# Victory at Sea



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Is anybody here old enough to have watched this series on TV in 1952-53? Listening to the music now. It's credited to Richard Rodgers, but most is really by Robert Russell Bennett. A wonderful tribute to the soldiers and saiors who fought in the Pacific and a lot of fun (musically that is).

Morton Gould is a pale imitation.


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## OldListener (Jan 26, 2013)

Yes. Great series about a great accomplishment.


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## BlazeGlory (Jan 16, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Is anybody here old enough to have watched this series on TV in 1952-53? Listening to the music now. It's credited to Richard Rodgers, but most is really by Robert Russell Bennett. A wonderful tribute to the soldiers and saiors who fought in the Pacific and a lot of fun (musically that is).
> 
> Morton Gould is a pale imitation.


Gee! Thanks a lot for reminding me of this great music, KenOC. Now I feel a strange desire to dig out my 33 1/3 rpm album, hook my turntable up and start listening to it.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Robert Russell Bennett*

Richard Rodgers contributed some basic themes, but those who worked on the series attribute its eleven-and-a-half hours worth of music principally to Robert Russell Bennett.

See: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Russell_Bennett

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_at_Sea

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000023/default.html


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

I vaguely remember the music, but I do recall watching this on TV with my father in the early 60's as a young boy - he' now 90. Such long departed, distant days...


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## FLighT (Mar 7, 2013)

I remember it very well being an early boomer. My father joined the USN December 8, 1941 and then spent 4 years in the Pacific in the lower decks of an LST as a radioman. When he got back he went to work at Philco repairing TV's so we always had one in the home. During reruns in the mid 50's he would tell me about things that weren't being shown and talked about as we watched the shows together.

"The Song of the High Seas" and "Under the Southern Cross" are never far from my thoughts.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I don't go back that far, but I remember seeing a few episodes in reruns. You are correct in saying that Bennett did most of the work. Rodgers kept "tune books" (a la Gershwin) and I have the impression that these were just lead sheet melodies -- a tune and some indication of the harmony. Bennett filled in all the voice leading, orchestration, etc. Quite a job.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I've never seen the show but I enjoy the music quite a bit! I was driven to listen after my obsession with Richard Rodgers formed a couple years ago. I was blown away by a South Pacific performance I saw live, which also happened to have been originally orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. Very talented man obviously!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Dustin said:


> I've never seen the show but I enjoy the music quite a bit! I was driven to listen after my obsession with Richard Rodgers formed a couple years ago. I was blown away by a South Pacific performance I saw live, which also happened to have been originally orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. Very talented man obviously!


I don't know how many times I've seen South Pacific. Glorious music and a terrific show!


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

hpowders said:


> I don't know how many times I've seen South Pacific. Glorious music and a terrific show!


Agreed! Not long after seeing South Pacific, I also saw Wicked and while standing in line, I got into a conversation with some Wicked enthusiasts. I told them I had really enjoyed South Pacific and they literally laughed at me as if I was some naive rook and told me Wicked was a thousand times better. Needless to say, Wicked was not better and I felt like I wasted my money.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Dustin said:


> Agreed! Not long after seeing South Pacific, I also saw Wicked and while standing in line, I got into a conversation with some Wicked enthusiasts. I told them I had really enjoyed South Pacific and they literally laughed at me as if I was some naive rook and told me Wicked was a thousand times better. Needless to say, Wicked was not better and I felt like I wasted my money.


Sorry I wasn't around to see the original Broadway production with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

hpowders said:


> I don't know how many times I've seen South Pacific. Glorious music and a terrific show!


I like the Hollywood version especially because of the added orchestrations and finessing choral treatments of Alfred Newman.

"Baleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. ." Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Yeah, I like it too and I'm due to rent it again soon, but once you've heard Pinza in the original cast recording.....


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Yeah, I like it too and I'm due to rent it again soon, but once you've heard Pinza in the original cast recording.....


Sure. Sure. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . . given.

The caressing treatment of Newman's just so wonderful to me though.

-- Incidentally, get the Blu-ray of it. It looks great.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

hpowders said:


> Sorry I wasn't around to see the original Broadway production with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza.


Just pulled this up on Spotify. All I can say is wow! I've always listened to the studio recording of the revival from a few years ago with Kelli O'Hara. While I still think that one is top-notch, I'll add this one to the listening rotation too.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Dustin said:


> Just pulled this up on Spotify. All I can say is wow! I've always listened to the studio recording of the revival from a few years ago with Kelli O'Hara. While I still think that one is top-notch, I'll add this one to the listening rotation too.


I have the Kelli O'Hara. Saw her do it live a couple of years ago in the touring production. She's very good!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Sure. Sure. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . . given.
> 
> The caressing treatment of Newman's just so wonderful to me though.
> 
> -- Incidentally, get the Blu-ray of it. It looks great.


Yeah. Thanks. Now all I have to do is brainwash my DVD player into thinking it's Blue-ray!! :lol:


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## SARDiver (Jan 6, 2014)

I own the DVD set of VaS, and my father and I watched them regularly together in the 1980s (my adolescence). The music goes especially well with a rainy day.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Dustin said:


> Just pulled this up on Spotify. All I can say is wow! I've always listened to the studio recording of the revival from a few years ago with Kelli O'Hara. While I still think that one is top-notch, I'll add this one to the listening rotation too.


Major talent, showmanship and downright charisma with those of the original cast. This is similar to when a friend of mine told me they had remade _The Omen,_ and she then referred to the original and said, "I mean, Gregory Peck and Lee Remick... why bother?"

Ditto Mary Martin & Ezio Pinzo -- there is that same degree of caliber where one might think about later productions, "Why bother?"


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