Stars and Stripes Forever (film)
Encyclopedia
Stars and Stripes Forever is a 1952 American biographical film
about late 19th/early 20th Century composer John Philip Sousa
, played by Clifton Webb
. Sousa is best known for his military marches, of which The Stars and Stripes Forever is the best known.
), a musician who joins the U.S. Marine Band under Sousa (Clifton Webb
), and Lily Becker (Debra Paget
), an aspiring concert singer. In the film, Willie is credited with designing the Sousaphone
and naming it after his mentor, while in real life, Sousa himself designed the instrument. The film follows Sousa from his days as head of the Marine Band to his leaving the Marine Corps to form his own band in 1892 (taking Willie and Lily with him) and the ups and downs of his band. A mention in the book that Sousa discouraged the married men in the band from bringing their wives on tour is expanded into a subplot where Willie and Lily elope and keep the marriage a secret to continue touring together. An episode is included where Sousa's Band plays at the Atlanta, Georgia
Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)
, despite the sponsors' attempt to renege on their contract, the Civil War only over 30 years. The Colonel coordinating the exposition is concerned about a "Yankee
" band; Sousa proceeds to tell of his selections with Dixie
played after each piece. The crowd cheers each time for Dixie. This stays relatively close to fact.
The inspiration for the title march is depicted with a voiceover of Webb quoting Sousa's actual description of the event while at sea; however, the sea voyage in real life was due to Sousa and his wife rushing back to the U.S. from a vacation in Europe upon the sudden death of his manager, while in the film he takes the voyage to recover from illness contracted while attempting to resume military service during the Spanish-American War
of 1898. Sousa then produces his operetta
El Capitan
with Lily as one of the castmembers, while Willie reenlists in the Marines but serves as an infantryman rather than as a musician. Willie loses a leg in a friendly fire
incident in Cuba
, but while recovering at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Hospital, he is called upon to rejoin Sousa's band in a surprise concert, where the band plays the title march in public for the first time. (In real life, the march was first played publicly at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on May 14, 1897, much earlier than depicted.)
incident, you can hear two rarely heard lyrics: one to "El Capitan", the march, and a lovely ballad.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
about late 19th/early 20th Century composer John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
, played by Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
. Sousa is best known for his military marches, of which The Stars and Stripes Forever is the best known.
Plot
While loosely based on Sousa's autobiography Marching Along, the film takes considerable liberties and dramatic license, often expanding and extrapolating on themes and passages in the book. Much of the film is devoted to a romance between fictional characters Willie Little (Robert WagnerRobert Wagner
Robert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
), a musician who joins the U.S. Marine Band under Sousa (Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
), and Lily Becker (Debra Paget
Debra Paget
Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado...
), an aspiring concert singer. In the film, Willie is credited with designing the Sousaphone
Sousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
and naming it after his mentor, while in real life, Sousa himself designed the instrument. The film follows Sousa from his days as head of the Marine Band to his leaving the Marine Corps to form his own band in 1892 (taking Willie and Lily with him) and the ups and downs of his band. A mention in the book that Sousa discouraged the married men in the band from bringing their wives on tour is expanded into a subplot where Willie and Lily elope and keep the marriage a secret to continue touring together. An episode is included where Sousa's Band plays at the Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)
Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)
The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition was held at the current Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. It is most remembered for the speech given by Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895....
, despite the sponsors' attempt to renege on their contract, the Civil War only over 30 years. The Colonel coordinating the exposition is concerned about a "Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
" band; Sousa proceeds to tell of his selections with Dixie
Dixie
Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States.- Origin of the name :According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of this nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles , by Mitford M...
played after each piece. The crowd cheers each time for Dixie. This stays relatively close to fact.
The inspiration for the title march is depicted with a voiceover of Webb quoting Sousa's actual description of the event while at sea; however, the sea voyage in real life was due to Sousa and his wife rushing back to the U.S. from a vacation in Europe upon the sudden death of his manager, while in the film he takes the voyage to recover from illness contracted while attempting to resume military service during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
of 1898. Sousa then produces his operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
El Capitan
El Capitan (operetta)
El Capitan is an operetta in three acts by John Philip Sousa and has a libretto by Charles Klein . The piece was Sousa's first successful operetta and his most successful stage work....
with Lily as one of the castmembers, while Willie reenlists in the Marines but serves as an infantryman rather than as a musician. Willie loses a leg in a friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
incident in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, but while recovering at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
Hospital, he is called upon to rejoin Sousa's band in a surprise concert, where the band plays the title march in public for the first time. (In real life, the march was first played publicly at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on May 14, 1897, much earlier than depicted.)
Trivia
Listen carefully during the scene backstage while rehearsing "El Capitan"; while Sousa reads of the friendly fireincident, you can hear two rarely heard lyrics: one to "El Capitan", the march, and a lovely ballad.
Cast
- Clifton WebbClifton WebbClifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
as John Philip Sousa - Debra PagetDebra PagetDebra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado...
as Lily Becker - Robert WagnerRobert WagnerRobert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
as Willie Little - Ruth HusseyRuth HusseyRuth Carol Hussey was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story.-Early life:...
as Jennie Sousa - Finlay CurrieFinlay CurrieFinlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
as Col. Randolph - Roy RobertsRoy RobertsRoy Roberts was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen.-Biography:...
as Maj. Houston - Thomas Browne Henry as David Blakely (as Tom Browne Henry)
- Casey Adams as Narrator (uncredited)