Indian Summer

Abstract

This chapter depicts Steiner at the apex of his powers, just before the collapse of the Hollywood studio system. Between 1947 and 1948 Steiner composed several brilliant scores and at least three of his finest: for John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Jean Negulesco’s Johnny Belinda (which earned Jane Wyman a Best Actress Oscar), and Adventures of Don Juan, starring Errol Flynn in his last big-budget swashbuckler. Don Juan demonstrates the transformative power of film music: during production, the alcoholic Flynn could barely stand. But Steiner’s exuberant, lyrical, and witty score convinced audiences that Flynn remained a larger-than-life hero. In 1947, Steiner married Lee Blair, who would remain a devoted companion to the end of Max’s life. Steiner also lavished son Ronald with expensive gifts—giving the boy everything except what he wanted most: time with his father.