Big Band Magazine - Magazine - Page 5
For the moment, Capt. Miller was preoccupied with establishing his "I Sustain the
Wings" network radio series, producing musical programs for the Office of War
Information and Voice of America, making V-Discs and continuing to sort out how his
elite AAF radio production unit could be best structured and employed to fulfill the
mission that Miller had outlined. It was becoming evident that Miller's focus was best
employed with the elite unit above and beyond his duties as AAFTC Director of
Bands. Furthermore, Miller continuing to lobby Washington and Gen. Barton Yount in
Fort Worth to consider sending his unit overseas. The challenge was, however, that
they had become too valuable to the AAF and the war effort at home.
In addition to radio, the AAF was involved in motion pictures and even Broadway. In
May 1943, Arnold approached playwright Moss Hart to stage a play about the
AAFTC. The result was "Winged Victory." A rousing success on Broadway, the play
eventually toured the nation and was made into a motion picture by Twentieth
Century-Fox. The production included an impressive array of talent, many of whom
became household names. The cast included a forty-two member choral group
directed by Lt. Leonard de Paur. Unsurprisingly, Capt. Glenn Miller helped organize
"Winged Victory." One of his recommendations was for M/Sgt. Norman Leyden to
join the production to assist composer T/Sgt. David Rose, who would serve as
musical director and conductor. The famous musician would only be present for the
premiere of "Winged Victory." Leyden conducted the rest of the Broadway run, which
was a remarkable opportunity. In 1944, when the production went on tour, headed
for Hollywood, Leyden remained in New York and transferred to Miller's unit. He had
already started writing arrangements for Miller, including "Now I Know," and
"Long Ago And Far Away".
Meanwhile, the AAF was very pleased with the Saturday afternoon "I Sustain the
Wings" broadcasts on CBS. When Washington asked the network to consider an
evening time slot, CBS regretfully declined because their schedule was full. The AAF
turned to NBC, which offered Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. with a commitment to open up
an 11:30 p.m. "I Sustain the Wings" moved to NBC on September 18, 1943. Adding
the 11:30 p.m. broadcasts on October 2, 1943. The series went through a transition
as Cpl. Tony Martin, with Miller's blessing, left for Officer Candidate School, and was
replaced by Pvt. Johnny Desmond.
On December 6, 1943, the AAFTC reorganized its radio production units. For Miller,
this meant separating his radio orchestra from base duties and they were no longer
required to handle marches. This was the beginning of a robust period for the
newly-minted Second AAF Radio Production Unit, which would culminate with
Capt. Miller eventually achieving his objective of taking the unit overseas.
To be continued …
