Dr. Samuel Hoffman [LA VIE EN ROSE: Orig. RCA Theremin]

Dr. Samuel Hoffman took his 1929 RCA theremin with him when he moved from New York City to Los Angeles, California, in 1941. He eventually became world famous as "The Hollywood Thereminist" and the distinctive sound of his instrument can be heard on the soundtracks of over 40 major motion pictures of the 1940's and 50's. Alfred Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND (music by Miklos Rosza), the SciFi classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (music by Bernard Herrmann) and Cecile B. deMille's perennial THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, are just a few of the movies in which this theremin can be heard. I acquired this unique vintage instrument from the Hoffman family in 1998 and have carefully maintained it and enjoyed playing it ever since. It sounds today just the way it sounded when the late Dr. Hoffman played it at the "Casino In The Air" on top of mid-town Manhattan's Hotel Montclair in the 1930's.

In order to give the camera a better view of the inside, for the purpose of this video, I removed the two cabinet doors (which normally remain closed). I am playing French chanteuse Edith Piaf's hit from the 1940's, LA VIE EN ROSE.

Smoke On The Water [Theremin Player]

Bonnie And Clyde [Original Trailer 1967]

Producer/star Warren Beatty had to convince Warner Bros. to finance this film, which went on to become the studio's second-highest grosser. It also caused major controversy by redefining violence in cinema and casting its criminal protagonists as sympathetic anti-heroes. Based loosely on the true exploits of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker during the 30s, the film begins as Clyde (Beatty) tries to steal the car of Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway)'s mother. Bonnie is excited by Clyde's outlaw demeanor, and he further stimulates her by robbing a store in her presence. Clyde steals a car, with Bonnie in tow, and their legendary crime spree begins. The two move from town to town, pulling off small heists, until they join up with Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a slow-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard). The new gang robs a bank and Clyde is soon painted in the press as a Depression-era Robin Hood when he allows one bank customer to hold onto his money. Soon the police are on the gang's trail and they are constantly on the run, even kidnapping a Texas Ranger (Denver Pyle) and setting him adrift on a raft, handcuffed, after he spits in Bonnie's face when she kisses him. That same ranger leads a later raid on the gang that leaves Buck dying, Blanche captured, and both Clyde and Bonnie injured. The ever-loyal C.W. takes them to his father's house. C.W.'s father disaproves his son's affiliation with gangsters and enters a plea bargain with the Texas Rangers. A trap is set that ends in one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history. The film made stars out of Beatty and Dunaway, and it also featured the screen debut of Gene Wilder as a mortician briefly captured by the gang. Its portrayal of Bonnie and Clyde as rebels who empathized with the poor working folks of the 1930s struck a chord with the counterculture of the 1960s and helped generate a new, young audience for American movies that carried over into Hollywood's renewal of the 1970s. Its combination of sex and violence with dynamic stars, social relevance, a traditional Hollywood genre, and an appeal to hip young audiences set the pace for many American movies to come.

Warren Beatty - Clyde Barrow
Faye Dunaway - Bonnie Parker
Michael J. Pollard - C.W. Moss
Gene Hackman - Buck Barrow
Estelle Parsons - Blanche
Gene Wilder - Eugene Grizzard
Denver Pyle - Frank Hamer
Dub Taylor - Ivan Moss
Evans Evans - Velma Davis
Martha Adcock - Bank customer
Mabel Cavitt - Bonnie's mother
Sadie French - Bank customer
Roy Heard - Man
Clyde Howdy - Deputy
J.J. Lemmon, Jr. - Sheriff
Russ Marker - Bank guard
Ken Mayer - Sheriff Smoot
Ann Palmer - Bonnie's sister
Joe Spratt - Farmer
James Stivers - Butcher

HAPPY DAYS: Xmas with the Fonz [1974]