The "Colonel Bogey March" is a popular march that was written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881-1945), a British military bandmaster who was director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. Since at that time service personnel were not encouraged to have professional lives outside the armed forces, Ricketts published "Colonel Bogey" and his other compositions under the pseudonym Kenneth Alford. Supposedly, the tune was inspired by a military man and golfer who whistled a characteristic two-note phrase (a descending minor third interval) instead of shouting "Fore!". It is this phrase that begins each line of the melody. Bogey is golfing term meaning one over par.
The sheet music was a million-seller, and the march was recorded many times. "Colonel Bogey" is the authorized march of The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) of the Canadian Forces. Many humorous or satirical verses have been sung to this tune; some of them vulgar. The English quickly established a simple insulting use for the tune, where the first two sylables were used for a variety of rude expressions, then followed by "...and the same to you." The best known, which originated in England at the outset of World War II, goes by the title "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball". A later parody, sung by schoolchildren in the United States, is called "Comet", and deals with the effects of consuming a popular brand of household cleanser.
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The English composer Malcolm Arnold added a counter-melody[citation needed] for use in the 1957 dramatic movie The Bridge on the River Kwai, which was set during World War II. Although the vulgar lyrics were not used in the film, audiences of the time fully understood the subtextual humour of "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" being sung by prisoners of war. Arnold's additional score is still strongly identified with the march's use in the movie, although many people don't realise the film version is not the original. Arnold also wrote a march of his own for this movie, which is called "The River Kwai March". This piece has nothing to do with the Rickett/Alford march, but due to the fame of the film, many people now incorrectly refer to the "Colonel Bogey March" as "The River Kwai March". Because the film concerned prisoners of war being held under inhumane conditions by the Japanese, there was a minor diplomatic flap in the early 1970s when the "Colonel Bogey March" was played during a visit by the Japanese prime minister to Australia.
Other uses in popular culture
Film
- The tune was whistled, as an insult, by Michael Redgrave in Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Lady Vanishes, which may be the first time it was heard in a fictional film.
- It has been used in films such as The Parent Trap, The Breakfast Club and Spaceballs.
Television
- The tune was used in an episode of the UK cult television series The Avengers.
- It was the theme to "The Johnny LaRue Show" sketch on SCTV, and was the theme for the BBC2 sitcom Hyperdrive.
- In the Doctor Who serial "The Face of Evil", The Doctor, (portrayed by Tom Baker) whistles the march to show his disdain of his alien antagonizers as he explores a planet.
- On The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the ULA Peacocks Football fight song was sung to the tune of the march.
- In a Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" sketch, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler sang "The Bobo Shoes" song to the tune of the "Colonel Bogey March".
- In the Lost episode "Catch-22", it was whistled by Desmond, Charlie, Hurley, and Jin as they march across the beach.
- The tune has also been frequently used in British and American television commercials, including for MasterCard, Miracle Whip, and Getty Oil; as well as in several German commercials for Underberg.
Other
- In the 1960s British comedy revue Beyond The Fringe, Dudley Moore performed a satiric arrangement of the march in the style of a Beethoven piano sonata, in which the coda drags on for nearly two and a half minutes as a parody of the style.
- It was covered by the punk/Oi! band Cock Sparrer on the album Shock Troops.
- In the Nintendo DS game Nintendogs, you can find a record labelled ‘Colonel Bogey’. It says it is written by ‘Alford’ and when you play it, your dogs walk round in circles.
- Japanese children sing this melody with inprovised lyrics of "Monkey (in Japanese, saru)-Gorilla-Chimpanzee" .
See also
External links
- The real Colonel Bogey from Music & Vision Daily
- Variations on the Colonel Bogey tune in the bluegrass and klezmer style by Glenn