"It's A Wonderful Life" play - Music &
Sound Effects Tracks
by
Tony Palermo
Many drama troupes staging "It's A Wonderful Life" need
professional quality pre-recorded music
and sound effects. I offer music and SFX tracks that can support any dramatized version of
Frank Capra's famous film. Additionally, I offer a
sound effects "cookbook" that details how to produce the many live SFX used in
the show.
The pre-recorded music tracks are NOT the ones used in the Hollywood film.
Instead this original score was composed by Jonathan Green, and employ an
authentic 1940's-style organ plus some piano, accordion and jazz combo tracks.
These music and sound effects tracks work with any version that follows the plot of
Frank Capra's film. Please note that some “Wonderful Life” scripts may not use
all of my sound
effects (such
as the ice pond breaking/splashing, Uncle Billy’s car, wind, crickets, traffic,
1920s-40s telephones, etc.) or music cues (such as the wartime montage,
Janie Bailey's piano practicing, the "Auld Lang Syne" sing-along at the end,
etc.)
TO ORDER: See below for prices and how to pay. The pre-recorded music cues and
pre-recorded sound effects tracks can either be downloaded as MP3 files, or
shipped via regular mail in the form of audio CDs. They are sold as
collections. I do not sell individual tracks. The Sound Effects Cookbook is
delivered as a PDF file.
It's A Wonderful Life pre-recorded
sound effects and period-correct musical underscore tracks.
MUSIC:
Pre-recorded musical tracks for "It's A Wonderful Life":
36 minutes worth of Jonathan Green's original music--featuring 1940s theater organ, piano,
accordion and jazz combo--available as downloadable MP3 files.Here's a free MP3 clip demonstrating the "Wonderful Life" score's authentic organ
sound and how it
accompanies the show's intro:
DEMO-Wonderful-Life-organ-and-intro.mp3
(1.4 MB)
|
Track |
Description |
|
1. |
(BED) “Wonderful Overture" |
|
2. |
(BED) “Wonderful Life Intro” |
|
3. |
(BED) “Heavenly” |
|
4. |
(BRIDGE) “Gower’s Sad Drugstore” |
|
5. |
(BED) “Tender Moment” |
|
6. |
(BRIDGE) “Up and Segue into “Heavenly” |
|
7. |
(BED) “Heavenly” |
|
8. |
(BRIDGE) Last 2 Bars of “Buffalo Gals” setup |
|
9. |
(BRIDGE) “Tragic” into “Heavenly” |
|
10. |
(BRIDGE) “Oh Well” segues to “Heavenly” |
|
11. |
(BRIDGE) “Downtown Bedford Falls” |
|
12. |
(BRIDGE) “From Violet to Mary” |
|
13. |
(BED) “Wrenching” |
|
14. |
(BED) “Heavenly” |
|
15. |
(BRIDGE) “Wedding March Taxi” |
|
16. |
(BED) “Act 1 Outro” |
|
17. |
(BED) “Wonderful Life Act 2 Intro” |
|
18. |
(BED) “Heavenly” |
|
19. |
(BED) “Time Passing” |
|
20. |
(BRIDGE) “Bride” to “Heavenly” |
|
21. |
(BRIDGE) “Indignant” to “Sleepy” |
|
22. |
(BRIDGE) “Baby” to “Heavenly” |
|
23. |
(BED) “War Montage” |
|
24. |
(BRIDGE) “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” - ends sourly |
|
25. |
(BRIDGE) “Lost” to “Heavenly” |
|
26. |
(BRIDGE) “Desperate” |
|
27. |
(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #1 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” |
|
28. |
(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #2 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” |
|
29. |
(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #3 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” |
|
30. |
(BRIDGE) “Troubled” |
|
31. |
(BRIDGE) “Cruel” to “Heavenly” |
|
32. |
(SOURCE) “Santa Lucia” on accordion--gets abruptly stopped |
|
33. |
(BRIDGE) “Alone” to “Heavenly” |
|
34. |
(BRIDGE) ACT 2 Outro --ends in suspense chord |
|
35. |
(BED) “Act 3 Intro/“Dire Bridge” |
|
36. |
(SOURCE) “Juke Joint Jingle Bells”--Honky-Tonk piano |
|
37. |
(SOURCE) “Pottersville Streetscene”--Jazz combo |
|
38. |
(BRIDGE) “I Know That Girl” |
|
39. |
(BRIDGE) “Empty Granville House” |
|
40. |
(GLISSANDO UP) “Magical Help” |
|
41. |
(BRIDGE) “Escape” to “Mean Mother” |
|
42. |
(BED) “Shattered” to “The Cemetery” |
|
43. |
(BRIDGE) “Lightly” to “Old Maid” |
|
44. |
(BED) “Lynch Mob” to “Redemption” |
|
45. |
(BED) “Organ: Hark The Herald Angels Sing” |
|
46. |
(BED) “Piano: Auld Lang Syne” – Janie playing |
|
47. |
(BED) “Piano: Auld Lang Syne” – Regular playing |
|
48. |
(BED) “Organ: Auld Lang Syne” – Chorus only |
|
49. |
(BED) “Organ:Auld Lang Syne” – Verse & 2 choruses |
The pre-recorded Wonderful Life music tracks and
sheet-music are available without purchasing script performance royalties for my
stage or radio adaptations.
Sound Effects:
Pre-recorded sound effects for "It's A Wonderful Life":
I offer 30+ minutes of pre-recorded tracks (of sounds not easily-produced live), available as downloadable MP3 files.
I offer 27 pre-recorded sound effects tracks—30
minutes worth—of the more unusual sounds: ones that would be difficult
to produce manually (crickets, wind, 1920s-40s telephones, jumping in
the river splashes, harp glissandos, the 78 RPM record of "Buffalo
Gals", 1940s traffic, etc).
While your troupe’s Sound Designer could assemble such sounds from
various SFX collections, here, they are already edited, layered and
ambience has been added. It will cost you more time and trouble to do
this yourself than to purchase these tracks from me.
Please note that sounds generated by the characters, such as doors,
footsteps, plates, forks, bells, typing, cash registers, etc., are NOT
included. Either your actors or a live sound effects artist will have to
produce those manually. However, I do offer a SFX Cookbook that details
how to make those live manual sound effects—see below.
|
Track |
Description |
|
01 |
Icy splashes into pond |
|
02 |
Gower’s phone rings (3X) – can be done live, also |
|
03 |
Crickets #1 |
|
04 |
Distant window shattered by rock #1 |
|
05 |
Distant window shattered by rock #2 |
|
06 |
Car pulls up, idles--under |
|
07 |
Downtown Bedford Falls (Traffic) |
|
08 |
Ernie’s cab pulls away from curb |
|
09 |
Crickets #2 |
|
10 |
“Buffalo Gals” 78 RPM record |
|
11 |
Mary’s phone rings (20X) – can be done live, also |
|
12 |
Interior of cab driving #1 |
|
13 |
Cab pulls over |
|
14 |
Uncle Billy’s phone rings (1-½X) – can be live, also |
|
15 |
Office phone rings (1-¼X) – can be done live, also |
|
16 |
Potter’s clock ticking in background #1 |
|
17 |
Bailey phone rings (2X) – can be live, also |
|
18 |
Potter’s clock ticking in background #2 |
|
19 |
Clarence jumps in river, splashes around |
|
20 |
George jumps in river, splashes around |
|
21 |
Magical harp glissando--UP |
|
22 |
Wind #1 |
|
23 |
Downtown Pottersville (Traffic) |
|
24 |
Interior of cab driving #2 |
|
25 |
Wind #2 (Cemetery) |
|
26 |
Wind #3 (Bridge) |
|
27 |
Magical harp glissando--DOWN |
SFX COOKBOOK:
I also offer a colorful 20-page guide about how to do the sound effects
for Wonderful Life. This includes info and photos on making the
devices for the doors, footsteps, ringing phones, fights, Mr. Potter’s
squeaky wheel chair, typing, etc., These live sounds are NOT included in
the pre-recorded SFX collection above. There are also sections on
integrating live and pre-recorded sounds, setting up the SFX area, how
to mic SFX, monitoring, and getting the various telephone voice effects
used in the show. I’m a professional AFTRA sound effects artist who’s
mentors worked with Orson Wells, Jack Benny and Jack Webb. I’ve made my
extensive knowledge of the gadgets and techniques of radio sound effects
available in this unique guide focused on Wonderful Life SFX. (Note:
It is inauthentic to use the film term “Foley”—which dates from the
mid-1980s—in describing radio “sound effects.”)
SAMPLE LISTING FROM SFX COOKBOOK:
PHONE BEING DIALED:
Use an old rotary dial phone--a Western Electric model #500
or #302 phone will do. See Wikipedia for info on those two models. To
purchase one, try flea markets or e-bay. Beware of modern reproductions
with pushbutton numbers inside a fake rotary dial
PHONE RINGS: (If you want to use a live sound effect instead of the
pre-recorded phone rings I provide)
Ring Rhythm: Ring for 2 seconds, then pause for 4 seconds of silence, then repeat.
Take two “handbells” (the kind where the clapper is held on with
a small spring) and ring them.
Search the web for Kidsplay Chromatic Add-On Handbells.
OR wire up an electric “delivery bell.” Search Google for:
Heath Zenith 2-1/2” Wired chime Model# 172C-A. It’s
available at many hardware stores. This bell can run on a 6-volt
lantern battery or from AC power--via a transformer. Use a quiet
pushbutton.
FOOTSTEPS IN SNOW:
Take a 1 lb. package of corn
starch (about the size of a thick paperback book)--available at
any grocery store--and reinforce the seams with duct tape, so it
won’t leak. Then with two hands, squeeze the box close to the
mic, in a walking rhythm: 1-2, 1-2, 1-2. You’ll have to “break
in” the cardboard box a bit. Keep extra duct tape nearby to seal
leaks. Beware of covering the entire box with duct tape--as this
will muffle the sound
List of live sound effects for "It's A Wonderful Life":
The SFX cookbook offers detailed
instructions on how to find/make them.
|
1. |
TINGLING WIND CHIMES |
|
2. |
ICE CRACKING |
|
3. |
PHONE RINGS |
|
4. |
PHONE HANDSET PICKED UP/HUNG UP |
|
5. |
PHONE BEING DIALED |
|
6. |
FACE SLAPS |
|
7. |
DINNER PLATES/FORKS |
|
8. |
FOOTSTEPS ON SIDEWALK |
|
9. |
DOG BARKS/HOWLS |
|
10. |
ROBE BEING RIPPED |
|
11. |
SHAKING FLOWER BUSH |
|
12. |
GAVEL |
|
13. |
JIMMY, THE TALKING BIRD |
|
14. |
DOOR OPENING/CLOSING/SHUT |
|
15. |
BELL ATTACHED TO DOOR RINGS |
|
16. |
CREAKING DOOR OPENING |
|
17. |
DOOR LOCKING |
|
18. |
PHONOGRAPH CLICKED ON |
|
19. |
NEEDLE SCRATCHES RECORD |
|
20. |
ENVELOPE OF MONEY RUSTLED |
|
21. |
CAB DOOR OPENS/SHUTS |
|
22. |
FLAPPING BIRD WINGS |
|
23. |
KNITTING NEEDLES QUIETLY KNITTING |
|
24. |
TYPEWRITER (KEYS AND BELL) |
|
25. |
SQUEAKY WHEELCHAIR |
|
26. |
NEWSPAPER FLEXED/HANDED OVER |
|
27. |
FOOTSTEPS IN SNOW |
|
28. |
MODEL BRIDGE BEING DESTROYED |
|
29. |
PAPER HANDED OVER |
|
30. |
BARROOM GLASSES CLINKING |
|
31. |
PUNCH |
|
32. |
BODY DROP |
|
33. |
THUNDER ROLL |
|
34. |
CASH REGISTER KA-CHING & BELL |
|
35. |
DRINKS BEING SET DOWN ON BAR |
|
36. |
BOTTLE BEING SLAMMED DOWN ON BAR |
|
37. |
SCUFFLES |
|
38. |
CRASH OF TRASH CAN |
|
39. |
WOMAN STAGGERS IN HIGH HEELS |
|
40. |
FRANTIC POUNDING ON DOOR |
|
41. |
POLICE WHISTLE |
|
42. |
GUNSHOTS |
|
43. |
SEARCHING A POCKET |
|
44. |
CHAMPAGNE CORK POP |
|
45. |
BOOK OPENED |
|
46. |
SMALL TEA BELL RUNG |
--Order Information--
PRICES:
Pre-Recorded Music tracks:
(one-time fee) --as MP3 downloads
Pre-Recorded SFX tracks:
(one-time fee) --as MP3 downloads
Live Sound Effects Cookbook for "Wonderful Life":
--as PDF download.
Once you download the MP3s, you can burn them to audio CDs
or trigger them from a computer or MP3 player. If you prefer that I burn audio
CDs of the pre-recorded tracks and postal-mail them to you, add $14 to the
total. Please include your postal-mailing address.
HOW
TO PAY FOR MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS TRACKS:
I accept credit card
payments via the free and secure
www.PayPal.com
service.
1) Go to the
www.PayPal.com website, click on the “Send Money” button, and
register for free.
2) Use my e-mail address of:
to send the money to my PayPal account.
3) PayPal has an info box on their payment page that allows you to send
a note to me, use it to specify WHAT show you are ordering (I offer 25
different shows) and, if you want either/both music
tracks and SFX tracks. If you want postal delivery, let me know. For all
orders, include your postal mail address—for my tax reporting
purposes.
NOTE: If you do not specify WHAT you are
ordering, I cannot send you ANYTHING.
4) NOTE:
You must pay in U.S. dollars—which is
easy to do on Paypal.
For how-to info, see:
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/sell/mc/mc_send-outside
DELIVERY:
Once your payment has
been received, I will e-mail you
links to special download pages for the MP3 files of the tracks. If you wanted audio CDs, they will
be postal-mailed.
If you have any questions, contact:
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