WHERE THE HELL'S THAT GOLD?!!? A.K.A. DYNAMITE AND GOLD (TV MOVIE 1988)

Willie Nelson is on a train that is taking him to his stashed away gold in this TV Western written and directed by Burt Kennedy. Jack Elam plays his sidekick who doesn't want to be shot at while on a train that is carrying dynamite. He reluctantly comes along and the long ride north begins. On the way they meet Delta Burke and her group of "ladies." This is definitely a film you'll have to fast-forward but there is a lot of good music you won't want to miss so stop and listen if you see any traveling shots of the train (that is if you feel compelled to watch more than what is on this blog - not all cues are covered). It's hard to stomach Willie's flat acting which sounds like he's reading cue cards from off-camera but Jack Elam has the best line in the movie: "One time in Denver, I ate in this restaurant. It had a big sign on the wall: 'Watch your hat and coat.' While I was watching them someone stole my steak..."

This has to be the best long lost Western score no one has heard (well, next to Arthur B. Rubinstein's TEXAS GUNS which also hasn't been heard and will be covered in another post). It's no surprise that this style of composing would bring out the best in the composer. The entire score tips it's hat to Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith but yet it still sounds like Arthur B. The main theme first appears in 'Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?' - a catchy song used for the opening credits. It starts with an opening rising motif with percussion and colored with guitar, harmonica and brass. A major key middle section follows before playful piccolo whistling is brought in for the return to the main idea. The song closes on a vamp after the last statement of the opening motif:





I have to skip ahead to one of the finest End Titles of Rubinstein's career which shows off this main theme in all it's glory. Here the song's melody is transformed into a rhythmic pulse of a train including bold brass, high string trills, and percussion with a Spanish flare:

Incredibly Willie Nelson does not sing anywhere in this movie except in a few minor scenes where he is singing to himself or with Elam. This might have been too expensive for the filmmakers but the opening female vocal makes sense. Here's the first instrumental cue containing the main theme:

Most of the film is compiled of just shots of the train with very little sound effects intruding and Rubinstein's score is treated beautifully full in the mix. There are some fun harmonica statements of the theme with Arthur B harmonic twists under sequencing of the opening motif. Ever wonder how film music used to be treated under traveling shots of a train? Here's a great example:




One of the highlights of the score is a rhythmic Mexican theme for the bad guys which is then followed by an exciting statement of the main theme as Willie approaches El Guapo from THREE AMIGOS:





There's a slow harmonica variation of the major key middle section of the main theme acting as a "settling down" theme for the film: 

More wonderful shots of the train with a broader statement of the main theme bookended by some terrific horn calls but ending on an unstable bass pedal:






Rubinstein creates more variation on the main theme for the introduction of the Apaches as they follow the train along it's path. There is some effective transparent snare and low brass ostinato writing common in Arthur B's style on display here:



Another exciting cue is when the opening motif and middle section of the main theme come back with some deceptive harmonic movement as Willie uses a cannon on a group of Apaches trying to attack the train:






So I have to ask... where the Hell's Rubinstein's Emmy for this score?

-- Brandon F.

No CD release. DVD is available.