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Charlotte Talks: John Williams' Musical Legacy Goes Beyond A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Flickr / Chris Devers https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019

You don't have to be a fan of the "Star Wars" saga to know its signature sounds, from lightsaber fights to Darth Vader's gasps. But nothing is more iconic than its music, created by a composer who's an icon in his own right, John Williams, who says the latest "Star Wars" film will be his last.

This program originally aired Dec. 17.

The 1958 B-movie "Daddy-O" doesn't have many redeeming qualities, except for two things. It provided grist for Comedy Central's "Mystery Science Theater 3000," especially the film's song, "Rock Candy Baby."

It was also the film scoring debut of John Williams.

Williams has gone on to score more than 100 films, three of which are on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie scores in American history: "E.T.", "Jaws" and, topping the list, "Star Wars."

Williams' legacy isn't just on the silver screen. There's his music for NBC News and the Olympics, among others.

But it will be his relationship with "Star Wars" for which Williams will be remembered the most.

This hour, as movigoers take in Williams' final "Star Wars" score, we consider his place in music history.

GUESTS

Neil Lerner, Davidson College, chair of the Department of Music

Frank Lehman, Tufts University, associate professor of music; author of the Complete Catalogue of Musical Themes in Star Wars (@fmlehman)

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A veteran of Charlotte radio news, Chris joined the "Charlotte Talks" staff in January 2016, but has been listening to WFAE since discovering the station as a high schooler.