PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USPS Media Relations: 202-268-2155
Mancini Family Contact: Stan Rosenfield 310-407-3444
USPS web site: www.usps.com
April 13, 2004
Stamp News Release: 04-023
POSTAL SERVICE ORCHESTRATES HENRY MANCINI'S ENCORE TO THE TUNE OF 80 MILLION STAMPS
LOS ANGELES - More than 1,500 children and other Henry Mancini fans attended a ceremony honoring the legendary composer with the dedication of a United States postage stamp and musical tributes. The celebration's finale rallied the crowd to a "stamping" ovation as the Pink Panther led the USC Marching Trojans through a path of pink paw prints as the band played the theme music of the film that made the feline famous."The name Mancini is synonymous with musical style, unforgettable scores, and technical perfection," said Postmaster General John E. Potter, who dedicated the stamp. "Henry Mancini set the standard - in film, television, and concert halls around the world. He was a genius at capturing the essence of a thought or an emotion and depicting it in a musical score that delighted and captivated his audiences."
Joining Potter at the Music Center/Performing Center Arts Center of Los Angeles County, was the Mancini family - his wife Ginny, children Chris, Felice and Monica; and former Astronaut and Senator John Glenn (D-Ohio).
"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.
The celebration's musical highlights included Monica Mancini opening the event by singing the Star Spangled Banner; world renowned musician and flutist Sir James Galway joining 100 flute players from 100 California schools in playing Mancini's "Pie in the Face Polka;" and the USC Marching Band playing Mancini's theme to "Peter Gunn," and "The Great Race March."
The 37-cent self-adhesive stamp, available at Los Angeles Post Offices today, and at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide tomorrow, 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. To see the stamp, locate the online version of this press release at www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/welcome.htm.
The Henry Mancini and other 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 is 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.
Mancini, who also was a popular pianist and concert conductor, left a legacy of memorable 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. His albums 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 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, CA, 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 the TV drama "Peter Gunn." His first 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, Mancini wrote complete scores for more than 70 films. 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 series.
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 Los Angeles-based Henry Mancini Institute (HMI). The nonprofit organization provides comprehensive professional training for emerging musicians, along with a range of community outreach programs. For further information, visit www.manciniinstitute.org.
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.