For those who don't know, Paul Alter is the retired director who has great stories from the infancy of television and has called the shots for a slew of Goodson shows. His piano playing was a staple of the annual GT Christmas parties, and he is remembered fondly by Goodson staffers and former crew members. My memories of his creative camera shots using the mirrors on cars and curio cabinets only increased my disappointment over his controversial retirement from TPiR.
Paul wrote the theme to TTTT ("It's a lie, lie - you're telling a lie. I never know why... you don't know how to tell the truth...") while he composed a bunch of other songs over the years, mostly for his own amusement. Paul's wife Lorrie (Pat Boone refers to her as Lolly) recently pulled 14 Christmas songs Paul wrote from a drawer in their home. The songs with titles like "Is It Really Christmas?," "If I Never Hear Another Song About Christmas," and "Let's Put Christ Back Into Christmas." ultimately found their way to Pat Boone who has recorded them (and a handful from other composers) for a
new CD.
And in the tradition of the composers and publishers of the world's most beloved Christmas songs, such as Irving Berlin, Mel Torme, and E.B. Marks, Paul is Jewish. Mazel Tov, Paul!
Randy
tvrandywest.com
