Jazz For The Screen ★ Earle Hagen

Earle Hagen 

The New Interns

Following up on our previous post featuring the soundtrack to The Interns, it is only fitting to turn our attention to its direct 1964 continuation, The New Interns.

This film revisits the high-stakes, ensemble medical drama format within the halls of the fictional New North Hospital. Rather than a standard linear sequel, it acts as a thematic extension of the original—exploring the intense training year of a fresh cohort of residents as they navigate medical emergencies alongside complex personal lives. The film also maintains a direct bridge to the 1962 installment by bringing back key figures, most notably Michael Callan reprising his role, to seamlessly connect both generations of interns.

About the music:

Released in 1964 by Colpix Records (CP-473), the original soundtrack album for The New Interns stands as a fascinating testament to the intersection between Hollywood cinematic melodrama and the instrumental refinement of Los Angeles recording studios of the era. 

To musically frame this web of urban drama and youth dances, the production turned to the baton of Earle Hagen, one of the defining figures in shaping music for mid-century American film and television. Formed during the Golden Age of Swing as a trombonist and arranger for big bands, as well as the composer of the classic jazz standard "Harlem Nocturne", Hagen was already defining the sound of American television. His signature mark lay in an exceptional ability to blend dramatic classical orchestration with incisive horn sections rooted in West Coast Jazz and emerging urban rhythms.

Although the commercial LP sleeve credits the music broadly to Earle Hagen and His Orchestra, the reality behind the microphones at Columbia Pictures in all likelihood involved the most coveted collective of session musicians in Los Angeles: The Wrecking Crew. Following standard recording practices coordinated by the AFM Local 47, Hagen likely recruited members of the West Coast's instrumental elite for these sessions. While uncredited on the album jacket, the lineup—based on the customary session workflows of the era—most likely included the driving drums of Hal Blaine, the bass work of Carol Kaye or Lyle Ritz, the refined guitar lines of Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco, the keyboards of Leon Russell, and the solo saxophone presence of Plas Johnson.

The result is an orchestral and cool jazz suite that transitions seamlessly between high-tension narrative passages and rhythmic cues tailored to 1964 youth culture, such as the twist and the watusi. It remains a record that transcends mere incidental film music to stand as a vital document of Hollywood's studio golden era.

About the film:

John Rich's drama sequel in which young doctors (Michael Callan and Dean Jones) confuse love with their jobs in a huge-city hospital. With Telly Savalas, Stefanie Powers and Barbara Eden.

The story concerns playboy Alec Considine (Michael Callan) who goes back to New North Hospital for another year's internship after experiencing a mental breakdown throughout his first effort at internship.

Among the fresh interns he guides around the hospital are the unpredictable Tony Parelli (George Segal), a previous slum boy who finds himself disagreeing with Dr. Riccio (Telly Savalas); and Phil Osterman, who traffics his bride into the intern's quarters to live.

Tony falls for Nancy Terman (Inger Stevens), a social worker who goes to pieces after something awful happens to her by delinquents whom Tony knew from the slums. 

Newly wedded resident Dr. Lew Worship (Dean Jones) discovers that he is sterile, and the news almost destroys his marriage, but he and his wife, Gloria (Stefanie Powers), solve their solution by choosing to adopt kids.

Michael Callan and Stefanie Powers both give good performances reprising their respective parts from the first film, while Dean Jones as Gloria’s husband, and George Segal as the crazy character are both decent.

George won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Male Newcomer. 

Elsewhere, Telly Savalas as the head of the hospital, Inger Stevens as the social employee and Barbara Eden as Nurse Laura Rogers are all respectable. 

The direction from Rich is good because he allows a mixed atmosphere throughout, while also keeping a mainly light tone happening as well and the script is written to a decent standard by the director and Wilton Schiller as he makes the movie good to follow.

The camera stands out best in terms of the technical aspects, because it makes good use of the locations and also captures the tense and occasional funny moments well, which get the edge-of-the-seat status.

Overall, it is not outstanding, but this sequel is a fine medical drama, due to the good performances, direction, script, mixed atmosphere, mainly light tone, tense moments and some humour.  *Luke Thorne (from letterboxd.com)*

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Only rarely does the sequel to a film surpass the appeal, excitement and quality of the original. "The NEW Interns" is one of those rare instances in motion picture history. "The Interns" was one of the most popular films in 1962. "The NEW Interns" is even bigger, bolder and more exciting with more comedy, realism and suspense.

The characters from Richard Frede's novel come alive again in producer Robert Cohn's excellent, new Columbia Pictures' release. Besides a star-studded cast, "The NEW Interns" boasts an excellent musical score by Earle Hagen that sets the scene for every entertaining sequence.

Here is all the vivid and stirring music from the original sound track packed into an LP that will rank as one of your favorite and most-played albums. *(from the original liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Main Title

2 - A Matter Of Time

3 - Nancy's Theme

4 - A Slight Case Of Rape

5 - Considine And Laura

6 - Split

7 - Needle Stickin' Blues

8 - Turnakit

Side 2

9 - Tibia Buster

10 - Sutura Self

11 - New Interns Watusi

12 - Freddy

13 - Goodbye To Nancy

14 - It's All Over For Now

15 - End Title

(All compositions by Earle Hagen)

Earle Hagen (leader, arranger, conductor)

Personnel unidentified.

Probably:

Studio Orchestra with The Wrecking Crew

Recorded at Columbia Pictures Studios, Hollywood, California, spring 1964.