This month’s free sheet music download is none other than “Hail to the Chief.” This song holds a special patriotic significance for U.S. citizens, as “Hail to the Chief” is played to usher in a new president to the Oval Office.
History of Hail to the Chief
Did you know that the original lyrics for “Hail to the Chief” are based on a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott written in 1810? (A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story, like a ballad or an epic poem.) The narrative poem that inspired the song “Hail to the Chief” was written in three sections by Sir Walter Scott, a poet from Edinburgh, about the conflict between King James the Fifth and a powerful Scottish clan named Douglas. If you’re interested in reading the poem, you can read Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott at The Literature Network.
Entitled “The Lady of the Lake,” this poem became so popular it influenced other musical works as well. Rossini wrote an opera dubbed “La Donna del Lago” (which is Italian for the phrase The Lady of the Lake) and a German translation of the poem was set to music by Franz Schubert. The third movement of Schubert鈥檚 work, “Ellens dritter Gesang,” was subsequently translated to Latin and became widely popular. You may recognize Ellens dritter Gesang‘s other name, the song is more commonly known as “Ave Maria.” Like “Hail to the Chief,” there have also been variations of lyrics set to Schubert’s music as well, but the original lyrics were set to Sir Walter Scott’s poem.
Written as a march, “Hail to the Chief” first incorporated lyrics from the narrative poem around 1812. The widely-popular lyrics were set to music by an English songwriter named James Sanderson for a London musical according to the History News Network. “Hail to the Chief” originally referred to a scottish chieftain, featured in the poem, which is why this song was originally known by another name — “Wreaths for the Chieftain.”
According to an article published by John Hopkins University about the history of Hail to the Chief, the first President to be ushered in by this song was Andrew Jackson.
'Hail to the Chief' is the official Presidential Anthem of the United States, composed by James. Create a book Download as PDF Printable version.
Hail to the Chief was first associated with a Chief Executive on February 22, 1815, when it was played (under the title Wreaths for the Chieftain) to honor both the belated George Washington and the end of the War of 1812. Andrew Jackson was the first living president to be personally honored by Hail to the Chief, on January 9, 1829. The tune was among a number of pieces played for Martin Van Buren’s inauguration ceremony on March 4, 1837, but it was Julia Tyler, the wife of President John Tyler, who first requested that the tune be played specifically to announce the President’s arrival.–SOURCE: Hail to the Chief: A Musical Tour Excerpted from Lester S. Levy’s Lectures
Hail To The Chief Instrumental
The lyrics evolved to fit the Presidential march now played for the United States Presidential inaugurations. What are now considered “traditional” lyrics for “Hail to the Chief” are rarely sung, and our research didn’t turn up much information about these lyrics that are said to be written by Albert Gamse per Wikipedia.
Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation
In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.
Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
This you will do, that’s our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!
Although the song “Hail to the Chief” wasn’t officially part of the musical tribute for a U.S. president until 1954, it has a long history that started across the Atlantic with a popular poem.
We invite you to download “Hail to the Chief” for this month鈥檚 free sheet music download of the month in a guitar tab or Guitar Guru format. The song is also available in piano sheet music as well.
| Hail to the Chief | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Susan Harris |
| Directed by | J.D. Lobue |
| Starring | Patty Duke Richard Paul Ted Bessell Glynn Turman Joel Brooks John Vernon Quinn Cummings Ricky Paull Goldin Dick Shawn Herschel Bernardi |
| Composer(s) | George Aliceson Tipton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (per episode) |
| Production company(s) | Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | April 9 – May 21, 1985 |
Hail to the Chief is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from April 9 to May 21, 1985. It centred around the President of the United States, portrayed by Patty Duke. The series was created by Susan Harris,[1] and was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. It featured one of the few recurring gay characters in a 1980s television series (Randy, the Secret Service Agent portrayed by Joel Brooks).
- 3Production
- 5Reception
- 6References
Synopsis[edit]
Hail to the Chief is similar in style to the TV sitcom, Soap (from the same producers as this series), in that it was a comedy with open-ended storylines that parodied a soap opera. Patty Duke had the starring role as the President, Julia Mansfield. The show focused on President Mansfield's attempt at balancing her political career with raising her family.
Cast and characters[edit]
- Patty Duke ... President Julia Mansfield
- Ted Bessell ... First Gentleman Oliver Mansfield
- Quinn Cummings ... Lucy Mansfield
- Ricky Paull Goldin ... Doug Mansfield
- Dick Shawn ... Ivan Zolotov
- Glynn Turman ... Secretary of State, LaRue Hawkes
- Herschel Bernardi ... Helmut Luger
- Murray Hamilton ... Senator Sam Cotton
- Richard Paul ... Reverend Billy Joe Bickerstaff
- John Vernon ... General Hannibal Stryker
- Jonna Lee ... Muffin Stryker
- Joel Brooks ... Randy
Production[edit]
Casting[edit]
Patty Duke was cast as President Julia Mansfield.[2]Ted Bessell was cast as First Gentleman Oliver Mansfield.[3]Quinn Cummings was cast as Lucy Mansfield.[4][5]Ricky Paull Goldin was cast as Doug Mansfield.[4]
Episodes[edit]
| Nº | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 'Episode One' | J.D. Lobue | Susan Harris | April 9, 1985 | |
| President Julia Mansfield is told that Brower, an Air Force general gone crazy, has taken control of a launch command center and will launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the USSR unless his demands are met. Julie calls Soviet Premier Zolotov to warn him, and is told that the Soviet Union will have no choice but to retaliate if she can't stop Brower. Later, Julia's husband Oliver confesses all of his past affairs to her, and she walks out on him. | |||||
| 2 | 'Episode Two' | J.D. Lobue | Susan Harris | April 16, 1985 | |
| General Stryker tells Head of Security Helmut Luger that Stryker's daughter is pregnant and that Luger is responsible, unaware that Julia's son Doug is really the father. Corrupt televangelist Rev. Billy Joe Bickerstaff plots to have Julia impeached. Oliver's mistress Darlene threatens to ruin him when he tries to end the affair; in an attempt to make up for all his past mistakes, Oliver promises God that he will save the world by stopping Brower. | |||||
| 3 | 'Episode Three' | J.D. Lobue | Paul Junger Witt | April 23, 1985 | |
| Oliver confronts Brower and is shot in the process; later, Julia tells a comatose Oliver that all is forgiven. Meanwhile, Ivan Zolotov, head of the KGB and the premier's twin brother, arrives at the Russian embassy and instructs his agent Darlene to stay by Oliver's side so she can continue to get information. | |||||
| 4 | 'Episode Four' | J.D. Lobue | Barry Fanaro, Terry Grossman, Mort Nathan, Kathy Speer, Tony Thomas | April 30, 1985 | |
| Oliver recovers, believing that Heaven has given him a second chance. His daughter Lucy is sleeping with Raoul the butler, but Raoul says that he can't commit to a serious relationship until his people in Contrapointa, South America, are free. Darlene visits Oliver in the hospital. Stryker tells Luger to marry his daughter Muffin, under threat of death. Rev. Billy Joe finds two wealthy oil barons, Clovis and Lamar, who are willing to help him with his plan. | |||||
| 5 | 'Episode Five' | J.D. Lobue | Paul Junger Witt | May 7, 1985 | |
| Oliver, who is now home from the hospital, still can't make love to Julia because he feels guilty about cheating on her again. Clovis and Lamar find some dirt on the President's personal accountant, Irving Metzman (George Wyner), and force him to help them plot against Julia. Oliver breaks it off with Darlene but not before having 'one last time together,' unaware that the KGB is secretly filming the whole thing. | |||||
| 6 | 'Episode Six' | J.D. Lobue | Mort Nathan | May 14, 1985 | |
| Clovis and Lamar give Metzman some money to secretly put into government contracts, in the names of Julia's family, as personal investments to make it appear that she gave her family inside information. They then tell Rev. Billy Joe to attack Julia on his talk show. Ivan Zolotov confronts Oliver, letting him know that if he doesn't do what Ivan says the world will see the film of him and a Russian agent. | |||||
| 7 | 'Episode Seven' | J.D. Lobue | Paul Junger Witt | May 21, 1985 | |
| Raoul leaves for South America and Lucy follows after him. Luger has dinner with Stryker's family and, after seeing how crazy they are, decides to marry Muffin if for no other reason than to get her out of the house. Ivan gives Oliver a list of demands. Later Ivan admits to a colleague that if Oliver doesn't come through for them he has a better plan — a plan to put a Soviet agent in the White House, at which point he introduces his newest secret agent: Rev. Billy Joe! | |||||
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote in his review: 'Hail to the Chief features Patty Duke as the first female President of the United States surrounded by assorted misfits in a format that is intended to be, as they like to say, zany and irreverent. This one's sour, to say the least. [...] As for Hail to the Chief, there hasn't been anything so furiously wacky on prime-time television since Soap got a broad cross-section of protest groups worked up almost a decade ago - even before the show went on air. Not surprisingly, both series come out of Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. Susan Harris is the creator and writer. Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas are the producers. It is perhaps a sign of the times that Hail to the Chief, which goes several kinky steps beyond the outrageousness of Soap, is making its debut without so much as a raised eyebrow, even though the advertisements for the equal opportunity offender promise that you'll say, I thought they couldn't do that on TV.'[6]
Ratings[edit]
Hail to the Chief, which featured Patty Duke as the President, got off to a very good start, attracting 32% of the available viewers and winning its time period for the April 9 premiere. But it drew only 24% the following week, 23% for the third episode and 22% for the fourth.[1]
Cancellation[edit]
Hail to the Chief was canceled in May 1985 after seven episodes.[1][7] ABC continued to air repeats of the series through July 20, 1985.
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ abcMargulies, Lee (May 21, 1985). ''Hail To The Chief' Goes To A Quiet Death On Abc'. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles: Tronc, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^Chicago Tribune Staff. 'Julia Mansfield, 'Hail to the Chief''. Chicago Tribune. Chicago: Tronc, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^Oliver, Myrna (October 9, 1996). 'Ted Bessell; Actor, Director Co-Starred in 'That Girl''. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles: Tronc, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ abBrooks & Marsh 2007, p. 574.
- ^Terrace 2011, p. 425.
- ^O'Connor, John J. (April 9, 1985). 'TV REVIEWS; 2 SITCOMS: 'LUCIE ARNAZ' AND 'HAIL TO THE CHIEF''. The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^Vaughn & Goren 2012, p. 108.
Sources[edit]
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York City: Ballantine Books. p. 574. ISBN978-0345497734.
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 425. ISBN978-0786464777.
- Justin S. Vaughn; Lilly J. Goren, eds. (2012). Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture, and Presidential Politics. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 108. ISBN978-0813141015.
External links[edit]
- Hail to the Chief on IMDb
- Hail to the Chief at TV.com