Robert Drasnin obit

Robert Drasnin, ‘Twilight Zone’ Composer, Dies at 87

 

He was not on the list.

Robert Drasnin, composer of the film “The Kremlin Letter” and many classic TV shows including “Twilight Zone,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and “Mission: Impossible,” died Wednesday, May 13, at Providence Tarzana Medical Center. He was 87. Death was due to complications from a recent fall.

Drasnin, whose credits also include scores for “The Wild Wild West,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Lost in Space,” “Police Story” and “Hawaii Five-0,” served as director of music for CBS Television from 1977 to 1991.

Drasnin’s scoring career began in the ’50s, composing for live television dramas including “Climax,” “Studio One,” “Ford Startime” and “Playhouse 90.”

He scored a handful of feature films including John Huston’s “The Kremlin Letter” and the early Jack Nicholson Western “Ride in the Whirlwind,” but he was most active in TV. His other series assignments included “The Time Tunnel,” “I Spy,” “Daniel Boone,” “Mannix,” “Cannon,” “The Rookies” and “Barnaby Jones.”

He also composed music for more than a dozen TV movies, including the Lee J. Cobb version of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and such early ABC telefilms as “Daughter of the Mind,” “The Old Man Who Cried Wolf,” “Crowhaven Farm” and “Dr. Cook’s Garden.”

While head of CBS’ music department in the 1980s, he worked with the Grateful Dead on music for the revived “Twilight Zone” series, along with scoring several episodes himself.

His 1959 exotica album “Voodoo” became a cult favorite and inspired a 2007 sequel, “Voodoo II.” The popularity of those albums led him to return to live performance in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He was born in Charleston, W.Va., but had lived in Southern California since 1938. He majored in music at UCLA, receiving his B.A. in 1949, and was soon on the road playing saxophone, clarinet and flute for bandleaders Skinnay Ennis and Les Brown.

After Army service during the Korean War, he returned to UCLA as a graduate student and became associate conductor of the UCLA Symphony. During the 1950s he also played with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra and Red Norvo’s quintet.

Drasnin was also active as an educator, teaching film scoring, orchestration and music theory at Cal State Northridge from 1976 to 1991 and in the film scoring program of UCLA Extension from 1993 through 2014. He was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Survivors include his wife Marlene; a brother, documentary producer Irv Drasnin; three children; and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

 

Composer

Cinemania (2002)

Cinemania

7.1

Composer

2002

 

Joaquin Phoenix in Secret Witness (1988)

Secret Witness

5.8

TV Movie

Composer

1988

 

Who Is Julia? (1986)

Who Is Julia?

6.6

TV Movie

Composer

1986

 

The Twilight Zone (1985)

The Twilight Zone

7.7

TV Series

Composer (music by)

1985–1986

4 episodes

 

Kristy McNichol in Love, Mary (1985)

Love, Mary

7.6

TV Movie

Composer

1985

 

Hobson's Choice (1983)

Hobson's Choice

6.9

TV Movie

Composer

1983

 

Illusions (1983)

Illusions

6.2

TV Movie

Composer

1983

 

Kam Fong, Al Harrington, Jack Lord, and James MacArthur in Hawaii Five-O (1968)

Hawaii Five-O

7.4

TV Series

Composer

1979–1980

3 episodes

 

Michael Biehn and Patti Cohoon-Friedman in The Runaways (1978)

The Runaways

6.9

TV Series

Composer

1978–1979

3 episodes

 

Sweepstakes (1979)

Sweepstakes

6.0

TV Series

Composer

1979

1 episode

 

Crisis in Mid-air (1979)

Crisis in Mid-air

6.6

TV Movie

Composer (as Bob Drasnin, music by)

1979

 

Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones (1973)

Barnaby Jones

6.9

TV Series

Composer

1976–1979

4 episodes

 

Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in CHiPs (1977)

CHiPs

6.4

TV Series

Composer

1977

3 episodes

 

The Streets of San Francisco (1972)

The Streets of San Francisco

7.3

TV Series

Composer

1977

1 episode

 

Jo Ann Harris, Shelly Novack, and Robert Stack in Most Wanted (1976)

Most Wanted

6.9

TV Series

Composer (music composed by)

1977

1 episode

 

Joe Forrester (1975)

Joe Forrester

7.3

TV Series

Composer

1975–1976

4 episodes

 

Serpico (1976)

Serpico

6.8

TV Series

Composer (music by)

1976

1 episode

 

Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)

Police Story

7.5

TV Series

Composer

1973–1976

9 episodes

 

The Blue Knight (1975)

The Blue Knight

6.8

TV Series

Composer (music by)

1975

1 episode

 

Kate Jackson, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean in The Rookies (1972)

The Rookies

6.8

TV Series

Composer

1973–1975

6 episodes

 

Jack Palance in Bronk (1975)

Bronk

6.7

TV Series

Composer

1975

2 episodes

 

Cannon (1971)

Cannon

6.8

TV Series

Composer

1973–1975

4 episodes

 

Susan Howard, Barry Newman, and Albert Salmi in Petrocelli (1974)

Petrocelli

7.2

TV Series

Composer

1975

1 episode

 

Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)

Mannix

7.4

TV Series

Composer

1968–1974

5 episodes

 

Brad David, Tiffany Bolling, Vince Martorano, and Susan Sennett in The Candy Snatchers (1973)

The Candy Snatchers

6.3

Composer

1973

 

The Heist (1972)

The Heist

6.1

TV Movie

Composer

1972

 

Night of Terror (1972)

Night of Terror

5.7

TV Movie

Composer (music by)

1972

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

Composer

1972

1 episode

 

Christopher Stone and Jack Warden in Wheeler and Murdoch (1972)

Wheeler and Murdoch

5.8

TV Movie

Composer

1972

 

James Wainwright in Jigsaw (1972)

Jigsaw

7.5

TV Movie

Composer

1972

 

Glenn Ford, Edgar Buchanan, Victor Campos, Sandra Ego, Peter Ford, and Taylor Lacher in Cade's County (1971)

Cade's County

7.0

TV Series

Composer (music)

1972

2 episodes

 

Wildfire!

7.8

Composer

1971

 

They Call It Murder (1971)

They Call It Murder

5.5

TV Movie

Composer

1971

 

Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)

Mission: Impossible

7.9

TV Series

Composer

1967–1971

8 episodes

 

Murder Once Removed (1971)

Murder Once Removed

6.1

TV Movie

Composer

1971

 

Barbara Parkins in A Taste of Evil (1971)

A Taste of Evil

6.3

TV Movie

Composer (music by)

1971

 

A Tattered Web (1971)

A Tattered Web

5.6

TV Movie

Composer

1971

 

Cannon (1971)

Cannon

7.3

TV Movie

Composer (uncredited)

1971

 

Bruce Lee and James Franciscus in Longstreet (1971)

Longstreet

7.8

TV Series

Composer

1971

1 episode

 

Dr. Cook's Garden (1971)

Dr. Cook's Garden

7.1

TV Movie

Composer

1971

 

Crowhaven Farm (1970)

Crowhaven Farm

6.3

TV Movie

Composer (music composed by)

1970

 

The Young Lawyers (1969)

The Young Lawyers

7.3

TV Series

Composer

1970

1 episode

 

Bracken's World (1969)

Bracken's World

6.9

TV Series

Composer

1970

4 episodes

 

The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970)

The Old Man Who Cried Wolf

6.8

TV Movie

Composer

1970

 

Orson Welles, Bibi Andersson, George Sanders, Max von Sydow, Richard Boone, Nigel Green, Dean Jagger, Patrick O'Neal, and Barbara Parkins in The Kremlin Letter (1970)

The Kremlin Letter

6.2

Composer

1970

 

Lancer (1968)

Lancer

7.1

TV Series

Composer

1968–1970

10 episodes

 

Michael Constantine, Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas, and Karen Valentine in Room 222 (1969)

Room 222

7.7

TV Series

Composer

1969

1 episode

 

Ray Milland and Don Murray in Daughter of the Mind (1969)

Daughter of the Mind

6.3

TV Movie

Composer (music)

1969

 

Ricardo Montalban in The Desperate Mission (1969)

The Desperate Mission

6.3

TV Movie

Composer (music)

1969

 

Fess Parker in Daniel Boone (1964)

Daniel Boone

7.3

TV Series

Composer

1967–1969

2 episodes

 

Carl Betz and Stephen Young in Judd for the Defense (1967)

Judd for the Defense

7.7

TV Series

Composer

1967–1969

4 episodes

 

National Geographic Specials (1965)

National Geographic Specials

8.6

TV Series

Composer

1968

1 episode

 

The Felony Squad (1966)

The Felony Squad

7.5

TV Series

Composer

1966–1968

2 episodes

 

Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy (1965)

I Spy

7.2

TV Series

Composer

1967

1 episode

 

Wayne Maunder in Custer (1967)

Custer

6.5

TV Series

Composer (music)

1967

1 episode

 

Harvest (1967)

Harvest

7.1

Short

Composer

1967

 

ABC Stage 67 (1966)

ABC Stage 67

7.4

TV Series

Composer

1967

1 episode

 

Robert Vaughn, Leo G. Carroll, and David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7.7

TV Series

Composer

1965–1967

24 episodes

 

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

7.2

TV Series

Composer

1967

1 episode

 

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in The Wild Wild West (1965)

The Wild Wild West

8.1

TV Series

Composer

1965–1966

4 episodes

 

The Time Tunnel (1966)

The Time Tunnel

7.5

TV Series

Composer

1966

2 episodes

 

June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Jonathan Harris, Marta Kristen, Bill Mumy, and Guy Williams in Lost in Space (1965)

Lost in Space

7.2

TV Series

Composer (music)

1966

4 episodes

 

Don Ameche, Susan Gordon, and Martha Hyer in Picture Mommy Dead (1966)

Picture Mommy Dead

5.3

Composer (music composed by)

1966

 

Barbara Hershey, Michael Anderson Jr., Tammy Locke, Keith Schultz, and Kevin Schultz in The Monroes (1966)

The Monroes

7.7

TV Series

Composer

1966

1 episode

 

Jack Nicholson, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Filer, Cameron Mitchell, and Millie Perkins in Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)

Ride in the Whirlwind

6.4

Composer

1966

 

Robert Vaughn and David McCallum in One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966)

One of Our Spies Is Missing

5.4

Composer (uncredited)

1966

 

Death of a Salesman (1966)

Death of a Salesman

7.8

TV Movie

Composer

1966

 

The Great Adventure (1963)

The Great Adventure

8.6

TV Series

Composer

1963–1964

2 episodes

 

Alfred Hitchcock in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962)

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

8.5

TV Series

Composer

1963

2 episodes

 

Wide Country (1962)

Wide Country

8.1

TV Series

Composer (music score)

1963

1 episode

 

Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone (1959)

The Twilight Zone

9.1

TV Series

Composer (music composed by)

1962

1 episode

 

Nick Adams in The Rebel (1959)

The Rebel

7.8

TV Series

Composer

1959–1960

2 episodes

 

Playhouse 90 (1956)

Playhouse 90

8.4

TV Series

Composer

1957–1958

2 episodes

 

One Way Ticket to Hell (1955)

One Way Ticket to Hell

4.0

Composer (as Robert Jackson Drasnin)

1955

 

Music Department

Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)

Gunsmoke: To the Last Man

7.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1992

 

Blood River (1991)

Blood River

5.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1991

 

Melissa Gilbert and Jack Scalia in Donor (1990)

Donor

5.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1990

 

Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston (1990)

Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston

5.9

TV Movie

music supervisor

1990

 

Sisters

7.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1990

 

James Arness and Joe Lara in Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)

Gunsmoke: The Last Apache

7.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1990

 

Miracle Landing (1990)

Miracle Landing

6.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1990

 

Money, Power, Murder. (1989)

Money, Power, Murder.

5.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Single Women Married Men (1989)

Single Women Married Men

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Night Walk (1989)

Night Walk

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Tim Matheson in The Littlest Victims (1989)

The Littlest Victims

6.0

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Dream Breakers (1989)

Dream Breakers

6.5

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Unconquered (1989)

Unconquered

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Terror on Highway 91 (1989)

Terror on Highway 91

5.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1989

 

Outback Bound (1988)

Outback Bound

5.7

TV Movie

music supervisor

1988

 

Season Hubley and Tom Wopat in Blue Skies (1988)

Blue Skies

7.1

TV Series

music supervisor

1988

1 episode

 

Who Gets the Friends? (1988)

Who Gets the Friends?

6.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1988

 

Hostage (1988)

Hostage

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1988

 

Barry Bostwick, Roy Campanella II, and Margot Kidder in Body of Evidence (1988)

Body of Evidence

5.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1988

 

Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)

Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge

6.9

TV Movie

music supervisor

1987

 

Deadly Deception (1987)

Deadly Deception

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1987

 

CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984)

CBS Schoolbreak Special

6.8

TV Series

music supervisor

1986–1987

2 episodes

 

Margaret Colin and Michael Pennington in The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

6.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1987

 

The Twilight Zone (1985)

The Twilight Zone

7.7

TV Series

music supervisor

conductor

1985–1986

23 episodes

 

Who Is Julia? (1986)

Who Is Julia?

6.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1986

 

Keanu Reeves in Under the Influence (1986)

Under the Influence

6.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1986

 

Kirstie Alley and Nicolas Surovy in Stark: Mirror Image (1986)

Stark: Mirror Image

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1986

 

Tom Berenger, Liam Neeson, David Keith, and Madolyn Smith Osborne in If Tomorrow Comes (1986)

If Tomorrow Comes

7.7

TV Mini Series

music supervisor

1986

3 episodes

 

Classified Love (1986)

Classified Love

6.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1986

 

Vital Signs (1986)

Vital Signs

6.7

TV Movie

music supervisor

1986

 

Picking Up the Pieces (1985)

Picking Up the Pieces

6.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

CBS Storybreak (1984)

CBS Storybreak

7.8

TV Series

music supervisor

1985

2 episodes

 

Judd Hirsch in Brotherly Love (1985)

Brotherly Love

6.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

Stark (1985)

Stark

5.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

Stormin' Home (1985)

Stormin' Home

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

First Steps (1985)

First Steps

7.0

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985)

My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1985

 

He's Fired, She's Hired (1984)

He's Fired, She's Hired

5.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

He's Not Your Son (1984)

He's Not Your Son

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

Threesome (1984)

Threesome

6.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

Getting Physical (1984)

Getting Physical

6.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

Calamity Jane (1984)

Calamity Jane

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

Last of the Great Survivors (1984)

Last of the Great Survivors

6.5

TV Movie

music supervisor

1984

 

Helen Hunt in Quarterback Princess (1983)

Quarterback Princess

6.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

Peter Weller, Ricky Schroder, and Lindsay Wagner in Two Kinds of Love (1983)

Two Kinds of Love

7.3

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

Melissa Sue Anderson in First Affair (1983)

First Affair

6.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

Running Out (1983)

Running Out

6.4

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

Tracey Gold and Tony Lo Bianco in Another Woman's Child (1983)

Another Woman's Child

6.0

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

Illusions (1983)

Illusions

6.2

TV Movie

music supervisor

1983

 

White Water Rebels (1983)

White Water Rebels

5.3

TV Movie

composer: additional music

music supervisor (uncredited)

1983

 

Country Gold (1982)

Country Gold

6.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Drop-Out Father (1982)

Drop-Out Father

7.1

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Maid in America (1982)

Maid in America

6.5

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

The Gift of Life (1982)

The Gift of Life

6.2

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (1982)

Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

6.7

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Muggable Mary, Street Cop (1982)

Muggable Mary, Street Cop

6.6

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Bonnie Bedelia and Rob Reiner in Million Dollar Infield (1982)

Million Dollar Infield

5.2

TV Movie

music supervisor

1982

 

Killing at Hell's Gate (1981)

Killing at Hell's Gate

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor

1981

 

The Violation of Sarah McDavid (1981)

The Violation of Sarah McDavid

5.8

TV Movie

music supervisor (as Bob Drasnin)

1981

 

Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, and Emma Samms in More Wild Wild West (1980)

More Wild Wild West

5.9

TV Movie

music supervisor

1980

 

Kam Fong, Al Harrington, Jack Lord, and James MacArthur in Hawaii Five-O (1968)

Hawaii Five-O

7.4

TV Series

music supervisor

1977

2 episodes

 

Jo Ann Harris, Shelly Novack, and Robert Stack in Most Wanted (1976)

Most Wanted

6.9

TV Series

composer: "The Ritual Killer" (uncredited)

1977

1 episode

 

Serpico (1976)

Serpico

6.8

TV Series

composer: stock music (uncredited)

1976–1977

7 episodes

 

Susan Howard, Barry Newman, and Albert Salmi in Petrocelli (1974)

Petrocelli

7.2

TV Series

conductor

1975

1 episode

 

Michael Douglas in When Michael Calls (1972)

When Michael Calls

6.0

TV Movie

composer: stock music (uncredited)

1972

 

Murder Once Removed (1971)

Murder Once Removed

6.1

TV Movie

conductor

1971

 

Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)

Mannix

7.4

TV Series

conductor

1971

1 episode

 

A Tattered Web (1971)

A Tattered Web

5.6

TV Movie

conductor

1971

 

Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)

Mission: Impossible

7.9

TV Series

conductor

1967–1970

6 episodes

 

Orson Welles, Bibi Andersson, George Sanders, Max von Sydow, Richard Boone, Nigel Green, Dean Jagger, Patrick O'Neal, and Barbara Parkins in The Kremlin Letter (1970)

The Kremlin Letter

6.2

conductor

1970

 

June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Jonathan Harris, Marta Kristen, Bill Mumy, and Guy Williams in Lost in Space (1965)

Lost in Space

7.2

TV Series

composer: stock music (uncredited)

1966–1968

4 episodes

 

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in The Wild Wild West (1965)

The Wild Wild West

8.1

TV Series

conductor

music conductor

1965–1966

4 episodes

 

Don Ameche, Susan Gordon, and Martha Hyer in Picture Mommy Dead (1966)

Picture Mommy Dead

5.3

conductor

1966

 

Jericho (1966)

Jericho

7.5

TV Series

composer: additional music (uncredited)

1966

1 episode

 

Death of a Salesman (1966)

Death of a Salesman

7.8

TV Movie

conductor

1966

 

The Great Adventure (1963)

The Great Adventure

8.6

TV Series

conductor

1963

1 episode

 

John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)

Wagon Train

7.5

TV Series

composer: additional music

1963

1 episode

 

Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone (1959)

The Twilight Zone

9.1

TV Series

composer: stock music

conductor

1961–1963

11 episodes

 

Clint Eastwood, Paul Brinegar, and Sheb Wooley in Rawhide (1959)

Rawhide

7.9

TV Series

music supervisor

1961

2 episodes

 

Mason Alan Dinehart, Ed Kemmer, and Jackie Loughery in The Hot Angel (1958)

The Hot Angel

5.6

conductor

1958

 

Stakeout on Dope Street (1958)

Stakeout on Dope Street

6.2

performer: music (as Bob Drasnin)

1958

 

Playhouse 90 (1956)

Playhouse 90

8.4

TV Series

music supervisor

1958

1 episode

 

One Way Ticket to Hell (1955)

One Way Ticket to Hell

4.0

conductor (as Robert Jackson Drasnin)

1955

 

Soundtrack

Tom Hanks in A Man Called Otto (2022)

A Man Called Otto

7.5

performer: "La Mer Azure"

writer: "La Mer Azure"

2022

 

Natalie Portman and Mehdi Taleghani in Lucy in the Sky (2019)

Lucy in the Sky

4.9

performer: "Chant of the Moon"

writer: "Chant of the Moon"

2019

 

Cinemania (2002)

Cinemania

7.1

Soundtrack ("Desiree", "Mirage", "Chant of the Moon", "Jardin de la Noche")

2002