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MMD > Archives > July 1999 > 1999.07.02 > 03Prev  Next


Theremin in Hitchcock Movie "Spellbound"
By Bill Mintz

Hi MMD'rs -- Two items for the current thread on the Theremin:

1.  To Douglas Henderson: Thanks for the interesting posting in
990701 MMD, _and_ would you please post info on "our Internet
newsletter called The Pianola News".

2.  I have some info on the Theremin which I think is interesting.
My first awareness of this instrument was in the movie, "Spellbound".
This movie, by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory
Peck, which I first saw as a High School student in 1944, featured the
Theremin in some dramatic atmosphere music.

Dr. Samuel Hoffman was the virtuoso performer on the instrument.
People who saw his name assumed that Hoffman was a Doctor of Music,
or some such.  I knew otherwise.  My mother, who passed on in 1990 at
the age of 95, had been a patient of Dr. Hoffman's in his "day job" as
a chiropodist !  Also, I may add that I have a copy of the original
sound track album of "Spellbound", on four 78 rpm records.

Regards to all, Bill Mintz


(Message sent Sat 3 Jul 1999, 02:06:37 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Hitchcock, Movie, Spellbound, Theremin

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