With Mancini' is a shrewdly-conceived collection that contains plenty of value for jazz listeners. West Coast legends featured here include Art Pepper, Pete Candoli, Paul Horn, Plas "The Pink Panther" Johnson, Victor Feldman, Jimmy Rowles, Laurindo Almeida and Shelly Manne. -- Douglas Payne, All About Jazz

24-track collection by one of the most successful composers of the last 50 years, earning four Oscars and 20 Grammys over the course of his career (which also included arranging and conducting). Features many of his most treasured tracks including "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "Pink Panther Theme", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "Moon River", "A Shot In The Dark", "Peter Gunn", "(Theme From) Love Story", "Experiment In Terror", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", "Midnight Cowboy" and "Baby Elephant Walk". --Amazon

'Greatest Hits' is a terrific compilation of 22 digitally remastered Henry Mancini favorites, including his soundtrack themes "Peter Gunn," "The Pink Panther Theme," "Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet," "Mr. Lucky," and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," among many others. The collection also includes well-known Mancini tunes like "Moon River," "The Days of Wine and Roses," "Baby Elephant Walk," and "Dear Heart" to name a few. The sound is crystal clear and the track selection demonstrates over and over again Mancini's gifts for melody and mood. Overall, it's probably the best single-disc introduction to Mancini's work yet assembled. -- Steve Huey, Allmusic

Henry Mancini's entry in BMG Heritage's 'Platinum & Gold' series is a nifty but brief (30 minutes) collection of some of the great composer's most memorable melodies. Any disc that has "The Pink Panther Theme," "Peter Gunn," "Moon River," "A Shot in the Dark," and "Baby Elephant Walk" on it is going to be worth hearing. Throw in a few of his love songs ("Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet"), some moody film music ("Experiment in Terror"), lush film music ("Breakfast at Tiffany's"), a touch of jazzy film music ("Something for Cat" from the Breakfast at Tiffany's soundtrack), and you end up with a disc that throws a bright spotlight on just what an amazing songwriter Mancini was. You also hear how imaginative and unique his arrangements and use of instruments were. He was a master at combining instruments and sounds that on the surface may have seemed wrong but somehow worked perfectly. No doubt people from Brian Wilson to Bob Crewe to Holland-Dozier-Holland heard that too. There are collections out there that have more songs and paint a fuller picture of the man's music, but for a budget collection, Platinum & Gold Collection gets the job done quickly and quite nicely. -- Tim Sendra, Allmusic

In a career that spanned forty years, Henry Mancini distinguished himself in the movie studios, on television, in the recording studios, and in the concert halls, accumulating more successes and rewards than anyone else in his field- including four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. While writing for the movies, Mancini never lost sight of the fact that his music needed to play a role of its own once it was disassociated from the film. The twenty-three selections on this collection present compelling examples of his popular appeal and his understanding of the dual role his music was to play - on and off the screen. -- Liner Notes

2008 Sony/BMG Greatest Hits Compilation, featuring "Peter Gunn", "Pink Panther", "Moon River", and more. 'Super Hits' was released Feb 24, 2008 on the Sony Music label as a single compact disc with 10 songs.

A household name since his song "Moon River" from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' became a standard, Henry Mancini parlayed a career in film scoring into unique "crossover" popularity as one of the best-selling easy listening artists of the 1960s and 1970s. Mancini won 20 Grammys, four Oscars and a Golden Globe for his catchy but debonair music, memorable for its highly original melodies and its plush, jazz-inflected sound. -- Original Liner Notes

'Hatari!' (Swahili for "Danger!") is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. Portraying a group of professional animal catchers in Africa working in zoos, the film includes dramatic wildlife chases and the magnificent backdrop scenery of Mount Meru, a dormant volcano. 'Hatari!' was filmed on location in Tanganyika (in what is now northern Tanzania). 'Hatari!' grossed $12,923,077 at the box office, earning $7 million in US theatrical rentals. It was the 8th highest grossing film of 1962.

Pair text with an image to focus on your chosen product, collection, or blog post. AddReflecting the European setting of Stanley Donen's 1963 comedy thriller 'Charade', Henry Mancini's soundtrack provides an easy listening tour of continental musical history: Parisian café songs on "Bistro," Eastern European gypsy music on "Bateau Mouche," Schubert quartets on "Bye Charlie," and some beer barrel polka on "Punch and Judy." Thrown in for variety's sake are dashes of Bond soundtracks, Cossack songs, and Strauss waltzes. With Mancini's typically cohesive approach, though, Charade doesn't become a messy pastiche (even with his mix of Latin rhythms and classical music on some tracks). And in the spirit of inclusiveness, Mancini also shows his south of the border touch on "Mambo Parisienne" (picture Perez Prado sporting an accordion), "Latin Snowfall" (transcendentally gorgeous bolero, one of his best), and "Mégève" (bossa nova for the Biarritz set). Also don't overlook one of his biggest hits and finest melodies, "Charade" (done here in instrumental, and vocal versions). A great Mancini recording made during the same fruitful, early-'60s period that produced two other fine soundtracks of his, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'The Pink Panther'. - Stephen Cook, Allmusic details on availability, style, or even provide a review.

'Breakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture' is the soundtrack from the 1961 movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' starring Audrey Hepburn, with music composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. At the 1962 Academy Awards, Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer won Oscars for Best Original Song for "Moon River," while Mancini picked up a second statue for Best Original Score. The soundtrack stayed on Billboard's album charts for over ninety weeks. Audrey Hepburn's performance of the 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' theme song "Moon River" helped composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer win an Oscar for Best Song. In 2012, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. According to Time magazine, Mancini "sets off his melodies with a walking bass, extends them with choral and string variations, varies them with the brisk sounds of combo jazz. "Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus, finally resolved with the harmonica again." Henry Mancini won two Oscars for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' - "Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture", and "Best Original Song: 'Moon River'". Additionally, Henry Mancini won the 1962 Grammy Award for "Best Soundtrack Album or Recording or Score".

This "two-fer" from the legendary Henry Mancini features the albums 'The Mancini Generation' (1972) and 'Hangin' Out with Henry Mancini' (1974) in their entireties. -- James Christopher Monger, Allmusic. Release Date: 10/8/2013, Label: Dutton Vocalion UK, Catalog Number: 8499