I swear I heard 633 Squadron on the radio at our home on Ellington Way at RAF Laarbruch prior to 1967 when we left Laarbruch. Perhaps the score is older than the film or my memory is playing tricks on me. However, my little seven year-old imagination was running wild picturing a squadron of Mosquitos in vics of three charching across the sea at very low level towards their targets whilst listening to this tune.
The March of the Dambusters was on the radio almost every day (I think it was BFBS or perhaps Radio 2). I was lying on the living-room floor listining to that tune worshipping Roy Cross’ masterpiece on the boxtop of the Airfix Red-Stripe Lancaster kit. On the radio version of The March of the Dambusters you could hear the bomb-aimer saying “Steady! Steady! Now!” which you don’t get in the film-version.
Even in the days of “Rubber Soul” or “Gimmi Shelter” film-scores were a big thing on the radio. Jungle Book’s “Colonel Hathi’s March” was played just as much as “Food Glorious Food” from “Oliver”.
Then of course came 1969 and “The Battle of Britain” and with it William Walton’s “Battle in the Air”. That must be the ultimate film-score!
One that gets me now, just as much as it did then is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbiRDNaDeo
Did you know Lee Marvin was awarded a Purple Heart in the war? Just like Forrest Gump he was shot in the Butt-tock”!
Peter
Sign In
July 9, 2013 at 10:51 pm