| Army Band & Chorus | ||
|---|---|---|
| This clip is not available for streaming at this time. Please contact WPA. | Tape Master: | |
| Catalog #: | 437018 | |
| Clip Number: | 437018-1 | |
| Orginal Film: | WPA 820 | |
| Timecode: | ||
| Location: | Various | |
| Year Shot: | ||
| Audio: | Yes | |
| Color: | Yes | |
| Headings: | ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC: Military | |
| Description: | ON PREVIEW CASSETTE # 210132 A film of the United States Army Field Band and Soldier's Chorus performing at the Sheraton Hotel in Washington, DC, occasionally intercut with horribly stilted scenes of budding romance between young service men and doe-eyed femmes. Tight LS of band and chorus packed tightly onto stage, Major HAROLD J. GIBSON conducting. They perform AMERICA (MY COUNTRY THIS OF THEE) with an overly patriotic speech read by a curiously absent soldier. They then perform OVER HILL, OVER DALE. MS's of conductor, singers, musicians..... Soldier's Chorus sings VIVE L'AMOUR: cut to MS's & CU's uniformed service personnel (quite a few Marines) leading smiley young women into a beer hall of sorts, where they join a crowd of like-minded folks; they chat, smile, laugh, drink Schlitz beer from long thin glasses; this gets very peculiar, for after a while the happy group breaks into miserable couples (the incompatability of some couples is so astoundingly obvious it makes the viewer very uncomfortable)..... the band plays THEME FROM GEORGIE GIRL: MS's man playing marimba, diss to MS of a young blond woman walking from camera along a busy city street; C/A's of dirty old men giving her dirty old man looks as she passes; MS's uniformed Marine pacing outside building, looking at clock, waiting for girl; they meet, walk to a bar; MS's & CU's couple smoking and drinking in a dank tavern; they leave, go to yet another bar; MS's couple walking hand in hand on street; they kiss, go their own ways; diss back to field band..... chorus sings DIXIE..... band plays THE COLONEL BOOGIE..... chorus sings YOU, YOU LIVE IN MY HEART..... chorus sings LOCH LOMAN: MS's & CU's of a uniformed Army soldier and his girlfriend walking in a park; they sit at a park bench overlooking a summery lake (tres romantique, non?); tLS ducks skimming water; MS couple getting up, walking hand in hand towards cam...... watered-down Latin groove time as the field band plays TICO, TICO: vibraphone and marimba players step to front of group, accompanied by four very dorky men playing maracas, clave and shakers; great panning MS of the four goofy lookin' guys, though sadly no shots of the other percussionists..... band plays GYMNASTICS IN RHYTHM: the drum section comes to the fore in this not-very musical solo piece; MS's of the corps occasionally playing snare drums, but mostly engaging in silly stick tricks (flipping, switching, tossing, tapping fellow members' epaulets, twirling, tossing, etc); a pacifier for those who can't live without their Blue Man..... band and chorus plays THE STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER: CU American flag waving; MS's military band and uniformed Marine Corps w/ bayonets and rifles march in parade; MS's balloon vendor; CU two boys eating ice cream; MS Schlitz Circus Parade float; MS's Clydesdales pulling coaches, one with two adult tigers pacing inside it; MS elephants on parade, trunk to tail; MS's ethnic marching bands (Scottish, British, Spanish, etc); fife and drum group; MS float with "Betsy Ross" sewing flag atop it; nighttime fireworks display; cut back to studio, band and chorus performing. | |
WPA FILM LIBRARY
