The following is, with minor edits, a post I made near the end of last year on Filmtracks. It was meant to tie into a pre-existing series of articles spotlighting films with rejected and replacement scores.
Neighbors (1981)
The Contenders:
Original composer: Tom Scott
Replacement composer: Bill Conti
History:
Based on the novel by Thomas Berger, Neighbors told the story of straight-laced suburbanite Earl Keese whose life is turned inside out by the arrival of the extroverted - and possibly dangerous - Harry (renamed Vic for the film) and Ramona. The movie went before cameras in 1981 in time for a week-before-Christmas release, directed by Rocky's John G. Avildsen, adapted by "M*A*S*H"'s Larry Gelbart, and (it was presumed) starring John Belushi as Vic and Dan Aykroyd as Earl. However, not long before shooting began, the stars informed Avildsen that they would be switching roles. Belushi - in a marked contrast to 'Bluto' Blutarsky, 'Wild' Bill Kelso and Jake Blues - essayed the square, nerdy Earl and Aykroyd - sporting blonde hair and sky blue contacts - would play fast-talking Vic. This marked but the first of several moments where the leads would take over production, also re-writing the script, and even lobbying to have Avildsen fired. With the surprising exception of Roger Ebert, critical reception to the film was mostly poisonous and audiences were scarcely more welcoming. (Sadly, Belushi's drug issues - which lasted almost as long as his time in show business - caught up with him; in March of 1982, he died from a fatal overdose, leaving Neighbors as his final film.)
With the passage of time, one can view Neighbors as something of an acquired taste; an embryonic take on the comedy of embarrassment, a sub-genre that would pick up steam some two decades later. However, the out-there sense of humor the film is leavened with places it head and shoulders above most later efforts in the sub-genre.
At the time, people didn’t see it that way and even with reruns on cable in the 80s and 90s, it did not develop a cult nearly as devoted as most other comedies of the era. Temper your expectations and it is something of a hidden gem.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, with a production this troubled, there would be more than one score written for the film.
Music by Tom Scott
Though he was a session player and a founding member of the Blues Brothers band, Scott was also a composer with a number of film and TV projects to his name (his most recent credit, Stir Crazy, likely made him an attractive choice to the brass at Columbia, as they produced both films). Scott’s music for Neighbors, with rare exceptions, could easily be mistaken for a long-lost Bernard Herrmann thriller score, which makes for a good contrast to a comedy - a la the subsequent works of Elmer Bernstein - but (some would argue) makes it ineffective as a score for a comedy.
As introduced in the 'Main Title', Scott’s main theme is a booming brass motif over a string ostinato with a stately B-section for trumpet. Other thematic ideas include a violin-led theme for Ramona (Cathy Moriarty, fresh off of her Oscar-nominated debut in Raging Bull); a melody of descending chords for situations that cause concern for Earl (so, of course, it appears quite a lot); a brief, chattering piano and percussion motif and a militaristic melody for Tim Kazurinsky‘s Pa Greavey.
Test audiences - likely preferring their humor to be more overt - complained that the film wasn’t particularly funny. The studio, not too keen on re-shooting, decided to toss Scott’s score and replace it with one that could (for lack of a better word) trick the audience into thinking that what they were seeing on screen was humorous.
Music by Bill Conti
"It's a comedy. Give me funny!"
With this dictum from longtime collaborator Avildsen, Conti got to work, crafting (in the course of a week) one of the craziest scores ever heard in a mainstream motion picture. The best way to describe it is 'Carl Stalling on crack...and crystal meth...and, maybe, a couple hits of Molly'. Duck calls, pipe organ, an antique car horn, harpsichord, doorbells, a female choir singing the Hallelujah chorus, but adding the lyric 'Come!' (for those who have not seen the movie, I’ll spare you the context of this particular orchestrational choice, but you’re welcome to hazard a guess). When you’re rescoring a movie in a week, there are no bad ideas.
Within this musical miasma, Conti utilized a "Peter and the Wolf" approach to the film's main characters: a schlubby melody of low brass for Earl; a wailing theremin idea for Vic; an over-the-top sax line for Ramona and Native American stylings for Earl’s wife, Enid (Kathryn Walker*, who’s appeared in Slap Shot, D.A.R.Y.L. and a number of made-for-TV movies).
If people didn’t like the movie, they outright despised the score (though, from a certain perspective, one can see where they’re coming from; after all, no one likes to be told when to laugh). To pick an example out of a hat, Newsweek's David Ansen called it "the year's most offensive score; a cattle prod of cartoonish cuteness that only underlines the movie's desperate uncertainty of tone". I would personally argue that the score for Sharky's Machine (released the same day as Neighbors and composed by - of all people - "The Tonight Show"'s Doc Severinsen!!) is worse, but I’m not very keen on re-listening to it for confirmation.
Cue vs. Cue Smackdown: '1m2' vs. 'New Neighbors'
After a hard day of work, Earl just wants to settle in for dinner. Enid mentions a recipe for capon she read about. In the Scott score, the cue begins with the 'worry motif' making its bow, and soon, heavy strings and threatening brass follow Earl's curiosity getting the better of him as he looks next door. Conti's music is more boisterous, stomping brass and frantic strings punctuated by insistent though not entirely inappropriate quotes of the "Twilight Zone" theme. (Fun fact: the film's trailer was narrated by a Rod Serling imitator, another sort-of example of how the film promised more than it delivered.)
The noise Earl hears outside leads him to investigate, ultimately finding Vic and Ramona‘s dog, Uggbaby, rushing by after digging up the garden. In an unusual reversal of the composers' approaches, Conti plays through the scene with mock horror textures, while Scott treats the canine's jaunt to a galloping, woodwind figure.
Earl's report that the new neighbors have a dog leads to Enid waxing poetic on the dog spirit, accompanied by (in both scores) a Native American-sounding passage. Conti's contribution is more along the lines of a war dance, while Scott creates a melody of groaning winds and tom-toms.
Earl retreats to the living room. Scott’s take has the worry motif poking at him, already upsetting his dull life. Conti utilizes quivering string figures and chords of pizzicato and noisemaker as Earl continues to wonder about the people next door.
Earl answers the door and finds the come hither eyes of Ramona, who soon steps out of the shadows (and with her lithe figure and husky voice, Moriarty would’ve made a fortune as a femme fatale in the glory days of film noir). Conti (at 2:50) introduces his theme for her, saxophone, backed by all manner of muted brass, almost wolf-whistling (another recurring sound in the Oscar winner's score). As she makes her way in, Conti - without losing a step - ends the cue on cartoon source music quoting 'Pop Goes the Weasel' and a hurried passage that comes to a sudden stop. Scott, meanwhile, composed a sweet flute melody (2:55) that nicely contrasted Moriarty's vamping. Following a clarinet figure, Scott develops the motif for woodwind, building to a melodramatic climax for strings.
Sorry, but I have to give it to Scott here.
Final Thoughts:
A lot of comedy scores strive to find some balance between the two extremes employed by Neighbors' composers. Sometimes they succeed, while others do not. Some manage to strike the balance, but don’t quite possess - or express - the thematic chops to really make the score stick the landing. Still, this Jekyll and Hyde approach to the music did yield fascinating - if not always audience friendly - results.
Availability:
Both Conti and Scott's scores were released on one disc by Varese Sarabande's CD Club in 2007. Copies pop up on eBay and amazon.com, from time to time. If you are curious, this may be your one chance because, given the negative stigma of the film still carries over four decades later, and the all-Deluxe-Editions-all-the-time kick the label currently seems to be on, I wouldn’t bet the farm on a re-issue.
* - However, the more interesting footnote in Walker’s career may reside with her romantic partners: Animal House/Caddyshack co-writer Douglas Kenney and singer James Taylor.
