Photo above: Still from the opening credits for Arthur Penn's Mickey One. Below: Movie poster for the film starring Warren Beatty.

Mickey One

Sometime in 1963-64, Stan Getz was able to get a copy of Focus [profiled in Concert Jazz] to film director Arthur Penn through his secretary. The sound intrigued the director, and the team of Getz and Sauter were recruited for the director's upcoming project, Mickey One.

In a reevaluation of the film in 1995, San Francisco Chronicle critic Peter Stack wrote, "Mickey One is, in essence, a jazz film with an edgy style in which shadings and tone of voice are everything." The film called for some understandably unusual music.

Working with Stan Getz, Sauter employed a whole range of musical contexts for Getz to solo in, including a big band, string ensemble, brass quintet, polka band, and rock group.

Regarding the music, director Penn reflected: "you never know at the time you're doing it that it's important until it's way over. When the picture came out, and then I listened to the score by itself, I thought, my god, this is extraordinary."

Of all his collaborations with Getz, Sauter admired Mickey One the most. The composer liked the wilder nature of the soloist's improvisations. It also appeared that Sauter desired to get more work in cinema because it offered more artistic license than he received orchestrating for Broadway.

In 1966 Mickey One was nominated for a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition.

Sauter also wrote a score for "Felicia" an unproduced film.

An in depth analysis of the score for Mickey One by John Wriggle, Los Angeles, CA, was published in the Brooklyn College American Music Review, Vol. XLI, No. 2, Spring 2012.

Movie Poster for Arthur Penn film Mickey One starring Warren Beatty

Recommended: Listen on headphones or external speakers.

Mickey One – 1965
"Once Upon a Time"
(originally named "Those Halcyon Days")

"Mickey's Theme"

"Another major triumph of Mickey One is the lush, expressive jazz score by Eddie Sauter with soulful sax solos by Stan Getz..." — Jeff Stafford for TCM Classic Movies


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