Just watched this Soundie on YouTube which featured Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra and singers Lillian Lane, Martha Wayne, Buddy Stewart, and Dick Harding warbling of their love for this country and of how 100 million feel the same. There are some humorous inserts like that of a kissing contest or of a scrap drive. And there's a cool saxophone solo near the end. I've been having a kick of seeing many of these early "music videos" that initially appeared on various Panorams (film jukeboxes) in restaurants, bars, and train or bus stations. While the song showcased was not one of the greatest patriotic tunes ever, America, I Love You still was a pretty darn good tune. So on that note, this short is worth a look for anyone interested in this sort of thing.
2 Reviews
Surprisingly Sophisticated
boblipton13 July 2023
Claude Thornhill -- never heard of him -- leads his band in performing the patriotic song.
Soundies were short films, about three minutes in length. The were meant to be played on a machine called a Mills Panoram, a video jukebox that was typically to be found in bars, lounges, and similar venues. You put a dime in and got a performance from the ten on the machine. The movies would be changed weekly, and from 1940 through 1946, Mills and other companies produced more than two thousand soundies.
In the first year of the Second World War, it's hardly surprising that there would be lots of soundies like this, with the performers dressing in military uniforms and saluting and stuff like that. What's surprising is the musical sophistication of the song, as it starts in a minor key and changes into a major one.
Soundies were short films, about three minutes in length. The were meant to be played on a machine called a Mills Panoram, a video jukebox that was typically to be found in bars, lounges, and similar venues. You put a dime in and got a performance from the ten on the machine. The movies would be changed weekly, and from 1940 through 1946, Mills and other companies produced more than two thousand soundies.
In the first year of the Second World War, it's hardly surprising that there would be lots of soundies like this, with the performers dressing in military uniforms and saluting and stuff like that. What's surprising is the musical sophistication of the song, as it starts in a minor key and changes into a major one.
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