Page - 107 - in Der Filmkomponist Max Steiner - 1888 - 1971

First recording date: Feb. 16,1942 Mch. 24, -"- May 22, -"- June 27, -"- Aug. 24, -"- Date finished recording: Feb. 23,1942 Apr. 13, -"- June 11, -"- July 20, -"- Sept. 11, -"- 2.2. Maximilian Raul Walter Steiner 107 First cue Sheet given TITLE OF PICTURE to Mr. Steiner on: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Feb. 12,1942 GAY SISTERS, THE Mch. 16 -"- DESPERATE JOURNEY May 16, -"- NOW, VOYAGER June 20, -"- CASABLANCA Aug. 15, -"- Wenn dies auch nur ein kleiner Ausschnitt aus dem Jahr 1942 ist, dokumentiert dies den- noch zweierlei. Zum einen hat Max Steiner die Musik zu den Filmen in sehr kurzer Zeit komponiert, zum anderen hatte er zwischen den Projekten nicht wirklich viel Freiraum, sondern war mehr oder weniger kontinuierlich am Arbeiten. Die nächsten Jahre hat Stei- ner im Schnitt acht Filme im Jahr für Warner Bros, mit Musik versorgt, insgesamt waren dies während seiner knapp dreißigjährigen Zusammenarbeit mit Warner über 150 Filme. Sowohl in seiner Autobiografie als auch in den Interviews mit Tony Thomas nahm Stei- ner immer wieder Bezug auf die Art und Weise, wie die Studios mit ihren Mitarbeitern umgingen, was man durchaus auch mit dem Begriff „ausbeuten" beschreiben kann. „... They seem to think that if they pay you well, they own you ... When I was scoring a particular epic, I feil ill with intestinal flue ... after several days in bed, Leo \Forbstein, d. A.] phoned and asked nie if I could come in the following morning at nine and conduct a recording Session. I explained that I was flat on my back, under sedation and so weak I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. All he could say to this was, ,Max, we gotta have you there.' My doctor was with me on the phone and he told Leo how sick I was. Afterwards ... I said to Leo, ,It would cost my life to get here at nine tomorrow morning.' There was a long pause and then Leo asked, ,Well, how about one o'clock?'"l8s „... I had again the pressure put on me as I had so many other times, to make a preview date. To do it, I had to work all night and all day. I was so angry about it that when I finished Friday morning at nine o'clock after working from Tuesday morning at nine, I sat down and wrote a letter and addressed it: TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN and sent it to all the top executives. It read: ,Gentlemen: This is to notify that my office hours from now on will be from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. and not fiom 9 A.M. to 9 A.M. the next day. I'm sick and tired of it.'"l86: 185 Thony Thomas: Interviews. S. 14. 186 Notes To You. S. 124.