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. $14.45, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2011.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. Disc(s) and case show moderate signs of wear and tear. If applicable, digital code may not included. May be missing liner notes/booklet. If applicable, cardboard slipcover may not be included. The case has minor damage.
Add this copy of Stars & Stripes Forever to cart. $14.95, very good condition, Sold by CBExchange rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fontana, CA, UNITED STATES.
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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