Textures of the 1940s on Film

The Andrews Sisters in "Buck Private"

It is said that when people get interested in a period of the past, it is usually the era of their parents.  That's been true of me in recent years, when for various reasons I've been intrigued by the 1930s and 1940s.  Partly because there were some significant but not sufficiently known achievements--various Depression era programs like the CCCs and the Federal Theatre Project, then the GI Bill and the Marshall Plan in the 40s--but also because I am connected to these years through my parents, grandparents and older relatives.

I am also connected through the movies and television shows of my youth that were about this era and/or featured entertainers, directors and so on from this era.  Much of early television was actually late radio with somewhat moving pictures.  Many of its stars went back through radio and movies to the Vaudeville era.

So in addition to more serious reading, I like going back to the era's popular culture and entertainment.  I love the Swing era, the Big Bands, for example.  But recently I decided to tap into another connection with a set of 1940s movies called 8 Wartime Comedies.

The set features a couple of Abbot & Costello films, one Francis the Talking Mule movie, comedies starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Tony Curtis, and one comedy classic: Preston Sturges' Hail the Conquering Hero.

I probably saw some of these movies before, mostly on television, though when I was very young my father took me to see one of the Francis the talking mule service-oriented movies (with Donald O'Connor) at a local theatre, and perhaps one of the Abbot & Costello or similar themed films by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.  These entertainers were all regularly on television in the early 1950s.

I had to cross a kind of barrier to get back to these movies, though.  Vietnam soured me on attempts to hoodwink people about war through trivial entertainment and phony glamour. The idea of "wartime comedy" remains jarring.  But unlike the satires of the 60s and 70s which were about war (and atomic self-destruction), these movies aren't really set during a war, and aren't about war.  But they are pretty interesting in revealing the mindset of the times.

With this set I've only seen the two Abbot and Costello movies so far.  They were both made and released after what became World War II had started, but before the US officially entered the war against the Axis powers.  Though barely--they were both released in 1941.  Both were big box office hits.

Buck Privates was made first, and was set in 1940, just after the military draft was reinstituted.   (It was also when the US population was 130 million, some 200 million fewer people than now.  In fact, just 60 million more than one-third of today's population.)

 The beginning is a good primer on official attitudes then.  It's clear the US was gearing up for the war, and the participation of the "ordinary guy"--factory worker, farmer, etc.--was emphasized.  But the official theme was defense--defending America against potential but unnamed enemies.

The comedy team of Bud Abbot and Lew Costello play small time confidence men, trying to sell men's ties on the street, when they try to escape from police by joining what they think is a line into a movie theatre, but instead is an Army draft call.  They wind up in the Army.

The subplot involves the first man to be drafted (Alan Curtis), a patriotic working guy, and the rich son of an influential man in Washington (Lee Bowman) who tries to use influence to get out of the draft, unsuccessfully.  They compete for the attentions of the same woman (Jane Franzee), and of course, the rich guy wises up and saves the life of the working guy, and they go off to officer candidate school together.

The movie gets women into it by inventing a corps of women "hostesses" in uniform who accompany recruits to their training camp to keep up their morale (and since it is 1940, that's all.)  This also is the excuse for the presence of the other stars of the movie--and one of its principal attractions to me today--the Andrews Sisters.  This trio of close harmony swing singers was very popular in the 40s, but not a lot of film of them seems to exist from that era.  This movie includes their signature hit of the times, "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy,"  as well as another of their hits, "Apple Blossom Time."

They prove to be a highlight of this movie--not only their singing performance, but their dancing. There's also a number that features a group called The World Champion Boogie-Woogie Dancers, and several of them provide some of the best 40s dancing of the many films that include it.

Abbot and Costello's comedy is gentler and less dependent on slapstick than I remember, although there's not much that's laugh out loud funny.  (Somehow it is pretty funny when a bugler plays Reveille and Costello shouts for somebody to turn off that alarm clock. Had to be there funny anyway.)

This movie was released in January 1941 and was an instant hit, so Universal rushed another one into production.  They certainly could make movies fast in those days--In the Navy shot from April 8 to May 8 and was released on May 30, even with a reshoot that the Navy requested, all in 1941.  Once again, the Andrews Sisters were featured, but another star was added in Dick Powell.

Unfortunately the haste shows.  The script is dull, the songs are dull, and the Andrews Sisters numbers lack focus and care.  Dick Powell does one flat song and not much else.  Clare Dodd is wasted as the comedic love interest. The rear-screen projection is painfully obvious and even the editing is sloppy.  The Abbot and Costello comedy is funnier, though, as they tapped into their classic Vaudeville-style routines--several of which I remembered from their early 50s television show.

But here's the thing about films of the past: they have context that inevitably includes the times in which they are seen.  Or in this case, simply what soon came after.

A couple jumped out at me from this movie.  One is race.  An all-white cast in a 1940s movie is hardly unexpected, though less frequent than you might think in movies that involved bands and music.  But in this film, the Andrews Sisters actually do a song about the Harlem expression "give me some skin" without a black person in sight.

The Nicholas Brothers in the Glenn Miller film Sun Valley Serenade

That might have gone by except for a dance specialty number by the Condos Brothers.  The famous dancing brothers of the era were the Nicholas Brothers, but they were black.  The Condos Brothers were white imitators.  The two 1940s films that Glenn Miller made both include a Nicholas Brothers dance, though it is a separate routine that looks designed to be cut out for Southern theatres.  Once actual World War II movies started, the US armed forces were made to appear integrated, though they actually weren't.  That is, there were separate black units, but not mixed races in the same unit.  Anyway, I was getting really uncomfortable at this point.

Another context is history.  The plot of the movie involved the battleship Alabama sailing to Hawaii in 1941.  There's even a Hawaiian number with the Andrews Sisters (and some background dancers who look like they might actually be Hawaiian, or at least Asian.) The movie came out in May.  In a surprise attack, Japanese war planes bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in December. By the time some audience members saw this film--not to mention me in 2019--this had already happened, with overriding and indelible images of burning ships, and heavy loss of life.  The US officially entered World War II the day after, on December 8.

Fortunately for the film, the Alabama was not one of the battleships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor. (Those would be the Arizona, the Oklahoma, the California, the Pennsylvania, the Nevada, the Tennessee, the Maryland.)  In fact at that point there was no battleship Alabama in service--it would not be commissioned until 1942.  But still, it's impossible not to feel the weird dislocation of this movie.  In addition to preserving textures of the times, movies of this era tempt us into nostalgia for a lost home that never existed. But when that illusion is shattered, we learn something more.

The States of Song

Before this 4th of July weekend is done, something on the lighter side.  Margaret asked this question: does every state have a song?  Not an official state song but a memorable popular tune.

It turns out there are a number of websites and articles on the subject.  They tend to stretch the definition to include the names of cities within the state, or just a reference to the state in the song.

There are also some great songs that reference a number of cities and states, from the classic Woody Guthrie "This Land is Your Land" and  Simon & Garfunkel's "America" to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Back in the USA,"  Martha and the Vandellas "Dancin in the Street"  and a fairly obscure but wonderful Jimmy Durante tune "Any State in the 48 is Great."

It turns out that a lot of songs with state and city names express longings by people no longer there.  Others seem to be more about the sound of the names than the places.  But then, it's music!

Actually the surprise is that there aren't more songs and better songs about a lot of these places.  I imagine there are plenty about local places--blues songs in the South, bluegrass in the mountains, cowboy songs out West--that were never much heard outside their area of origin.

I've got my own list of favorites that includes some titles that other list makers seem to have forgotten, and here it is:

Alabama
Everybody's choice is Lynrd Skynrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," but there's also the song this was an answer to: Neil Young's lacerating tale of the Old South titled simply "Alabama."  These days that doesn't seem so relegated to the past, so that's my choice.

Alaska
In 1960 Johnny Horton had a tuneful hit in "North To Alaska."  Alaska had been a state for only about a year.

Arizona
Arizona gets mentioned here and there, as in Jackson Browne's "Take It Easy,"or Little Feat's "Willin'" or Randy Newman's "Rider in the Rain," (here's a treat--Newman with Ry Cooder and Linda Ronstadt.)  But there doesn't seem to be a well-known song about the state.  Probably Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get To Phoenix" is the most famous.

Arkansas
"The Arkansas Traveler" is not only the official state song but a well known fiddle tune that inspired many versions, including Pete Seeger's in 1954.  The song title has provided the name for an annual state award and a minor league baseball team.

California
It's a big state that has inspired many songs, but apart from city-specific classics like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," there are several that reference state myths of two eras: "California Here I Come," first made famous by Al Jolson in 1924, the Beach Boys 1960s classic, "California Girls." and the Mamas and Papas "California Dreamin."  Then there's Neil Young's apocalyptic "After the Goldrush."

Colorado
Lots of songs reference Colorado, especially as a symbol of lost or longed-for paradise, like "Someday Soon," "Chilly Winds" or even John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High."  There are a few just plain "Colorado" songs, including this one by Stephen Stills. Willie Nelson had a song titled "Denver" and that city appears in others.  But none stands out to me.  Maybe "Chilly Winds" because I thought of it as I crossed Colorado for the first time on a train.

Connecticut
There's David Steven's more contemporary "Connecticut Snow." but my choice is Bing Crosby and Judy Garland's 1945"Connecticut" ( "No matter where I chance to be/Connecticut is the place for me.")

Delaware
A popular song of my childhood but otherwise long forgotten, Perry Como's "Delaware" ("What did Della ware boys...") also names several other otherwise overlooked states.  A betters song if more obscure is Fats Waller's unkind "You're a Square From Delaware."



Florida
"Moon Over Miami" dates from 1935, sung in a compelling fashion in our time by Ray Charles. Jimmy Buffet wrote a bunch of good songs about Key West. The best that name checks a number of cities is the Dixie Chicks "Don't Let Me Die in Florida." But given the long relationship of New York and its vacation/retirement colony of Florida, the best Florida song I know is Billy Joel's "Miami 2017" which isn't about Florida at all, but an apocalyptic New York.

Georgia
Though the song is probably more about a girl than a state, nothing beats "Georgia On My Mind" as recorded by Willie Nelson or Ray Charles--or both.

Hawaii
Hawaiian War Chant" was a popular song of the late 1930s and 1940s as performed by Tommy Dorsey and others. Its original melody and lyrics were written in the 1860s by Prince Leleiohoku.  Perhaps not the most culturally sensitive presentation but there you are.

Idaho
Don't know what it says about a state when the most prominent song written out it is the B52's "Private Idaho."  But it's a fun song.

Illinois
Dan Fogelberg isn't much remembered anymore, but in 1974 his most successful album included this great song about nostalgia during that generation gap time, "Illinois."  Better known tunes tend to be about Chicago.

Indiana
The Music Man furnishes another midwestern state's city song, in "Gary Indiana."  But "Back Home in Indiana"  in this 1965 rendition by Louis Armstrong is one of many great jazz versions, not only others by Armstrong but also by pianist Erroll Garner, Sidney Bechet, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Bryant and many more.  There are instrumental versions in many styles (especially bluegrass), but this official state song does have lyrics, as evidenced in this jazz version by Carline Ray.

Iowa
Among the famous movies set in Iowa are Field of Dreams, State Fair and The Music Man.  It is from the latter that emerges the song "The Iowa Stubborn."

Kansas
 Kansas has the Kansas City that is not the subject of the classic "Kansas City"--that one is likely in Missouri.  George Hamilton IV had a hit with a very nice tune, "Abilene" which is probably the one in Texas, not Kansas.   Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" was made famous by Glen Campbell's 1968 recording, and it was subsequently recorded by the likes of James Taylor, Johnny Cash and REM. And that definitely is in Kansas.  Above is a late version by Glen with a terrific guitar solo.  Easy to forget what a great guitarist he was.

Kentucky
Since songs about states are usually about nostalgia by those who've left them, Kentucky is best represented by "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Man of Constant Sorrow" about a man who must leave Kentucky where he was born and raised.  Anyway, good excuse for listening again to the "O Brother Where Art Thou" version.

Louisiana
"How about Louisiana?/Part of Americana?"Lots of songs about New Orleans down to individual streets. There's "Bourbon Street Beat" and Sting's "Moon Over Bourbon Street," about a vampire.  I suppose state residents might prefer "Louisiana Saturday Night," a good timer that was a hit for Mel McDaniel in 1981.  However, its tune and cadence bear some resemblance to a big hit song in 1959 about an event in this state's premier city, Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans." 

Maine
Who says country music isn't a New England thing?  "Tombstone Every Mile" is not only a trucker tune about Maine, it was written by a Maine singer, Dick Curless.

Maryland
Vondra Shepard's "Maryland" is a catchy tune, another lost home song.
Nina Simone's reggae beat version of Randy Newman's "Baltimore" is hard to beat, though it's not exactly complimentary to the city.

Massachusetts
The Bee Gees  hit "Massachusetts" is the obvious choice, though the second verse of "Sweet Baby James" gives a better sense of the state.


Michigan
Simon & Garfunkel's "America" references several cities and states but has no more haunting line than "Michigan seems like a dream to me now."  The Red Hot Chili Peppers have the surreal "Especially in Michigan."  Wikipedia has an entire page of songs about Detroit, Motor City and Motown, but none of them memorable--weird for a city with such a huge musical heritage.  But if we're going for a city, my favorite is the Glenn Miller Orchestra classic, "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo." 

Minnesota
Really the theme for this state should be the theme song for "The Mary Tyler Moore" show, set in Minneapolis, but it probably doesn't qualify. There's some reference to Minneapolis in Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" though I don't think by name.  Lucinda Williams has a dirgy but evocative song called "Minneapolis."  A lot more upbeat is Prince's "Rock & Roll is Alive and It Lives in Minneapolis."  Let's go with that one.

Mississippi
Lots of great songs about the river but hard to find an old one about the state not tainted by endemic racism.  A pretty sympathetic tune however is Bob Dylan's "Mississippi," not one of his better known songs but nevertheless recorded by Sheryl Crow and in a rousing version by the Dixie Chicks.

Missouri
"The Missouri Waltz" exemplifies problems with a lot of state-referencing songs from the minstrel era, including Stephen Foster songs: the lyrics are more likely to make you squirm than swoon, even though this is still the official state song.  Merle Haggard has a country song titled "Missouri." Fortunately there are a lot of great songs about St. Louis, including the "St. Louis Blues" (Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong,) or "St. Louis Woman" medley by Billie Holiday, and a little tune I'm fond of tucked into a Steeley Dan album--their rendition of a Duke Ellington song, "St. Louis Toodle-oo."

Montana
Not particularly well known but a song that exemplifies the state's history is "Montana Cowgirl" by Emmylou Harris.


Nebraska
Although it's about a serial killer, Bruce Springsteen did title it "Nebraska."  Waylon Jennings did "Omaha."  Moby Grape had a psychedelic "Omaha" in 1968. Jim Harrison wrote a lot about Nebraska.  You'd think somebody could come up with a better song.  So I'll go with a novelty tune full of skewed geography from 1951 by Groucho Marx, "Omaha, Nebraska."

Nevada
There are songs about Reno and Elko but mostly about Las Vegas.  Boosters love Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" but I'm partial to Sheryl Crow's "Leaving Las Vegas."

New Hampshire
Next door to Vermont and Massachusetts, New Hampshire remains largely unsung.  Perhaps defensively, it has about a half dozen official state songs.
Eddie Mottau's "Old New Hampshire" is a contemporary take.


New Jersey
The state that gets no respect got at least a little in "Jersey Girl," written by Tom Waits and most famously recorded by Bruce Springsteen.

New Mexico
New Mexico's problem is that there are so many songs about Old Mexico.
Waylon Jennings "Taos, New Mexico" has the virtue of more or less being about Taos.  But the whole state gets a plug plus some white people's dour history in Johnny Cash's "New Mexico."

New York
Most of the New York songs are about the City of--although Frank's tune "New York, New York" at least includes the state.  Sinatra also participated in another "New York New York"--a better song, from the musical film On the Town. I like Sting's "Englishman in New York."  But my top choice is Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind."

North Carolina
There are Carolina songs that don't specify North or South, but it's pretty clear that James Taylor meant North in his classic "Carolina On My Mind."

North Dakota
Lyle Lovett has a song titled "North Dakota."  But a novelty song with clever lyrics is Frank Sinatra's "I Got a Girl in North and South Dakota."


Ohio
There are some nice instrumental tunes with Ohio in the title but the state is always going to be remembered for Neil Young's song about Kent State titled "Ohio", recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young shortly afterwards.

Oklahoma
There are a number of songs about Tulsa (including Neil Young's haunting "The Last Trip to Tulsa") and the Dust Bowl, including "My Oklahoma Home (Blowed Away)," recorded by Pete Seeger and most recently Bruce Springsteen.
But of course, the one that sticks is the title song of the musical "Oklahoma."

Oregon
The Oregon Trail is deep in the American legend. Woody Guthrie wrote a song with that title, and there was a song called "Westward Ho, the Wagons" with the words "Westward roll the wagons, always westward roll...for Oregon's our goal."  Vaughan Monroe's 1957 recording was popular in my childhood.  It was also the title of a 1956 movie starring Fess Parker, Davy Crockett himself.

Pennsylvania
Most of the songs about Pennsylvania aren't about the state; they're about the railroad, the Pennsylvania railroad station in New York, and the Hotel Pennsylvania, also in New York, with its own phone exchange, which was the subject of a Glenn Miller song "Pennsylvania 6-500."  There are some songs about Philadelphia (like Bruce Springsteen's "The Streets of Philadelphia") and Pittsburgh, plus Billy Joel's "Allentown."  Apart from some really awful official state songs, there's only "The Pennsylvania Polka," done with some harmony and humor by the Andrew Sisters.  But I'll stretch a point to choose Patti Page singing "Allegheny Moon," since the river runs through Pittsburgh.


Rhode Island
A song from 1960 names a lot of other states and cities famous for something, but it turns out that "Rhode Island is Famous For You."  Here's the original Blossom Dearie recording.  Do pencils really come from Pennsylvania?

South Carolina
This time we'll give the unspecified Carolina to the South for "Carolina Moon," in many different versions--here's a nice upbeat one by Dean Martin.

South Dakota
Though the Bee Gees recorded a nice tune called "South Dakota Morning," it's pretty obscure.  But then, so is South Dakota.

Tennessee
With music centered in Nashville and Memphis, there are a lot of songs about both. (I'm partial to the feeling in Paul Simon's "Graceland.") I'm tempted as well by that other Glenn Miller favorite, "Chatanooga Choo Choo," with all those other place names. But for the whole state, it's got to be the "The Tennessee Waltz." Sam Cooke has an upbeat version, though  I remember it sung by Patti Page.   

Texas
Lots of western songs about Texas and various cities. "The Streets of Laredo" for example.  But "Deep in the Heart of Texas" is deeply entrenched.  As is "The Yellow Rose of Texas" which seems to be the same song.  But I'll use the former to link to the Gene Autry version, who made the best cowboy record, "Back in the Saddle Again."

Utah
Marty Robbins has a country/cowboy song about his friend named Utah, which is stretching things. But there are a bunch about Salt Lake City, the strangest of which might be the bluesy "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City"--performed here by Johnny Mercer, who helpfully includes some geography book statistics about the city in 1929.


Vermont
Thank your lucky stars for the moon, or a lot of states would be songless.  "Moonlight in Vermont" is a classic, given (for example) the full Ella and Louis Armstrong treatment.

Virginia
"Carry Me Home To Old Virginny," in its early form goes back to the early 19th century, and was a Confederate favorite.  But there's another version, dating from the late 19th or early 20th century, written by an African American popular songwriter, James A. Bland.  That's the version that Ray Charles does here.

Washington
The most famous song to come out of Washington was, of course, "Louie, Louie." Given its indie music tradition, there are lots of songs about Seattle, but in most cases, what's sung in Seattle tends to stay in Seattle. Brit Mark Knopfler's "Seattle" is nicely evocative, and in this video is paired with shots of the city.

West Virginia
John Denver has the definitive West Virginia song with "Country Roads (Take Me Home)", probably his best song.

Wisconsin
The first song that probably comes to mind is "On Wisconsin," and it may be the only one. It's one of the oldest college fight songs, and a version was recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra  There is also a hidden classic: "My Cousin in Milwaukee" was written by George and Ira Gershwin.  Here's the Ella Fitzgerald version.

Wyoming
"And what about Wyoming, with the cattle freely roaming?" Sticking to the "W"s, John Denver did the ballad "Song of Wyoming." Not as good as his West Virginia song, but there's not much competition for Wyoming.