Victory at Sea
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Victory at Sea was a documentary TV series about naval warfare during World War II that was originally aired by NBC in the USA in 26 half-hour segments on Sunday afternoons, starting October 26, 1952 and ending May 3, 1953. The series, which won an Emmy in 1954 as best public affairs program, played a major role in establishing historic documentaries as a viable television genre. When it first aired, NBC thought it so important that it had no commercial breaks.
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[edit] History
The project was conceived by Henry Salomon, who, while in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was a research assistant to historian Samuel Eliot Morison. Morison was then writing the 15-volume History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. During this period, Salomon learned of the large amounts of film that the warring navies had compiled. Salomon left the Navy in 1948 and eventually discussed his idea of a documentary series with one of his Harvard classmates, Robert Sarnoff, a rising executive at NBC television and the son of David Sarnoff, the chairman of RCA (then the owner of NBC).
NBC approved the project in 1951, with Salomon as producer and a budget of $500,000 (large for that era). His team, made up largely of newsreel veterans, scoured naval archives around the world, and received complete cooperation from the U.S. Navy, which recognized the publicity value. Salomon's team compiled 60 million feet (18,300 km) of film, which was edited to about 61,000 feet for broadcast.
After the original run, NBC syndicated it to local stations, where it proved successful financially through the mid-1960s. NBC also marketed the series overseas; by 1964, it had aired in 40 foreign markets. NBC sold the theatrical rights to United Artists, which created a feature-length movie released in 1954; NBC aired the movie twice in the 1960s.
[edit] Music
Salomon also signed Richard Rodgers, fresh off several hit Broadway musicals, to compose the musical score. Rodgers contributed 12 "themes"- short piano compositions a minute or two in length.[citation needed] Robert Russell Bennett did the scoring, transforming Rodgers's themes to fit a variety of moods, and composing much more original material than Rodgers.[citation needed] Nonetheless, Bennett received credit only for arranging the score and conducting NBC Symphony Orchestra members on the soundtrack recording sessions, and many writers still refer erroneously to "Rodgers's thirteen-hour score."[citation needed] Rodgers recorded excerpts from the music with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for Columbia Records, but it was Bennett who made the more familiar RCA recordings with the Symphony of the Air, an orchestra created in the fall of 1954 from former NBC Symphony members, identified on the albums as the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra.
RCA's record division sold the Rodgers-Bennett musical score in four different album versions, released on LP and CD.
The movements and approximate timings in the RCA Symphony performance are as follows; 1. The Song of the High Seas - 5:03 2. The Pacific Boils Over - 5:45 3. Fire on the Waters - 5:58 4. Guadalcanal March - 3:08 5. Pelelieu - 3:43 6. Theme of the Fast Carriers - 6:49 7. Hard Work and Horseplay - 3:44 8. Mare Nostrum - 4:31 9. Beneath the Southern Cross - 4:06 10.Mediterranean Mosaic - 5:03 11.Allies on the March - 5:26 12.D-Day - 5:54 13.The Sound of Victory - 6:15 14.Victory at Sea - 6:11
[edit] Current availability
It is now available in VHS and DVD and is in the public domain. Though the score, script, and narration by Leonard Graves retain their appeal, much of the film editing is criticized by knowledgeable viewers for anachronistic sequences. As an example, 1943-45 ships and aircraft in 1941-42 segments.
[edit] Episode List
1. October 26, 1952 DESIGN FOR WAR Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1941
This chronicles the first two years of World War II in Europe before the United States' full involvement. Germany succeeds in invading Poland and France but is held back by England thanks to Canada and much of the American naval forces.
2. November 2, 1952 THE PACIFIC BOILS OVER Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
Using Japanese footage, we see the planning, execution, and ultimately the celebration of the Asian country's attack on Pearl Harbor. There's also an explanation provided for the attack and some peaceful moments depicted among the U.S. sailors before the fateful events that use some of the most exciting film provided with the accompaniment of the stirring music score of Richard Rodgers to great effect.
3. November 9, 1952 SEALING THE BREACH Anti-submarine warfare, 1941-1943
With war now declared on the U.S. front, naval forces throughout the states have banded together to bring convoys of supplies across the Atlantic Ocean to our Allies in England. German U-Boats come through and manage to destroy some of ships along the way. Still, Americans are resilient...
4. November 23, 1952 MIDWAY IS EAST Japanese victories & the Midway Battle
After the Japanese successfully invade Singapore and the Philippines, the Americans on Midway manage to bomb four of Japan's aircraft carriers making the imperial fleet retreat and giving the U.S. an incredible early victory in the pacific...
5. November 30, 1952 MEDITERRANEAN MOSAIC Gibraltar, Allied & enemy fleets, Malta
British forces on Gibraltar and Malta hold off the Italian Navy and the German Luftwaffe from invading. While the English do get constantly bombarded on Malta, they remain steadfastly determined to keep fighting after King George VI pays a visit, There's also scenes of relaxation on board ship before the 17 months of battle that occurs over Malta's shores. An interesting part of this episode is the descriptions of mealtimes the British sailors have in a day, 5; morning cocoa, breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper)!
6. December 14, 1952 GUADALCANAL Guadalcanal
After training in Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal. The U.S. Navy suffers defeat after defeat at the hands of the Japanese Navy around the island. Essential information is conveyed about how some deaths are caused not just by battle but also by malaria that comes from the long stays in the Guadalcanal rain forests. The number of people dying on both sides is especially emphasized here. A remarkable example of endurance...
7. December 21, 1952 RINGS AROUND RABAUL Struggle for the Solomon Islands
This Victory at Sea episode refers to the US strategy of surrounding the Japanese base at Rabaul in the New Britain Islands in the fall of 1943...
8. December 28, 1952 MARE NOSTRUM Mediterranean Command, 1940-1942
British and Greek military forces defeat the Italians and later the Germans in the battle to take over the Mediterranean. At issue is who controls the Suez Canal in Egypt...
9. January 4, 1953 SEA AND SAND Invasion of North Africa, 1942-1943
The U.S. Army advances against General Rommel's forces in North Africa while the Allies also neutralize many of the axis's Mediterranean supply bases. We also see footage of Russians troops surviving numerous attacks and Roosevelt and Churchill in Casablanca...
10. January 11, 1953 BENEATH THE SOUTHERN CROSS War in the south Atlantic
It's the battle of the South Atlantic between the HMS Devonshire and the German raider Atlantis. Plenty of footage of South America, both as sympathizers to the Nazi cause and, much later, as American allies willing to aid their northern neighbor's cause...
11. January 18, 1953 MAGNETIC NORTH War from Murmansk to Alaska
This episode of Victory at Sea explores the battles between the Allies and Germans over the Arctic Circle convoys past Nazi-occupied Norway to Russia. The Japanese invasion of Alaska is covered...
12. January 25, 1953 THE CONQUEST OF MICRONESIA Carrier warfare--Gilberts and Marshalls
In the Central Pacific, Americans are moving to the offensive, destroying Japanese installations and taking the fight to the enemy.
13. February 1, 1953 MELANESIAN NIGHTMARE New Guinea campaign
In New Guinea, the Japanese fight a never-ending losing battle against the Allies as more and more casualties pile up while their homeland only hears news of victory being broadcast on radio. While depicting several battles between Allies and their enemies, we see just how Japan's people are suffering in defeat. Also, a very touching scene of the massive funeral concludes this segment providing a balance of how universal grief truly is.
14. February 8, 1953 ROMAN RENAISSANCE Sicily and the Italian campaign
While Hitler's Germany continues to rise, Mussolini's Italy falls. Eventually, as destruction heapes upon Naples, Italy accepts defeat and surrenders allowing the allied forces to liberate their people as this episode ends with Rome's citizens celebrating freedom waving american flags and the Pope addressing the audience...
15. February 15, 1953 D-DAY Normandy
The Allied invasion of Normandy is detailed to very compelling effect courtesy of vintage footage. One of the most important turning points for victory from the Allied side. Perhaps one of the most exciting episodes of the entire Victory at Sea series. See the pivotal moment of World War II in Europe.
16. February 22, 1953 KILLERS AND THE KILLED Victory in the Atlantic, 1943-1945
As the Allies form bases in lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the destruction of the German U-Boat forces is documented.
17. March 1, 1953 THE TURKEY SHOOT Conquest of the Marianas
Guam, a U.S. territory, gets invaded by Japan a few days after Pearl Harbor and remains under occupation for two and a half years before the Americans arrive to take Siapan and Guam back. The Guamanians are thankful as the episode ends on their smiling faces, one of the most inspiring segments of Victory at Sea.
18. March 8, 1953 TWO IF BY SEA Peleliu and Angaur
The United States attacks on Peleliu and Anguar on the road to the Philippines. This episode begins with a quote from the bible that starts with "To everything turn, turn, turn...".
19. March 15, 1953 BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF Sea battle for Leyte Gulf
The imperial navy's last major operation. The Japanese fleet is fast disappearing. The battleships of Pearl Harbor avenging the attack in Surigao Strait, The Defeat of the center force and the loss of their remaining aircraft carriers. This Victory at Sea segment marked the counting of the days until the Japanese would accept defeat and surrender to the allies.
20. March 22, 1953 RETURN OF THE ALLIES Liberation of the Philippines
Just after the U.S. entered World War II, the Japanese conquered the Commonwealth of the Philippines, an American protectorate. By January of 1945, much of the Philippines were liberated and its people cheered the Americans and gained complete independence two years later. A touching tribute to the will of the Philippine people to survive as they waited for liberation.
21. March 29, 1953 FULL FATHOM FIVE U.S. submarines, 1941-194
In this episode of Victory at Sea, we see how the U.S. Navy's submarines contributed to the Japanese empire's downfall. How they sunk thousands of tons of ships. We see footage of ship upon ship from the House of the Rising Sun destroyed.
22. April 5, 1953 THE FATE OF EUROPE Black Sea, south of France, surrender
The final defeat of Germany is chronicled. We also witness the meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin on final plans for Germany's surrender and the forming of the United Nations. At the end, Hitler's suicide is mentioned and we see Nazi flags get torn apart and German military uniforms and hats lying on the ground like discarded garbage. Compelling footage of German cities in ruins make this one of the most triumphant as well as somewhat somber episodes of Victory at Sea.
23. April 12, 1953 TARGET SURIBACHI Iwo Jima
The U.S. Marines fight at Iwo Jima against the Japanese to place their flag on Mount Suribachi. During the now-legendary events depicted in this episode, we reach the final throes of battle in the Pacific war against Japan. We are once again reminded of the price that comes before true victory can be achieved.
24. April 19, 1953 THE ROAD TO MANDALAY China, Burma, India, and Indian Ocean
This episode details Japan's invasion of China in 1936 and subsequent conquest of Burma. Great detail on the immense effort to keep China in the war after Pearl Harbor.
25. April 26, 1953 SUICIDE FOR GLORY Okinawa
In one last ditch effort at glory, having lost most of their best men in military actions, Japan employs suicide pilots, men who would willingly crash their planes into ships in order to destroy the American spirit. But the U.S. Navy and Marines are ready for them with their guns. On Okinawa, Americans fight a major battle with the Japanese Army.
26. May 3, 1953 DESIGN FOR PEACE Surrender of Japan & aftermath of war
This episode starts with footage of the atomic bomb that was tested in New Mexico before it goes on to the devastation that happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With that Japan surrenders as that country's diplomats and military officials sign the official surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri. The U.S. armed forces come home to signs saying, "Welcome Home" before they are greeted by mothers, wives, children and fellow neighbors. They also march in a parade in their honor as the series come to a close.
[edit] Literature
Peter C. Rollins, "Victory at Sea: Cold War Epic," in: Gary R. Edgerton/Peter C Rollins (eds.), Television Histories. Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age, Kentucky 2001, pp. 103-122.
