If you've watched Warner Bros cartoons you know his music, but you might not know Raymond Scott's name. Fewer still know his amazing life story. "Deconstructing Dad," a terrific documentary by his son Stan Warnow, tells the fascinating life story of the composer, inventor, and electronic music pioneer.
This multiple award-winning documentary features personal home movies, long lost audio recordings, Kinetoscopes of early TV broadcasts, and family photos to give a very inside look at Scott's life and music. Interviews with composer John Williams (whose father actually played drums in Scott's early quintet! Is that the inspiration for the Star Wars Cantina song?), DEVO founder Mark Mothersbaugh, DJ Spooky, and more. Besides writing iconic tunes like "Powerhouse" and "The Toy Trumpet," Scott created some of the very first synthesizers and sequencers.
Not on streaming platforms, but if you get the DVD you'll also get the interesting deleted and alternate scenes and filmmaker biography.