LAST ROOM ON THE RIGHT


A History & Musical Chronicle 1970-1985
Bo Harwood

On a warm Friday night in 1970, about a hundred and fifty people were filing out of a Universal Studios screening room and gathering in groups to chatter about the film they’d just seen. It was a rough cut and the sound track had been hastily mixed the day before for screening purposes. The Bach Train was a powerful 16mm feature made by a handful of artists over a two-year period for less than forty thousand dollars, conceived and directed by one of the great artists in Hollywood, James Eric.

The screening went well, but my nerves were shot as I was only twenty-three and it was the first time I’d written music for the screen. To make matters worse, a good portion of the audience appeared unresponsive, even a bit disturbed, but that was probably due to the film’s surrealistic and sexually charged nature. I had invited a good friend of mine, Robert Heffernan, an editor working across the street in a series of apartments converted into editing rooms for the film, Husbands, directed by John Cassavetes. Robert brought John to the screening, who in turn, brought actors Ben Gazarra and Peter Falk.

All I knew about John was what Robert told me and that John, Ben and Peter had recently been on the cover of Life Magazine. Robert said the cover story created a pressure cooker at Columbia to get the film out as soon as humanly possible. It was a huge deal to be on the cover of Life and a release date had been set. Then it was pushed back. Another date was set and pushed back, then another and another and another....
History
65-page illustrated MS of Last
Room on the Right: A History & Musical Chronicle 1970-1985 [free with purchase of any full track]
99¢


[free with purchase
of any full track]