PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations 202-268-2155
March 15, 2004
www.usps.com
Stamp News Release Number: 04-018
HENRY MANCINI STAMP TO BE ISSUED APRIL 13 IN LOS ANGELES
WASHINGTON - One of the most successful music composers in the history of television and film returns to center stage next month when the U.S. Postal Service orchestrates a "stamping ovation" to the tune of 80 million commemorative stamps that immortalize the achievements of Henry Mancini."The name Mancini is synonymous with musical style, unforgettable scores, and technical perfection," said Postmaster General John E. Potter. "Henry Mancini set the standard -- in film, television, and concert halls around the world. That's why we're so proud to communicate his many accomplishments through this stamp."
The stamp features a painting by artist Victor Stabin showing Mancini conducting as the titles of some of his most popular film and television projects appear to scroll over a screen behind him. The Pink Panther in the lower left corner is a further reminder of one of Mancini's popular works.
Potter will officiate the 11 a.m. PT April 13 first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony at Los Angeles' Music Center Plaza. Scheduled to join Potter are Henry Mancini's wife, Ginny; his daughter Monica; Chairman of the U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors S. David Fineman, and former U.S. Senator John Glenn (D-Ohio). The free event, open to the public, also includes performances of Mancini's work by world renowned musician and flutist Sir James Galway and 100 flute players, and the University of Southern California Marching Trojan Band accompanied by none other than the Pink Panther.
The Henry Mancini stamp will be available at the event and at Los Angeles Post Offices April 13, and available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide April 14.
"Placing his image on a commemorative postage stamp will serve as a lasting tribute, just as his music is a lasting gift to the world," said Ginny Mancini.
Mancini, who also was recognized as a popular pianist and concert conductor, left a rich legacy of catchy TV themes, hit songs and unforgettable film scores, such as "Peter Gunn," "Moon River" and "The Pink Panther." He won many awards, including 20 Grammys and four Oscars, and his albums have sold more than 30 million copies.
Henry Mancini was born in 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, and named Enrico by his Italian immigrant parents. In the late 1920s, the Mancinis moved to Pennsylvania when Henry's father found work at a steel mill in the Pittsburgh area. Henry learned to play the piccolo from his father, took formal flute and piano lessons, and began writing music arrangements on his own. The fall before his 18th birthday he entered New York's Juilliard School of Music on a scholarship.
At 18, Mancini was drafted into the Army Air Corps and assigned to a military band led by Norman Leyden. After World War II, Mancini went back to New York, where Leyden, then chief arranger for the reorganized Glenn Miller Orchestra (Miller had died in the war), recommended him for a job. The orchestra's new leader, Tex Beneke, hired him as a pianist. In 1947, Mancini married Ginny O'Connor, a singer with the band, and moved to Burbank, Calif., where he found various jobs performing, composing and arranging music.
In 1952 Mancini wrote music for "Lost in Alaska," an Abbott and Costello film, which led to more work, including arrangements for "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954). One of his earliest complete scores was written in 1957 for "Man Afraid." The next year he scored Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and wrote music for "Peter Gunn," a TV drama produced and directed by Blake Edwards. Mancini's first record album, "The Music from Peter Gunn," sold more than a million copies, a first for a jazz album. It also won two Grammys - Best Arrangement and Album of the Year - and made Mancini a recording star.
From the 1950s to the early 1990s, Henry Mancini wrote complete scores for more than 70 films, many of which showed how expressive the jazz form could be. He collaborated with Blake Edwards on several movies, notably "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961), "The Pink Panther" (1964), "The Great Race" (1965) and "10" (1979). With other directors, he worked on various films including "Charade" (1963) and "Wait Until Dark" (1967). Mancini also wrote themes for "Mr. Lucky," "Newhart," "Remington Steele," "Hotel" and other TV shows.
Mancini died in 1994. Each year, in his honor, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers presents the Henry Mancini Award to someone following in his footsteps - another talented individual who has made outstanding achievements and contributions to the music of film and television.
Mancini's legacy also continues through the work of the Henry Mancini Institute (HMI). Based in Los Angeles, this nonprofit organization was established in 1997 by the late composer/arranger Jack Elliott to honor Mancini and nurture the future of music. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Patrick Williams, the HMI provides comprehensive professional training for emerging musicians, along with a range of community outreach programs. For further information, visit www.manciniinstitute.org.
Eighty million Henry Mancini self-adhesive 37-cent stamps have been printed. To see the Mancini stamp, locate the online version of this press release at www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/welcome.htm.
Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog are available by toll-free telephone order at 1 800 STAMP-24. A wide selection of stamps and other philatelic items are also available at the Postal Store, www.usps.com/shop, and www.postalartgallery.com offers beautifully framed prints of original stamp art for delivery straight to the home or office.
Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency, the Postal Service makes deliveries to about 141 million addresses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $68 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mail and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. Moreover, today's postage rates will remain stable until at least 2006. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 43 percent of the world's mail volume -- some 202 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year -- and serves seven million customers each day at its 38,000 retail locations nationwide.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Henry Mancini
Item Number: 455800
Denomination
& Type of Issue: 37-cent Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: April 13, 2004, Los Angeles, CA 90052
Designer: Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
Engraver: Armotek Industries
Artist: Victor Stabin, Jim Thorpe, PA
Art Director: Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
Typographer: Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: Sennett Security Products (SSP)
Printed at: American Packaging Corporation, Columbus, WI
Press Type: Rotomec 4
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 80 million stamps
Paper Type: Prephosphored, Type I
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Unique Binders, Fredericksburg, VA
Colors: Pink, Magenta, Cyan, Black, PMS 430 (Gray)
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.41 x 0.84 in./35.81 x 21.33 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.99 in./39.21 x 25.14 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.25 x 5.94 in./184.15 x 150.87 mm
Plate Size: 360 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "S" followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings: 2003 USPS " Price " Plate numbers in four corners " Plate position diagram " Four bar codes on back of pane
Catalog Item Number(s): 455820 Block of 4 - $1.48
455830 Block of 10 - $3.70
455840 Full Pane of 20 - $7.40
455861 First Day Cover - $0.75
455891 Ceremony Keepsake - $13.35
455893 Full Pane w/FDC - $8.15
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 30 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, by telephone at 1 800-STAMP-24 and at the Postal Store Web site at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
HENRY MANCINI COMMEMORATIVE STAMP
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
US POSTAL SERVICE
7001 S CENTRAL AVE RM 338
LOS ANGELES CA 90052-9996
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by May 12, 2004.
How to Order the First-Day Covers
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by telephoning 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014
First day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamp's issuance.