SYD KRONISH | Stamps Conducting a tribute to Mancini

The sound of music will be in the air next year when the U.S. Postal Service will issue a commemorative stamp honoring Henry Mancini, renowned composer and conductor of television and film productions.
From the 1950s to the early 1990s, Mancini wrote complete scores for more than 70 films. In 1958 he wrote the musical score for "Peter Gunn," a TV drama produced and directed by Blake Edwards. His first record album, "The Music From Peter Gunn" sold more than a million copies. It won two Grammys and made Mancini a recording star.
Mancini collaborated with Edwards on such films as "Breakfast at Tiffanys" (1961), "The Pink Panther" (1964), "The Great Race" (1965) and "Ten" (1979). He also worked with other directors on the motion pictures "Charade" (1963) and "Wait Until Dark" (1967).
The new stamp features a painting by artist Victor Stabin depicting Mancini conducting. The titles of some of his most popular films and TV projects are on a scroll in the background. In the lower left is a drawing of the famous Pink Panther.
Postmaster General John E. Potter said, "Henry Mancinis influence on the music industry has never been stronger, and this stamp is a special way to pay tribute to his enduring genius."
Mancini died June 14, 1994. Each year, in his honor, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers presents the Henry Mancini Award to a person following in his musical footsteps.
Smithsonian exhibit
If you're traveling to Washington, D.C., soon, don't miss the U.S. Postal Service and the Smithsonians National Postal Museums "Art of the Stamp" exhibit in conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebration of the National Postal Museum. Images of 100 original works of art that served as models for some of the nations most popular stamps are on display.
Covering more than 40 years of stamp history -- from 1960 through 2003 -- this exhibit showcases the evolutionary process of American stamps and pays tribute to the artists and designers whose diverse images were chosen to reflect our nation on stamps.
Among the art work from more than 50 artists and designers, two rarely shown works by Norman Rockwell, "The Boy Scout" and "City Mail Delivery," are on display.
The address of the National Postal Museum is 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C.