Stars and Stripes Forever is the highly fanciful filmed biography of "march king" John Philip Sousa. Clifton Webb does a fine job as Sousa, while Ruth Hussey is equally good in the less-demanding role of Sousa's wife. The problem faced by screenwriter Lamar Trotti (who adapted the film from Sousa's autobiography Marching Along) was that, outside of Sousa's early travails in organizing his own band after leaving the Marine Corps, there just wasn't much drama in the great composer's life. Thus, a secondary (and wholly ...
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Stars and Stripes Forever is the highly fanciful filmed biography of "march king" John Philip Sousa. Clifton Webb does a fine job as Sousa, while Ruth Hussey is equally good in the less-demanding role of Sousa's wife. The problem faced by screenwriter Lamar Trotti (who adapted the film from Sousa's autobiography Marching Along) was that, outside of Sousa's early travails in organizing his own band after leaving the Marine Corps, there just wasn't much drama in the great composer's life. Thus, a secondary (and wholly fictional) romance involving young musician Willie (Robert Wagner) and ex-chorus girl Lily (Debra Paget) is given special emphasis. Willie invents the Sousaphone on behalf of his mentor, and upon returning from the Spanish American War minus one of his legs, Willie makes an inspirational solo appearance with the Sousa band. The best scenes include Sousa's ongoing efforts to break free from the "march king" onus and write romantic ballads, and Lily's high-kicking rendition of the music-hall ballad "Father's Got 'Em." When first telecast on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies in 1962, Stars and Stripes Forever was accompanied by a short newsreel clip of the real John Philip Sousa in action. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Stars & Stripes Forever [Blu-Ray + Dvd] to cart. $32.99, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2011.
Add this copy of Stars & Stripes Forever [Blu-Ray + Dvd] to cart. $33.99, good condition, Sold by Idaho Youth Ranch Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Boise, ID, UNITED STATES, published 2011.
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Seller's Description:
Good. CD/DVD is in good conidtion, but is untested. Lliner notes are included, where applicable, jewel case is not cracked. Shopping with us changes lives. Idaho Youth Ranch sales support therapeutic programs for youth that have been traumatized, victimized, abused, or are homeless. Thank you for your support!
This romanticized version of Mr. Sousa's
stellar career is just good fuzzy fun. A
serious biography/history has been recently
published by a scholar from Illinois--this
movie, on the other hand, is filled with music
and some clue of life in the USA 1890-1920.
A true musical pioneer, Sousa is aptly
portrayed by Clifton Webb--anyone over 50
will recognize plenty of future TV stars as
well as a couple of movie superstars. But
you'll need to go to imdb.com to confirm
ID's--the acting credits are very sparse.
Excellent quality picture AND sound--worth
your money and your time.
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