[Afamilyatwar-list] Vaughan Williams

[Tim Douglas]

My dad was in a1968  production of the stage play CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR ,which told the story of the political struggles of the Northern mining community through the device of song and music hall (eg  I remember seeing it at the Vaudeville theatre (I think )and one of the miners suddenly become. Groucho Marx with grease moustache  and they  all break into  a song !  )The play was by Alan Plater (who also wrote some great TV plays including The Beiderbecke Affaair - which I think has already been mentioned as recommended ) but the songs in the show  are by ALEX GLASGOW   I believe it was seeing my dad in a performance of this in Newcastle (?) that convinced John Finch and the producer of AFAW that he was right for the part of Edwin . CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR was subsequently made as a TV play by the BBC, with the original theatre cast playing their parts .


-----Original Message-----
From: Christine Kendell via Afamilyatwar-list <afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu>
To: afamilyatwar-list <afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu>; 'Scott Filderman' <scottfilderman at yahoo.com>; 'Brian Renforth' <renforthb at live.co.uk>
Sent: Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:17
Subject: Re: [Afamilyatwar-list] Vaughan Williams

About the song: that’s the tune, and those are the words, I’ve always known. I believe it to be authentic.  This is something about it
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Boat_Comes_In_(song)
 
I think Alex Glasgow was a well-known folk singer at the time, but they could have used Bob Davenport, come to think of it! 
 
Christine
 
From: afamilyatwar-list-bounces at baylor.edu [mailto:afamilyatwar-list-bounces at baylor.edu] On Behalf Of Scott Filderman via Afamilyatwar-list
Sent: 14 April 2018 13:44
To: afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu; Brian Renforth
Subject: Re: [Afamilyatwar-list] Vaughan Williams
 
Once again, insightful/insider information that this DVD viewer cant access Alerted to the existence of the bumpers, I do hear 3-second snatches now and again and now know why they occur (bumper music not excised due to sloppy editing). What I do hear is that opening/closing theme; I wasn’t aware (DVDs being my only reference) that a different part of the music was used for the first bumpers. 
 
Given my disgust with Donald Trump, I just may move to Merrie Olde; I understand there’s some pretty wonderful television over there, nationalized medicine, fresh air.....
 
When the Boat Comes In is strikingly political. Brian, can you tell me how (in)accurately it presents the regional politics of the time? It seems correct to me, but your viewpoint would, yet again, be instructive. The theme IS a little cute, but it is a real song (however reduced from the original lyrics). Which makes me wonder if the tune itself is authentic or just the (reduced) words.


On Saturday, April 14, 2018, 3:07 AM, Brian Renforth via Afamilyatwar-list <afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu> wrote:
Absolutely, a good theme can make or break a programme. In AFAW's case the way the theme merging with the episodes at the start and end works so well, recently most noticeable at the end of, "The Things You Never Told Me".

The earlier episodes used a different extract of the theme on the "End of Part One/Two" bumpers not otherwise heard with "Part Two/Three" accompanied with the start of the main theme. Very common arrangement on other programmes, "Coronation Street" for example.

When I first saw AFAW (Channel 4 in the late '80s) I was taken aback by the unique ending on many episodes with the final caption not being the expected Granada one, but a AFAW caption card. This was followed by the theme starting again with the film of the sandcastle for a few seconds to be followed by the fade up of the Granada end caption to note the programme really had ended! 
I don't know who thought of this but I thought it was wonderful.

The DVDs and the current Talking Pictures TV repeats omit these extended endings bar a couple of exceptions on the latter. I guess in the modern world showing the ending in full would take up valuable advertising/sponsorship time!

Yes, an outstanding theme certainly contributes to an excellent programme.

When they changed the Doctor Who theme to that hideous synthesised arrangement in 1980 that ended any liking of the programme for me!

I like, "When the Boat Comes In" but can't stand the theme song which I find very cringe worthy. I guess being from North East England contributes to that feeling!

Cheers
Brian 

Sent from my Windows Phone

From: Veit, Richard via Afamilyatwar-list
Sent: ‎13/‎04/‎2018 22:48
To: Afamilyatwar-list
Subject: Re: [Afamilyatwar-list] Vaughan Williams
Yes, Scott, you are right on target about the impact of the Vaughan Williams excerpt in A FAMILY AT WAR. I am stirred anew each time I hear it. Another instance of classical usage that comes to mind are the closing credits for the 1979 film, ALIEN, which used the glorious first movement of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2 ("Romantic").
 
Stanley Kubrick must have been quite knowledgeable about classical music. For his A CLOCKWORK ORANGE from 1971, he borrowed (and ruthlessly "modernised") themes from no fewer than four composers: Purcell, Rossini, Beethoven, and Elgar.
 
Richard Veit
 
From: <afamilyatwar-list-bounces at baylor.edu> on behalf of AFAMILYATWAR-LIST <Afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu>
Reply-To: AFAMILYATWAR-LIST <Afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu>, Scott Filderman <scottfilderman at yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, April 13, 2018 at 4:22 PM
To: AFAMILYATWAR-LIST <Afamilyatwar-list at baylor.edu>
Subject: [Afamilyatwar-list] Vaughan Williams
 
Whoever had the truly inspired idea to use the end of the first movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sixth Symphony as the theme for AFAW did as great a service to that wonderful composer as did whoever chose the last section of Rossini’s William Tell overture for the Lone Ranger radio/television program here in the USA. As a lifelong Vaughan Williams admirer, I never tire of hearing that plaintive hymn that opens and closes every episode. Stanley Kubrick did a similar favor for Richard Strauss by choosing Also Sprach Zarathustra to open his epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sometimes ya just gotta go classical! 
 
Always a favorite game to Name That Tune as episodes of The Onedin Line roll by! MORE Vaughan Williams! Fifth Symphony, right?
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