Vic Mizzy

The SCL Mourns SCL Ambassador VIC MIZZY

VIC MIZZY 1916-2009

FROM SCL PRESIDENT DAN FOLIART:

I was saddened to hear today that our friend and SCL Ambassador, VIC MIZZY had passed away. Vic was an inspiration to our community with his at times irreverent, but always light hearted demeanor; at 93 he still had that childish twinkle in his eye. I will always appreciate the call I received from Michael Giacchino when he was doing UP to see if I thought Vic would be interested in working on a source piece for the movie. Michael knew, as many of us did, that Vic still had it, even though the years were catching up with him.

I grew up on Vic’s themes to the ADDAMS FAMILY and GREEN ACRES as these were pretty much must sees in the American living room during the 1960s. I had the rare opportunity to work on a Return To version of the latter in the 80s and learned first hand how truly infectious his melodies could be. Although these were his most famous themes, his body of work was immense and he imbued his scores with the same lightheartedness that he lived as a person. I remember him clowning around with KCET’s Huell Howser on an episode of Huell’s PBS show showcasing the famous and historic restaurant Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood. He was confronted by Huell and asked if he was someone famous. Not skipping a beat, Vic proceeded to tell Huell that he was a famous brain surgeon. Upon entering my home a few years back he said, “Dan, you didn’t tell me that you lived in the ghetto when you invited me here.” His sharp mind was intact to the end. At a surprise birthday party for his 90th, he systematically went around the table and told anecdotes about all of us seated there. Vic’s legacy will be his impressive body of work. I direct you to our website and the SCL Ambassador page which chronicles this amazing career. For those of us who knew Vic, he will always be only a smile away.

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A write-up about VIC MIZZY written yesterday by Variety and L.A. Times journalist, and film and television music historian Jon Burlingame can be found at the website of the non-profit film music preservation organization, Film Music Society:
www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2009/101909.html

Services were held earlier today, Tuesday, October 20th.