John Phillip Sousa - Bridge on the River Kwai March

[danpincus]

Check out Dudley Moore's fake Beethoven setting of this theme in minor. It's hilarious and deeply knowledgeable.

[grandpa72538]

This march was written by J. Ricketts, whose pen name was Kenneth Alfred.

[BudmanPackfan]

I give you this though man.... you have great recordings, and thanks for sharing.... but gotta do the proper people right!

[BudmanPackfan]

Gimmie one that Sousa actually wrote: The Liberty Bell March!!!!

[MattTheBandKid]

I see a theme in all these "John Philip Sousa" Marches that are posted. Most of them aren't by sousa. some not even writen in his lifetime.

[apacogon]

British!!! Do not take away the pride honor and the horror our Limey Bros. gave to build those bridges. 60,000 dead POW's. God bless them all.

[Benwell1]

Somebody doesnt know his military history. This is very, very British! Churchill would turn in his grave if he knew the yanks had plagiarised it.

[XypherVG]

Hitler had only got one ball,

Goering had two, but very small

Himmler had something similar,

And poor ol' Goebbels had no balls at all!

[mclaugtj]

This is a british military march called Colonel Bogey by Kenneth J. Alford. The original poster has mislabeled MANY marches as Sousa, which are not.

[Hellfire918]

American march music is march music written and/or performed in the United States.

[fav1579]

Right

Don't confuse !

All military marchs are not made in USA

[vonmazur1]

"Hitler had only one big ball. Goebbels had two but they were small..

Himmler had something simlar..

But Goering had no balls at all!"

Just thought you might like the words to this fine march written by Lt Col Ricketts of the British Army...(His Nom de Plume was Kenneth J Alford...)

Dale in AL

[lightbuzyear]

OH, PLEASE! Does it really MATTER what the proper title is or who actually wrote it?

In fifty years, we'll all be dead and who'll give a rats' ass; can't we just enjoy the music without having to demonstrate how right we are?

Thank you for posting these wonderful marches. I have really enjoyed listening to them and reading all the pathetic comments:)

[anonUK]

Better change your title there. Not Sousa!

[PATKED1]

The film The bridge on the river kwai is a load of nonsense made to make Americans look good. It portrays the British comanding officer as an idiot who co-operated. In fact he did everything he could to delay the building of the bridge, but he had to be careful as the Japs would have murdered all the captives.

[Logg66]

British Quick March.. Not even American let alone Sousa

[hyperseauton]

this is fucking shit and a wrong description!

[56ALEXX]

IS A BRITISH MARCH VERY PLAYED DURING WWII

[Zardoz215]

It's a Joke... OK It's a great march Sousa would have written at some point.

[SuperHisAirness]

It is british military march !!!

God save our queen!!!!!!!!!

[Zardoz215]

@SuperHisAirness Does HRM have a burka yet?

[starfoxaventure]

lol sa fais plus un air marrant que militaire

[SpeedyNeutrino43]

To go along with all the aforementioned information.....Kenneth Alford was a nom de plume for Major Fredrick Joseph Ricketts.

[Spoiler71]

Isn't the real name "let the punishment fit the crime"?

[blogger1947]

This is not totally Alford's work. The counter-melody was composed by Malcolm Arnold when Colonel Bogey was adapted for the movie. So it's doubly British.

[danielwills93]

so this is the film version?? its not like any version i have heard and i have not seen the film. (plus i have played the more 'common' version alot)

[kaviar10]

To compose and arrange it's two different things... But yes, it's british and Alford wrote the originial from a tune of whistling from the first world war-

[EvilCapitalist1]

Wait a minute... Sousa didn't compose this!!

This is Colonel Bogey by Kenneth Alford.

[Keeper1st]

Right. And neither is it an American military march; it's British.

[rbdzntsfrlk]

@Keeper1st And now i say that something is instead something else to prove a point someone else does or doesn't agree with to aggravate other people!

:D

[Keeper1st]

@rbdzntsfrlk Well, there's nothing to agree or disagree with. Fact is fact. No one can disagree with facts -- except, of course, for the Tea Party...!

[sean890z]

@Keeper1st Its neither, it's German.

[Keeper1st]

@sean890z Says who? Kenneth Alford was British.

[skudaarkaat1]

@Keeper1st Didn't the Colonel write this as a marching song for his troops in India in the 1930's? I could be wrong, but that's what I heard.

[Keeper1st]

@skudaarkaat1 You heard wrong. This march was published in 1914 as part of a series of marches by the same composer. (Kenneth Alford was a pen name for Frederick Ricketts, a military band leader who was a Lieutenant at the time he composed this.)

[skudaarkaat1]

@Keeper1st Thank you. I satnad corrected. Very interesting, by the way.

[Benwell1]

@skudaarkaat1 this was written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts of the BRITISH ARMY :)