Posted Friday August 27, 2010 - 11:45pm

By Brenton Garen, Beverly Hills Courier

Legendary composer/conductor John Williams led the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl Friday and Saturday nights, taking a packed Bowl audience through highlights from the Golden Age of Hollywood to contemporary hits such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

At 8:30 p.m. Friday, the lights dimmed and the orchestra began playing Hooray for Hollywood which set the scene for the two night's entertainment - a showcase of classic film clips on large screens to the sound of live music.

"When we see film clips, I think it reminds older viewers, as well as educate younger viewers, of the precious legacies of old films," Williams said.

The first half of the evening included scores from Sunset Boulevard, Spartacus and North by Northwest.

Then followed a tribute to Audrey Hepburn with various film clips while the orchestra played.

"She was a creature that descended from heaven, lived briefly, then return back to heaven," Williams said before the tribute.

After intermission, Williams walked back on stage and without introducing the next piece - started conducting the theme song to Jaws - much to the crowd's delight.

"It's brilliant," a woman summed up in a nearby seat.

Williams said this year marked the 35th anniversary since Jaws hit the silver screen.

He gave an insight into the experience of working with director Steven Spielberg on Jaws before talking about the music in the barrel chase scene.

"It starts off soft, it ends soft, but there is tremendous tension in the middle of the scene," he said.

The second half of the evening included music from hits such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

Hundreds of blue, green and red light sabers lit up the Bowl as fans showed their appreciation for the six scores Williams composed for all six Star Wars films.

Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than 100 films.

His 35-year artistic partnership with Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, Munich, Hook, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Empire of the Sun.

Williams composed the scores for the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone, Nixon, The Patriot, Angela’s Ashes, Seven Years in Tibet, The Witches of Eastwick, Rosewood, Sleepers, Sabrina, Presumed Innocent, The Cowboys, The Reivers, and Goodbye and Mr. Chips among many others.

- bgaren@bhcourier.com