The Big Screen in the Sky

Oscar-winning composer and sometimes actor Marvin Hamlisch has passed away in Los Angeles. Hamlisch was best known for writing themes that seeped into the public consciousness—whether we wanted to admit it or not. Starting out in television in th early '60's, Hamlisch quickly showed his ability to grab pop melodies that stuck in your head with the stickily-sweet "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" from the film Ski Party (1965). But Hamlisch would soon enter the big leagues by working on music for Woody Allen in Take the Money and Run (1969) and Bananas (1971).

He would earn his first Oscar nom for the film Kotch in 1971 and in 1973 earned three Oscars for his work on The Sting and The Way We Were. It was impossible that year not to have "The Entertainer" (written by Scott Joplin) or "The Way We Were" reverberating through your head. Eight Oscar noms followed as well as the Broadway insider classic A Chorus Line (1985). Love his music or hate it, Hamlisch achieved a level of success in film by composing songs that struck a chord and ingrained themselves in the pop culture. I wonder if Saint Peter will request to hear the Ice Castles Theme...