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The score, by Russian composer Dimitri Tiomkin, has long been a favorite of film fans and was the first major film to feature a title song as a ballad that is integral to the storytelling process. “Do Not Forsake Me” was sung on the soundtrack by Tex Ritter and won an Academy Award, in addition to the thematic underscore.
HIGH NOON was an independent production, produced by Stanley Kramer and released through United Artists. Through the years, while the film has survived, the ancillary negative elements – including the optical soundtracks containing the original music recordings – have been lost. However, a complete set of score recordings was kept by the composer and it is these acetate discs that provided the audio materials used for this CD release. 32-page full color booklet featuring original artwork and production notes by film historian Rudy Behlmer.
HIGH NOON starred Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Juardo, Thomas Mitchell and Lloyd Bridges. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it was the first film in which a main title ballad is reprised throughout the picture as a progressive element of the storytelling process. The haunting vocal by Tex Ritter was recorded by dozens of artists but the original film version has never been released on record. A studio version that approximated the film recording was made by Ritter in England in 1952.
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