SONG: Do Not Forsake Me [The Ballad of High Noon]

WHAT: The haunting, Academy Award Winner for Best Music, Original Song, as well as Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedic Picture for 1952, Do Not Forsake Me is the theme from HIGH NOON. It is sung by Tex Ritter, father of the late comedian John Ritter, and was written by Dimitri Tiomkin (music) and Ned Washington (lyrics).

WHY: This is an unforgettable, haunting song - and possibly the start of the movie "theme song" (see article link below). As much as I wrote that Back To The Future was a great old friend from 1985 because it was a complete movie experience, this ballad perfectly suits the tone of a lone man sacrificing himself for the good of the community.

The film is simple: "A retiring lawman about to leave town with his new bride seeks allies among the fearful townspeople when an outlaw he put in prison returns with his gang to take revenge in this classic western (IMDB)." The lyrics of Do Not Forsake Me say it all:

Do not forsake me O my darlin'
You made that promise when we wed.
Do not forsake me O my darlin'
Although you're grievin', I can't be leavin'
Until I shoot Frank Miller dead.

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/28/ballad_of_high_noon.html

Song on iTunes: Do Not Forsake Me - Tex Ritter - iTunes

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