Songs From World War II
Veteran's Day 11th November 2007
Veteran's Day is observed on the 11th November in memory of the end of The Great War, World War I on that date in 1918. Of course we now use this day to remember all our brave men who then and since lost their lives in war.
While considering what we could add to RUSC this weekend, Joy and I came across some songs from World War II. Many of the songs of the time were songs of patriotism that brought the people together to uplift their spirit during that difficult period often fraught with sadness and loss.
Other songs, such as Der Fuehrer's Face sung by comedian Spike Jones were a pie in the face of the enemy. Der Fuehrer's Face was commissioned by Walt Disney for a wartime cartoon featuring Donald Duck. I have just watched it on YouTube and it is very funny. Once you have listened to the song added to RUSC over Veteran's weekend you could go to the following link and see the cartoon for yourself.
It is introduced by historian In time of war it’s typical, sometimes even useful to demonise your enemy. We still see this today whenever a dictator or despot comes to power anywhere in the world charicatures and jokes not always in the best of taste rise to the forefront because it is our way of relieving aggression. So it was in World War II. Some people feared Adolf Hitler others mocked him. The Disney staff came up with the idea for a cartoon to be titled Donald Duck in Nazi Land, giving the all-American duck a nightmare that he was living in a country run by Nazis. The title changed when a song written for the cartoon by Oliver Wallace became a run away hit in a now classic recording by Spike Jones. It then became essential to change the name of the cartoon to Der Fuehrer's Face. It's easy to see why the film was so popular; it's very funny reducing the serious tenets of Hitler's Nazism to slapstick absurdities. And it gave audiences a chance to think as Donald does about the freedoms they might have taken for granted. Der Furer's Face directed by Jack Kenny won the academy award as best animated short subject of 1943."
I will also be adding an appropriate Treasury Star Parade radio adaptation of a newspaper article which appeared in the Chicago Daily News of January 8th, 1942 and was reprinted in the April issue of Readers Digest in 1942 and was a short article by Howard Vincent O’Brien on the reflections of a father as his son leaves for the army. It is very poignant and touching.
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to two episodes of Bill Stern's Sports Newsreel in which Commentator and war news reporter H.V. Kaltenborn pinch-hits for Bill Stern and reports on the situation on the war with Japan and other war related news. If you click on the link you can read more about H.V. Kaltenborn and his radio career and also hear a snippet of Mr Kaltenborn's news broadcast of August 14th, 1945 in which he announces the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II.
Happy listening my friends,
