Intrada Soundtrack Forum

I've been looking for the Film Score for Max Steiner's 1951 "Operation Pacific" starring John Wayne. The music centers around two pieces of music titled "We Watch the Skyways" by Steiner and "Don't Give Up the Ship" by Harry Warren. I've hummed this music most of my life but could never find it as a score/soundtrack. Also, I've heard this music in many WWII U.S.Navy themed movies (as if they "borrowed" it from Steiner) over the years, but never available for the consumer. I wonder if Intrada might consider the release of a Max Steiner score/soundtrack for "Operation Pacific"? I'D ABSOLUTELY BUY ONE!!!

I'd certainly buy one!

It is probably of not much use to cite a Fox title like Newman's THE PRESIDENT'S LADY where the studio did have the original music tracks anyway - no matter in what condition. Fox has preserved many original recordings not only from the 50s, but even from the 40s. So that's a completely different studio and a different story than for WB where the simple fact is that they have thrown away all their pre-1954 original music tracks a long time ago.
John Morgan for example has given some more detailed comments on this practice on the FSM board just a few years ago which you can read here:
http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts ... &archive=0

So I didn't say that OPERATION PACIFIC can't be released in any form. It's only the original tracks from Warner which certainly don't exist anymore as the movie is from 1951. Therefore the only source - you simply have no other choice - must be the copies on acetates in the Max Steiner collection. And all these (now digitally transferred) are owned by the Brigham Young University. It would therefore be much better if you did address your question to Ray Faiola or James V. D'Arc who are producing the BYU CDs. BYU has just released Steiner's FIGHTER SQUADRON on CD, but just this one project has been in the works for about three years. So you can imagine yourself how many Steiner scores we will get in the future if it goes on in this way. And there are more than 50 complete original Steiner scores - also additional ones where only parts do exist - in the Steiner library waiting to be officially released. But you can ask yourself: Will OPERATION PACIFIC be one of them in the near future or will many of these scores still get a CD release at all? I myself doubt it.
It certainly depends on how the current sales are for FIGHTER SQUADRON and how much money BYU is still willing to invest in such CD projecs. These are the most decisive questions if more Steiner from that library will come or not during the next few years.

By the way, you could get those 65 minutes (the complete score) of OPERATION PACIFIC more than 10 years ago on audio cassette from the Steiner library because it was still open to the public then. But then around 2004 came the day when they were forced to close their doors to the public.

I agree Guys.

MAX STEINER AT WARNER BROS. Box and / or single CDs requested!