Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese. The two previously collaborated on the 1990 hit film Goodfellas.

The film marks the eighth and (to date) final collaboration between director Scorsese and Robert de Niro, following Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), and Cape Fear (1991).

De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a Jewish-American top gambling handicapper who is called by the Mob to oversee the day-to-day operations at the fictional Tangiers casino in Las Vegas. The story is based on Frank Rosenthal, who ran the Stardust, Fremont and the Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from the 1970s until the early 1980s.

Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on real-life mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro. Nicky is sent to Vegas to make sure that money from the Tangiers is skimmed off the top and that the mobsters in Vegas are kept in line. Sharon Stone plays Ginger, Ace's wife, a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Plot[link]

Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a sports handicapper and mob associate, is sent to Las Vegas to run the Teamsters-funded Tangiers Casino on behalf of several midwest mob families. Taking advantage of lax gaming laws allowing him to work at the casino while his gaming license is still pending, Sam becomes the Tangiers' de facto boss and doubles the casino's profits, which are skimmed by the Mafia before the records are reported to income tax agencies. Impressed with Sam's work, the bosses send Sam's friend, enforcer and caporegime Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro (Pesci) and his crew to protect Sam and the whole business. Nicky, however, begins to become more of a liability than an asset; his violent temper quickly gets him banned by the gaming board from every casino, and his name is placed in the black book. Nicky then gathers his own crew and begins running unsanctioned shakedowns and burglaries.

Sam, meanwhile, meets and falls in love with a hustler, Ginger McKenna (Stone). Despite Ginger's reluctance, they soon conceive a daughter, Amy, and marry. Their relationship begins to deteriorate when Sam and Nicky catch Ginger giving money to her former boyfriend, a con man named Lester Diamond (Woods). Sam also makes an enemy in Clark County Commissioner Pat Webb (Jones) by firing Webb's brother-in-law Donald Ward (Briggs) for incompetence, and refusing to reinstate him. Webb retaliates by pulling Sam's casino license application from the backlog, forcing Sam to have a license hearing, while secretly arranging for the gaming board and State Senator Harrison Roberts (Smothers) to reject the license. Sam responds by appearing on television and openly accuses the city government of corruption. The bosses, unappreciative of Sam's publicity, ask him to return home, but he stubbornly blames Nicky's reckless lawbreaking for his own problems. In a heated argument in the desert, Nicky chastises Sam to never "go over his head" again.

The bosses appoint Kansas City underboss Artie Piscano (Vella) to oversee the skim and reduce the amount local mobsters are keeping for themselves, but he keeps incriminating ledgers and is caught on an FBI bug discussing the skim. Sam loses patience with Ginger after she and Lester are in Los Angeles with plans to run away to Europe with his daughter Amy. Sam talks Ginger into bringing Amy back, but Ginger's alcoholism and cocaine addiction anger him so much that he kicks her out of the house. She returns, on Sam's condition that she carry a beeper on her for Sam to contact her whenever he must. Ginger turns to Nicky for help in getting her share of her and Sam's money from the bank, and they begin an affair. Sam reaches his limit with Ginger when she ties Amy to her bed to have a night with Nicky. Sam confronts Ginger in the restaurant and disowns her. She turns to Nicky, but he has washed his hands of her as well. The next morning, Ginger goes to Sam's house, creates a disturbance, and uses the distraction to take the key to their bank deposit box. She takes some of the savings, but is then arrested by FBI agents.

With Ginger's arrest and the FBI's discovery of Piscano's records, which are then matched with the skimming operation, the casino empire crumbles and the bosses are arrested. During a meeting, they decide to eliminate anyone involved in order to keep them from testifying, including the head of the teamsters, the money courier, and several casino executives. Ginger dies nearly penniless in Los Angeles of a drug overdose, and Sam is almost killed in a botched car bombing, which he suspects Nicky planted. Before Sam can confront him, however, Nicky and his brother Dominick are murdered by Nicky's former associate, Frankie Marino (Vincent). Sam narrates that the bosses had finally had enough of Nicky, and had ordered Frankie to get rid of him.

With the mob now out of power, the old casinos are purchased by big corporations and demolished to make way for gaudier gambling attractions financed by junk bonds. Sam laments that this new "family friendly" Las Vegas lacks the same kind of catering to the players as the older and, to his perception, classier Vegas he saw when he ran the Tangiers. In the final scene, an older Sam is shown living in San Diego, once again as a sports handicapper for the mob, or in his words, "...right back where I started".

Cast[link]

Production[link]

Development[link]

The research for Casino began when screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi read a report from the Las Vegas Sun in 1980 about a domestic argument between Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, a casino figure and his wife, Geri McGee, a former topless dancer.^[2] This gave him an idea to focus on a new book about the true story of mob infringement in Las Vegas during the 1970s, when filming of Goodfellas (the screenplay which he co-wrote with Scorsese) was coming to an end.^[3] Pileggi decided to contact Scorsese about taking the helm of the project which would become known as Casino.^[2] Scorsese expressed interest in the project calling this an "idea of success, no limits".^[4] Although Pileggi was keen to release the book and then concentrate on a film adaptation, Scorsese encouraged him to "reverse the order".^[5]

Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the script lasting for a total of five months, towards the end of 1994.^[3] Real-life characters such as Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Geri, Anthony Spilotro and his brother were reshaped. Some characters were combined as well as parts of the story being set in Las Vegas instead of Chicago. A problem emerged when they were forced to refer Chicago as "back home" and use the words "adapted from a true story" instead of "based on a true story".^[4] They also decided to simplify the script, so that the character of Sam "Ace" Rothstein only worked at the Tangiers Casino to show a glimpse of the trials involved in operating a Mafia-run casino hotel without overwhelming the audience.^[4] According to Scorsese, the initial opening sequence was to feature the main character, Sam Rothstein, fighting with his estranged wife, Ginger, on the lawn of their house. Since the scene was too detailed, they changed the sequence to show the explosion of Sam's car and see him fly into the air before hovering over the flames in slow motion—like a soul about to go straight down in hell.^[4]

Principal photography[link]

Filming took place at night in the Riviera casino in Las Vegas to replicate the fictional Tangiers. According to the producer Barbara De Fina, there was no point in building a set if the cost was the same to use a real-life one.^[4] The opening scene, with Sam's car exploding, was shot three times with the third used for the film.^[4]

Reception[link]

When first submitted to the MPAA, the film received an NC-17 rating due to its depictions of violence. Several edits were made in order to reduce the rating to R.^[6][7]

While the film was heavily criticized for its excessive violence, it garnered a mostly positive critical response. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 81% "fresh" rating, based on 57 reviews.^[8] On Metacritic, the rating is 73 (generally favorable reviews) out of 100 based on 17 reviews.^[9]

Sharon Stone was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role as well as a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama. Martin Scorsese was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Director – Motion Picture.

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - Nominated^[10]
• AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Gangster Film^[11]

Soundtrack[link]

Track listing[link]

Disc one[link]

1. "Contempt – Theme De Camille" by Georges Delerue
2. "Angelina/Zooma, Zooma Medley" by Louis Prima
3. "Hoochie Coochie Man" by Muddy Waters
4. "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers
5. "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
6. "How High The Moon" by Les Paul & Mary Ford
7. "Hurt" by Timi Yuro
8. "Ain't Got No Home" by Clarence 'Frogman' Henry
9. "Without You" by Nilsson
10. "Love Is the Drug" by Roxy Music
11. "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee
12. "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac
13. "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King
14. "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia
15. "The 'In' Crowd" by Ramsey Lewis
16. "Stardust" by Hoagy Carmichael

Disc two[link]

1. "Walk on the Wild Side" by Jimmy Smith
2. "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" by Otis Redding
3. "I Ain't Superstitious" by Jeff Beck Group
4. "The Glory of Love" by The Velvetones
5. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by Devo
6. "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" by Dinah Washington
7. "Working in the Coal Mine" by Lee Dorsey
8. "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals
9. "Those Were the Days" by Cream
10. "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" by Tony Bennett
11. "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Little Richard
12. "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" by Dean Martin
13. "Compared to What" (Live) by Les McCann & Eddie Harris
14. "Basin Street Blues/When It's Sleepy Time Down South" by Louis Prima
15. "St. Matthew Passion (Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder)" by Johann Sebastian Bach (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Georg Solti)

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

• Thompson, David; Chrstie, Ian (1996). Scorsese on Scorsese. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22002-1. 
• Evans, David (2006). DeNiro: A Biography. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Casino (film)

• Casino at the Internet Movie Database
• Casino at Rotten Tomatoes
• Casino at Metacritic
• Casino at AllRovi
• Casino at Box Office Mojo
• Casino at the TCM Movie Database

Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci in 2009
Born	Joseph Frank Pesci (1943-02-09) February 9, 1943 (age 69) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, comedian, singer, musician
Years active	1961–1999, 2005–present

Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (/ˈpɛʃi/PESH-ee; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks. Pesci has starred in a number of high profile films including Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Home Alone, and the Lethal Weapon series. He took a six year hiatus from acting between 1999 and 2005 before returning for a cameo in The Good Shepherd (2006).

In 1990, Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the psychotic mobster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, ten years after receiving a nomination in the same category for Raging Bull.

Early life[link]

Pesci was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Mary, who worked part-time as a barber, and Angelo Pesci, a forklift driver for General Motors and bartender.^[1] Pesci was raised in Belleville, New Jersey and attended Belleville High School. By the time Pesci was five years old, he was appearing in plays in New York.^[2] A few years later, at age ten, he was a regular on a television variety show called Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis.^[2] He started out working as a barber in the 1960s, following in his mother's footsteps.

Acting career[link]

The first film he starred in was the 1975 low budget crime film The Death Collector with Frank Vincent. After the film Pesci returned to run his restaurant in The Bronx, Pesci then got a phone call from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro who were impressed with his performance in the film and asked him to co-star in a 1980 film with Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull. Pesci won the BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Subsequently, he performed with De Niro in the films Once Upon a Time in America, and in Scorsese's Goodfellas (for which Pesci received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in 1990),^[3] and Casino. He also had a small role in 1993's A Bronx Tale and 2006's The Good Shepherd, which were both directed by and starred De Niro.

The pairing became famous enough to inspire a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live (SNL) called "The Joe Pesci Show". (The real Pesci and De Niro made a surprise appearance in one episode.) Pesci hosted SNL on October 10, 1992. During the monologue, he restored a picture of Pope John Paul II, which had been torn by Sinéad O'Connor on the previous broadcast; he demonstrated this by tearing up a photo of O'Connor, which was met with huge applause.

In 1988, Pesci co-starred with pop singer Michael Jackson in the musical-fantasy film Moonwalker as the film's antagonist, Frankie "Mr. Big" LiDeo (an anagram for one of the film's producers and longtime Jackson manager Frank DiLeo^[4]). In the film, Pesci was featured in the fifth and final segment, a short movie called Smooth Criminal, which was based on Michael Jackson's song of the same name.^[3]

He later co-starred in the blockbuster Home Alone (1990), playing Harry Lyme; one of two bumbling burglars (along with good friend Daniel Stern), who attempt to rob the house of the character played by Macaulay Culkin. Two years later, he reprised his role in the sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

Pesci also played David Ferrie in 1991's JFK and the title character in the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny. He appeared as Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon sequels, released in 1989, 1992 and 1998 respectively.

He had starring roles in several other films including Easy Money (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Man on Fire (1987), The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), With Honors (also 1994) and Gone Fishin' (1997).

Other work and retirement from acting[link]

In the late 1970s, Joe teamed up with Frankie Vincent, performing in local clubs like the Arlington Lounge and other venues around Northern NJ as "Vincent and Pesci." The comedy duo's material was a play on Martin and Lewis and Abbott and Costello.

He is one of the producers of the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys. The musical is based on the lives of the musical group, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Pesci was present during the formation of the group as a young man and is portrayed as a character in the play.

In 1998, he released his second LP (his first album in 30 years) called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You, which spawned the single "Wise Guy", a rap tune that played on the gangsta theme by referencing Mafia gangsterism. "Wise Guy" interpolated the 1980 Hip-Hop hit "Rapture" by Blondie and was co-written and produced by Poke & Tone—the Hip-Hop production team better known as Trackmasters, who first musically introduced the world to 50 Cent. Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You was an album that was both humorous and serious, exploring a variety of genres, though most of it was big band Jazz, and which paid homage to his character name from the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny, not only through its album title, but also by its lead track "Yo Cousin Vinny".

In 1999, Pesci announced his retirement from acting to pursue a musical career and to enjoy life away from the camera. He returned to acting when he did a cameo in De Niro's 2006 film The Good Shepherd. He is the star in the 2010 brothel drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren.^[5]

Pesci appeared with Don Rickles in a 2011 Snickers advertisement in which he attended a party and becomes agitated by two women.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Pesci was married to Claudia Martha Haro from 1988 to 1992. He has a daughter, Tiffany, from this marriage. In July 2007, Pesci, then 64, became engaged to actress/model Angie Everhart, who was 37 at the time.^[7] However, according to Everhart, they were never actually engaged. They announced their breakup in April 2008.

Pesci is an avid New York Yankees fan.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Pesci

• Joe Pesci at the Internet Movie Database

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Bitto Albertini (1924–1999) was an Italian film director. He began his film career as a cameraman, and in 1969 he directed War Devils. In 1974 Albertini directed Black Emanuelle, a film adaptation of the novel by Emmanuelle Arsan, starring the then unknown Laura Gemser. Her subsequent successful career meant that she was absent from Black Emanuelle II, and Albertini instead had to cast actress Sharon Leslie in the title role. The film without Gemser was unsuccessful, and Albertini was ruined.

In 1977 he released Yellow Emanuelle as a come back. The film, starring Chai Lee, was very successful. However the film never reached the popularity of Joe D'Amato's series. Albertini was by then an almost forgotten director, his last two films were "Mondo's" set in Asia, depicting socking rituals and savage violence. Bitto is perhaps best remembered for giving the world Laura Gemser.

He died in Rome in 1999 at age 74.

See also[link]

• David and Goliath (1960)

External links[link]

• Bitto Albertini, Internet Movie Database.

Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach performing in a concert in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Burt F. Bacharach
Born	(1928-05-12) May 12, 1928 (age 84)
Origin	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Pop, vocal
Occupations	Composer, pianist, singer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1954–present
Associated acts	Hal David, Elvis Costello, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Marlene Dietrich, Cilla Black, Dr. Dre, Ronan Keating

Burt F. Bacharach ( /ˈbækəræk/ BAK-ə-rak; born May 12, 1928) is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick. Following on with the initial success of this collaboration, Bacharach went on to produce hits with Dusty Springfield, Bobbie Gentry, Jackie DeShannon and others.

As of 2006^[update], Bacharach had written 70 Top 40 hits in the U.S., and 52 Top 40 hits in the UK.^[1]

Biography[link]

Origins[link]

Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but grew up in the Forest Hills section of New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. He is the son of Irma (née Freeman) and Bert Bacharach, a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist,^[2] and is of German-Jewish descent.^[3] Bacharach studied music at McGill University, under Helmut Blume, at the Mannes School of Music, and at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California. His composition teachers included Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell,^[4] and Bohuslav Martinů. Following service in the Army, Bacharach worked as a pianist, both as a solo player and as an accompanist for singers such as Vic Damone, Polly Bergen, Steve Lawrence, the Ames Brothers and Paula Stewart (who became his first wife). For some years he was musical arranger for Marlene Dietrich as well as touring with her.

Early songwriting work[link]

In 1957, Bacharach and lyricist Hal David were introduced while at the Brill Building in New York City, and began their writing partnership. Almost a year later, they received a significant career break when their song "The Story of My Life" was recorded by Marty Robbins for Columbia Records, becoming a No. 1 hit on the U.S. country music charts^[4] in late 1957. Soon after, "Magic Moments" was recorded by Perry Como for RCA Records, and became a No. 4 U.S. hit in February of that year. These two songs were back-to-back No. 1 singles in the UK ("The Story of My Life" in a version by Michael Holliday), giving Bacharach and David the honor of being the first songwriters to have written consecutive No. 1 UK singles. In 1959, their song "Make Room for the Joy" was featured in Columbia's film musical Jukebox Rhythm, sung by Jack Jones.

In the early 1960s, Bacharach wrote well over 100 songs with David. The two were associated throughout the '60s with Dionne Warwick, a conservatory-trained vocalist.^[4] Bacharach and David started writing a portion of their work with Warwick in mind, leading to one of the most successful teams in popular music history.^[5]

Over a 20-year period, beginning in the early 1960s, Warwick charted 38 singles co-written or produced by Bacharach and David, including 22 Top-40, 12 Top-20, and nine Top-10 hits on the American Billboard Hot 100 charts. During the early '60s, Bacharach also collaborated with Bob Hilliard on a number of songs, including "Please Stay" and "Mexican Divorce" for The Drifters, "Any Day Now" for Chuck Jackson, "Tower of Strength" for Gene McDaniels, and "Dreamin' All the Time" and "Pick Up the Pieces" for Jack Jones.

Other singers of Bacharach songs in the '60s and '70s included Bobby Vinton ("Blue on Blue"); Dusty Springfield ("The Look of Love" from Casino Royale), (a cover of Dionne Warwick's "Wishin' and Hopin'"); Cilla Black (a cover of Dionne Warwick's "Anyone Who Had a Heart"), Cher ("Alfie" - originally recorded by Cilla Black); The Shirelles, The Beatles ("Baby, It's You"); The Carpenters ("(They Long to Be) Close to You"); Aretha Franklin ("I Say a Little Prayer"); Isaac Hayes ("Walk on By", from the Hot Buttered Soul album); B. J. Thomas ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", "Everybody's Out of Town"); Tom Jones ("What's New, Pussycat?"); Engelbert Humperdinck ("I'm a Better Man"); Sandie Shaw ("(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"); Jack Jones ("Wives and Lovers"); Jackie DeShannon ("What the World Needs Now Is Love"); Gene Pitney ("Only Love Can Break a Heart", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "24 Hours from Tulsa" and "True Love Never Runs Smooth"); Herb Alpert, ("This Guy's in Love with You");^[4] Liz Damon's Orient Express ("Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets); Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 ("The Look of Love"); Jerry Butler, the Walker Brothers ("Make It Easy on Yourself"); and the Fifth Dimension ("One Less Bell to Answer").

Bacharach songs were adapted by jazz artists of the time, such as Stan Getz, Cal Tjader and Wes Montgomery. The Bacharach/David composition "My Little Red Book", originally recorded by Manfred Mann for the film What's New, Pussycat?, and promptly covered by Love in 1966, has become a rock standard; however, according to Robin Platts' book "Burt Bacharach and Hal David", the composer did not like Love's version.^[6] The title of the song is likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to Mao Zedong's Little Red Book, which was first published by the Communist Party of China in April 1964.

Bacharach composed and arranged the soundtrack of the 1967 film Casino Royale, which included "The Look of Love", performed by Dusty Springfield, and the title song, an instrumental Top 40 single for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Bacharach and David also collaborated with Broadway producer David Merrick on the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, which yielded two hits, the title tune and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", for Dionne Warwick. The year 1969 marked, perhaps, the most successful Bacharach-David collaboration, the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", written for and prominently featured in the acclaimed film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Style[link]

Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, striking syncopated rhythmic patterns, irregular phrasing, frequent modulation, and odd, changing meters. Bacharach has arranged, conducted, and co-produced much of his recorded output.

An example of his distinctive use of changing meter is found in "Promises, Promises" (from his score for the musical of the same name). His style is sometimes also associated with particular instrumental combinations he is assumed to favor or to have favored, including the prominent use of the flugelhorn in such works as "Walk on By", "Nikki", and "Toledo".

1970s and 1980s[link]

Bacharach had his own ABC-TV special in 1972.

In 1970, Johnny Mathis issued a double-LP album set, "Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert," for Columbia. It consisted of 21 tracks in a heavyweight gatefold picture sleeve. The Bert Kaempfert tracks were done in the arrangement style of the German composer and orchestra leader, and the Bacharach tracks were in the American's upbeat style.

In 1973, Bacharach and David were commissioned to score the Ross Hunter-produced revival of the 1937 film, "Lost Horizon" for Columbia Pictures. The result was a critical and commercial disaster, and resulted in a flurry of lawsuits between the composer and the lyricist, as well as from Warwick. She reportedly felt abandoned when Bacharach and David refused to work together. Bacharach tried several solo projects (including the 1977 album Futures), but the projects failed to yield hits.

By the early 1980s, Bacharach's marriage to Angie Dickinson had ended, but a new partnership with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager proved rewarding, both commercially and personally. The two married and collaborated on several major hits during the decade, including "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross), co-written with Cross and Peter Allen; "Heartlight" (Neil Diamond); "Making Love" (Roberta Flack); "On My Own" (Patti LaBelle with Michael McDonald), and perhaps most memorably, "That's What Friends Are For" in 1985, actually the second single which reunited Bacharach and singer Warwick. The profits for the latter song were given to AIDS research. Bacharach's 1980s tunes showed a new sound.

Other artists continued to revive Bacharach's earlier hits, giving them a new audience in the 1980s and 1990s. Examples included Luther Vandross' recording of "A House is Not a Home"; Naked Eyes' 1983 pop hit version of "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", and Ronnie Milsap's 1982 country version of "Any Day Now". Bacharach continued a concert career, appearing at auditoriums throughout the world, often featuring large orchestras as accompaniment. He occasionally joined with Warwick, appearing in sold-out concerts in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

1990s and beyond[link]

In 1990, Deacon Blue charted number 2 in the UK singles chart with an EP entitled "4 Bacharach & David Songs", with the first track, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" receiving extensive media coverage. In 1996, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner recorded an album of nine Bacharach standards that featured Tyner's trio with an orchestra arranged and conducted by John Clayton. In 1998, Bacharach co-wrote and recorded a Grammy-winning album with Elvis Costello, Painted from Memory, on which the compositions began to take on the sound of his earlier work. In 2006, he recorded a jazz album with Trijntje Oosterhuis and the Metropole Orchestra called The Look of Love (Burt Bacharach Songbook) which was released in November that year.^[7] Bacharach collaborated with Cathy Dennis in 2002 to write an original song for the Pop Idol winner Will Young. This was "What's in Goodbye", and it appears on Young's debut album From Now On. During July 2002, Young was a guest vocalist at two of Bacharach's concerts, one at the Hammersmith Apollo and the other at Liverpool Pops.

Another star treatment of his compositions was the 2003 album Here I Am featuring Ronald Isley, revisiting a number of his 1960s compositions, and also the Vandross arrangement of A House Is Not a Home.

Bacharach's 2005 solo album At This Time saw a departure from past works in that Bacharach penned his own lyrics, some of which dealt with political themes. Guest stars on some tracks included Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and hip-hop producer Dr. Dre.

On October 24, 2008, Bacharach opened the BBC Electric Proms at The Roundhouse in London, performing with the BBC Concert Orchestra accompanied by guest vocalists Adele, Beth Rowley and Jamie Cullum. The concert was a retrospective look back at his unparalleled six-decade career, including classics such as "Walk On By", "The Look of Love", "I Say a Little Prayer", "What The World Needs Now", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" and "Make It Easy on Yourself", featuring Jamie Cullum.

In early 2009 Bacharach worked with Italian soul singer Karima Ammar and produced her debut single Come in Ogni Ora. A #4 hit, the song has been heard during the 59th Sanremo Music Festival and also features him playing piano.

Bacharach and lyricist Hal David were awarded the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song bestowed by the Library of Congress, the first time a songwriting team was given the honor.^[8]

Film and television[link]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Bacharach was featured in a dozen TV musical and variety specials videotaped in the UK for ITC, several were nominated for Emmy awards for direction (by Dwight Hemion). The guests included artists such as Joel Grey, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, and Barbra Streisand. Bacharach and David did the score for a short-lived ABC-TV series, ABC Stage 67, for a show titled On the Flip Side, starring Rick Nelson as a faded pop star trying for a comeback. While the series' ratings were dismal, the soundtrack showcased Bacharach's abilities to try different kinds of musical styles, ranging from (almost) 1960s rock, to pop, ballads, and Latin-tinged dance numbers.

In 1969, Harry Betts arranged Bacharach's instrumental composition "Nikki" (named for Bacharach's daughter) into a new theme for the ABC Movie of the Week, a TV series which ran on the U.S. network until 1976. The arrangement by Betts is published by MCA Duchess Music Corporation (BMI).

During the 1970s, Bacharach and then-wife Angie Dickinson appeared in several TV commercials for Martini & Rossi beverages, and even penned a short jingle ("Say Yes") for the spots. Bacharach also occasionally appeared on TV/variety shows, such as The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and many others.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Bacharach had cameo roles in Hollywood movies including all three Austin Powers movies. His music is credited as providing inspiration for these movies, partially stemming from Bacharach's score for the 1967 James Bond film Casino Royale. During subsequent Bacharach concert tours, each show would open with a very brief video clip from the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, with Mike Myers (as Austin Powers) uttering "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach."

Bacharach appeared as a celebrity performer and guest vocal coach for contestants on the television show, "American Idol" during the 2006 season, during which an entire episode was dedicated to his music. In late 2006, Bacharach appeared as the celebrity in a Geico auto insurance commercial, where he sings and plays the piano. He translates the customer's story through song ("I was hit...in the rear!")

In 2008, Bacharach featured in the BBC Electric Proms at The Roundhouse with the BBC Concert Orchestra.^[9] He performed similar shows in the same year at the Walt Disney Concert Hall^[10] and with the Sydney Symphony.

Personal life[link]

Bacharach has been married four times. His first marriage was to Paula Stewart, which lasted five years (1953–58). His second marriage was to actress Angie Dickinson, which lasted fifteen years (1965–80).^[2] Bacharach and Dickinson had a daughter, Nikki Bacharach, who committed suicide in 2007 at age 40.^[11] His third marriage was to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, which lasted nine years (1982–91). Bacharach and Bayer Sager collaborated on a number of musical pieces, and adopted a son, Cristopher. Bacharach married his current wife, Jane Hansen, in 1993; they have two children.

Television and film appearances[link]

• Analyze This
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
• Austin Powers in Goldmember
• Nip/Tuck
• The Nanny

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Hitmaker!Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits (1965)
• What's New Pussycat? (Film Soundtrack) (1965)
• After the Fox (Film Soundtrack) (1966)
• Reach Out (1967)
• Casino Royale (Film Soundtrack) (1967)
• On the Flip Side (Television soundtrack) (1967)
• Make It Easy on Yourself (1969)
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Film Soundtrack) (1969)
• Promises, Promises^[12] (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (1969)
• Burt Bacharach (1971)
• Lost Horizon (Film soundtrack) (1973)
• Burt Bacharach in Concert (1974)
• Living Together (1974)
• Futures (1977)
• Woman (1979)
• Arthur (Film soundtrack) (1981)
• Night Shift (Film soundtrack) (1982)
• Arthur 2: On the Rocks (Film soundtrack) (1988)
• One Amazing Night (1998)
• Painted from Memory with Elvis Costello (1998)
• The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection [2-Disc Compilation] (2001)
• Motown Salutes Bacharach [Compilation] (2002)
• Isley Meets Bacharach: Here I Am with Ronald Isley (2003)*
• Blue Note Plays Burt Bacharach [Compilation] (2004)
• At This Time (2005)
• Colour Collection [Compilation] (2007)
• Marlene Dietrich with the Burt Bacharach Orchestra (2007)
• Burt Bacharach: Live at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Live) (2008)

Singles[link]

• "The Story of My Life" (Marty Robbins, U.S. no. 15, C&W no. 1, 1957 – his first hit; Michael Holliday, UK 1, 1958; Gary Miller, UK 14, 1958; Dave King, UK 20, 1958; Alma Cogan, UK 25, 1958);
• "Magic Moments" (Perry Como, U.S. 4, UK 1, 1957/1958 – his first big pop hit);
• "The Blob" (The Five Blobs, U.S. 33, 1958, with Mack David — brother of Hal David — from the movie The Blob);
• "Heavenly" (Johnny Mathis, 1959);
• "Faithfully" (Johnny Mathis, 1959);
• "With Open Arms" (Jane Morgan, U.S. 39, 1959);
• "Tower of Strength" (Gloria Lynne 1961, Gene McDaniels U.S. 5, 1961; Frankie Vaughan, UK 1, 1961);
• "Another Tear Falls" (Gene McDaniels, 1961; Walker Brothers, UK 12, 1966);
• "Baby It's You" (The Shirelles, U.S. 8, 1962; The Beatles, 1963; Smith, U.S. 8, 1969);
• "Please Stay" (The Drifters, U.S. 14, 1961; The Cryin' Shames, UK 26, 1966; Marc Almond, 2001);
• "Any Day Now" (Chuck Jackson, U.S. 23, 1962; Elvis Presley, 1969; Ronnie Milsap, U.S. 14, 1982);
• "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (Gene Pitney, U.S. 4, 1962);
• "Only Love Can Break a Heart" (Gene Pitney, U.S. 2, 1962);
• "Don't Make Me Over" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 21, 1962; The Swinging Blue Jeans, UK 31, 1966; Petula Clark, 1976); Jennifer Warnes, U.S. 67, 1979; Sybil, U.S. 20, U.S. R&B 2, UK 19, 1989);
• "Make It Easy on Yourself" (Dionne Warwick, demo, 1962; Jerry Butler, U.S. 20, 1962; The Walker Brothers, U.S. 16, UK 1, 1965; Dionne Warwick, live from Garden State Arts Center, U.S. 37, 1970);
• "Don't You Believe It" (Andy Williams, U.S. 39, 1962);
• "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" (Gene Pitney, U.S. 17, UK 5, 1963);
• "Be True to Yourself" (Bobby Vee, U.S. 34, 1963);
• "Blue on Blue" (Bobby Vinton, U.S. 3, 1963);
• "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 8, UK 42, 1963; Cilla Black, UK 1, 1964; Dusty Springfield, 1964; Tim Curry, 1978; Luther Vandross, 1986; Linda Ronstadt, 1991; Maureen McGovern, 1992; Olivia Newton-John, 2004; Shelby Lynne, 2007);
• "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (Richard Chamberlain, 1963; Dionne Warwick, 1964; Dusty Springfield, 1964; Johnny Mathis and The Carpenters, U.S. 1, UK 6, 1970; in 1969, Grammy nominee, "Record of the Year");
• "True Love Never Runs Smooth" (Don and Juan, 1963; Gene Pitney, U.S. 21, 1963);
• "Wives and Lovers" (Jack Jones, U.S. 14, 1963); Grammy nominee, "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year");
• "Wishin' and Hopin'" (Dionne Warwick, 1963; Dusty Springfield, U.S. 6, 1964; The Merseybeats, UK 13, 1964; Ani DiFranco (on the My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack), 1997; Stephanie McIntosh, 2006);
• "Walk On By" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 6, UK 8, 1964; Isaac Hayes, U.S. 30, 1969; The Stranglers in 1978; Jo Jo Zep, 1983; Sybil, U.S. 74, U.S. R&B 3, UK 6 1989; Seal, 2006);
• "Reach Out for Me" (Lou Johnson, 1964; Dionne Warwick, 1964, U.S. 20, Canada 12, UK 23, 1964; Olivia Newton-John, U.S. AC no. 32 in 1990);
• "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (Tommy Hunt, 1962; Dusty Springfield, UK 3, 1964; Dionne Warwick, U.S. 26, 1966; The White Stripes, 2003);
• "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (Lou Johnson, 1964; Sandie Shaw, UK 1, 1964; Dionne Warwick, 1967; Naked Eyes, 1982);
• "A House Is Not a Home" (Brook Benton, U.S. Pop 75, AC 13, 1964; Dionne Warwick, 1964; Barbra Streisand, 1971; Luther Vandross, 1981);
• "A Message to Martha" (Lou Johnson, 1964, UK 36; Adam Faith, 1964, UK 12; Recorded as "Message to Michael" by Dionne Warwick, 1966, U.S. 8; Lena Horne and Gabor Szabo in 1970);
• "You'll Never Get to Heaven" (Dionne Warwick, 1964, U.S. 32, UK 12, Canada 23; Stylistics, 1973, U.S. 23, UK 24 (EP) 1976);
• "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965 Jackie DeShannon U.S. 7; Dionne Warwick, 1967; Daniel Johnston, 1988; Dionne Warwick and the Hip-Hop Nation United, 1998);
• "Long After Tonight Is All Over" (Jimmy Radcliffe, UK 40, 1965);
• "What's New Pussycat?" (Tom Jones, U.S. 3, UK 11, 1965, from the film What's New Pussycat?);

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, 1965.

• "Here I Am" (Dionne Warwick, 1965, from the film What's New Pussycat?, U.S. 65, AC 11, Canada 19);
• "Trains and Boats and Planes" (Burt Bacharach, UK 4, 1965; Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, UK 12, 1965; Dionne Warwick, U.S. 22, 1966);
• "My Little Red Book" (Manfred Mann, June 1965; Love, 1966; Tony Middleton, 1965);
• "A Lifetime of Loneliness" (Jackie DeShannon, U.S. 66, 1965);
• "Are You There (With Another Girl)?" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 39, 1966);
• "Come and Get Me" (Jackie DeShannon, 1966);
• "Alfie" (Cilla Black, 1966, UK 8, U.S. 95; Cher, U.S. 32, 1966; Dionne Warwick, U.S. 15, R&B 5, 1967; originally from the movie of the same name; nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Original Song", 1966; won Bacharach a Grammy for instrumental arrangement in 1967; Everything But The Girl, 1986; Rumer, 2010);
• "Windows and Doors" (Jackie DeShannon, 1966);
• "So Long Johnny" (Jackie DeShannon, 1966);
• "The Windows of the World" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 32, 1967);
• "I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick, U.S. 4, 1967; Aretha Franklin, U.S. 10, UK 4, 1968; Diana King, 1997);
• "The Look of Love" (Dusty Springfield, U.S. 22, 1967, from the soundtrack of the movie Casino Royale; Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66, U.S. 4, 1968; Roger Williams, 1969; Gladys Knight & the Pips, UK 21, 1973; nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in 1967);
• "Casino Royale" (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, U.S. 27, UK 27, 1967);
• "One Less Bell to Answer" (Keely Smith, 1967; The 5th Dimension, 1970, U.S. 2; Dionne Warwick, 1971);
• "This Guy's in Love with You" (Herb Alpert, U.S. 1 (4 weeks), UK 3, 1968; Dionne Warwick, U.S. 7, 1969;

This song was also recorded much later by Oasis' Noel Gallagher in tribute to Bacharach on his 70th Birthday. According to Robin Platts' book What The World Needs Now the song was not written with Alpert, a non-singer with limited range, in mind, but was altered to suit him. Originally written as "This Girl's in Love With You" and recorded with that title by Dionne Warwick);.

• "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (Dionne Warwick, 1968, U.S. 10, UK 8);
• "Promises, Promises" (Dionne Warwick, 1968, U.S. 19; Jill O'Hara, 1968. Her version was released prior to the opening of the musical Promises, Promises and the release of the Broadway cast album. Bacharach recorded Dionne's version to help the cast learn the difficult tune. The B" side of Warwick's single was another Bacharach/David tune from the show "Whoever You Are (I Love You)"; the Broadway cast album won Bacharach a Grammy in 1969);
• "The April Fools" (Dionne Warwick, 1969, from the film The April Fools, U.S. 37, AC 8, Canada 32);
• "I'm a Better Man (For Having Loved You)" (Engelbert Humperdinck U.S. 38, UK 15, 1969);
• "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (B.J. Thomas, 1969, U.S. 1; 1970, UK 38; Johnny Mathis, 1969, in Great Britain; Sacha Distel, UK 10, 1970; Bobbie Gentry, UK 40, 1970, from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). Won the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in 1969. The movie score by Bacharach won the Academy Awards and Grammy for "Original Score". Grammy nominee for "Song of the Year");
• "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (Bobbie Gentry, UK 1, 1969; Dionne Warwick U.S. 6, 1970; Anne Murray, 1971; it was originally from the musical Promises, Promises; Grammy nominee for the "Song of the Year" (Bacharach competed against himself in this category));
• "Everybody's Out of Town" (B. J. Thomas, U.S. 26, 1970);
• "Let Me Go to Him" (Dionne Warwick, 1970, U.S. 32, AC 5, Canada 30);
• "Paper Mache" (Dionne Warwick, 1970, U.S. 43, AC 6);
• "The Green Grass Starts to Grow" (Dionne Warwick, 1971, U.S. 43, AC 2, Canada 35);
• "Who Gets the Guy" (Dionne Warwick, 1971, U.S. 57, R&B 41, AC 6);
• "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross, 1981, U.S. 1, from the film Arthur; won the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in 1981; Grammy nominee for "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year");
• "That's What Friends Are For" (1982)

This song was originally written for the movie Night Shift and performed on the soundtrack by Rod Stewart. In 1986, a version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John became the Billboard's no. 1 song of the year, raising millions for AIDS charities. The song also won the Grammy for "Song of the Year" and was a Grammy nominee for "Record of the Year");

• "On My Own" (Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, U.S. 1, 1986); and
• "Love Power" (Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne, U.S. 12, AC 1, 1987).

Broadway works[link]

• Marlene Dietrich (1968): concert — music arranger and conductor
• Promises, Promises (1968): musical — composer (Tony Nomination for Best Musical)
• André DeShield's Haarlem Nocturne (1984): revue — featured songwriter
• The Look of Love (2003): revue — composer
• The Boy from Oz (2003): musical — additional composer

Other recordings[link]

As arranger, conductor

• For Marlene Dietrich:
• Live at the Café de Paris (1954)
• Dietrich in Rio (1959)

As composer

• For SMAP:
• Super.Modern.Artistic.Performance (2008 – song: Life Walker)

Tribute albums

• Jazz musician John Zorn produced a 2-CD set of Bacharach tunes (1997), featuring several avantgarde musicians, as part of his Great Jewish Music series.
• Marie McAuliffe's Ark Sextet released the Bacharach tribute album "Refractions" in 1998. McAuliffe had been featured on John Zorn's tribute album.
• To Hal and Bacharach is a 1998 tribute album with 18 tunes, performed by notable Australian artists.
• Michael Ball's 2007 album Back to Bacharach
• The Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps's 2011 show "The Beat My Heart Skipped" was a tribute to the music of Burt Bacharach.
• What the World Needs Now: Big Deal Recording Artists Perform the Songs of Burt Bacharach
• That's New Pussycat!: Surf Tribute to Burt Bacharach (2001)

References[link]

External links[link]