Finding Aid for From the Hearts of Men Video Production Records, 1974-1976 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Jeremy Schmitt and Somer Pelczar

Service Location	Boxes
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard Street	Box 1

Email us about these records | printer

Print this information

Collection Overview

Title: From the Hearts of Men Video Production Records, 1974-1976

ID: 12/9/145

Primary Creator: Darrell Blue

Extent: 0.25 cubic feet

Arrangement: Materials are organized in five folders: 1. Audio-visual materials; 2. Program materials: Shooting Scores and Sheet Music; 3. Program Materials: Production Notes; 4. Correspondence; 5. Financial Materials and Notes.

Date Acquired: 10/19/2015

Subjects: Audio-Visual Material, Band Concerts, Begian, Harry, Bicentennial, United States, Films, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Television Station - WILL

Formats/Genres: Financial Records, Motion Pictures/Videotapes

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of audio-visual recordings, sheet music, shooting scores, production notes, correspondence, budget records, brochures, and advertisements associated with Darrell Blue's production and performance of "From the Hearts of Men," a bicentennial salute to America's patriotic band music and composers, which was performed by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band under the direction of University Bands Director, Harry Begian,with narration provided by William Warfield.

Collection Historical Note

In the 1970s, Darell Blue worked for WCIA-TV in Champaign. His experience producing remote telecasts led the University of Illinois' WILL-TV station to hire him to produce the program "From the Hearts of Men." The University's Office of the President commissioned the project as a patriotic musical salute as one of America's Bicentennial broadcast programs.

Blue worked with Dr. Harry Begian, Director of Bands at the University, to produce the show. While the original concept for this broadcast included only music selections by John Philip Sousa music; Begian suggested the performance should include other American omposers' music that would be performed by the University Symphonic Band.

The show was produced in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts under the direction of Darrell Blue, Harry Begian, and Karl Volkers of the University's School of Music who did the recording. The original production plan was record both the video and audio together in Krannert's Foelinger Great Hall, but while the space was perfect for recording audio, it did not provide the best venue to record the video footage. As a result Blue and Volker convinced Begian to pre-record the music in the Great Hall, and then videotape the band's performance without audio in Krannert's Colwell Playhouse to accompany the audio recording that was made in the Great Hall.

Blue produced the program at the end of the 1976 Spring Semester during the two days that the band had free between their touring committment and final exams. The numbers in the program were: Mortin Gould's American Salute, David Wallis Reeves' Second Connecticut Regiment March, Jerry Belkirk's Civil War Fantasy, Karl King's A Night in June, John Philip Sousa's Semper Fidelis and The Stars and Stripes Forever; and Katherine Lee Bates' America the Beautiful. William Warfield, who served on the University's voice faculty, served as the narrator for this performance.

Following the final edit of the program, the University's Office of the President offered copies of this special Bicentennial program to TV stations around the country, and eventually broadcast by more than 250 television stations across the country as well as the Armed Forces Network.

Biographical Note

Harold "Darrell" Blue was born in Decatur, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois with two bachelors degrees in journalism and radio/television communications in 1961 and a masters degree in radio/television communications in 1967. Blue joined the staff of WILL TV in 1961. He was amongst the first journalists to cover the US-USSR exchange program's Russian national gymnastics team's seven-city exhibition, which came to the University of Illinois on January 18, 1961. Soon after this, he began working with WCIA-TV in Champaign, IL. In 1976, he oversaw the production of the From the Hearts of Men bicentennial salute to America's windbands, featuring Harry Begian and the University of Illinois Bands in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. After leaving Illinois, he joined a TV station in Spokane, Washington. From the early 1980s to his retirement in 2009, Blue served as Vice President and General Manager of two television stations in Yakima and Kennewick, Washington. Blue has been a member of the Yakima Rotary Club since 1987, serving as its president from 2004-2005. He has also served on the boards of the Memorial Hospital Foundation, The Cpitol Theatre, The Yakima Symphony, The United Way, and the Yakima County Development Association. Blue is a life member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association.

Subject/Index Terms

Audio-Visual Material
Band Concerts
Begian, Harry
Bicentennial, United States
Films
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Television Station - WILL

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Acquisition Source: Darrell Blue

Acquisition Method: Gift

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Audio-Visual Recordings, circa 1976: Audio-visual recordings of "From the Hearts of Men," performed by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band. Three recordings: U-matic video tape; a VHS tape copy of U-matic recording; and DVD copy of the VHS recording.
Folder 2: Program Materials: Shooting Scores and Music Manuscripts, circa 1975: Music for "From the Hearts of Men" video: Shooting scores for "America the Beautiful," "The Stars and Stripes forever," "Second Connecticut Regiment," and "Civil War Fantasy"; Manuscripts with measures numbered and/or notes for "Stars & Stripes Forever," "Second Connecticut Regiment," "American Civil War Fantasy," "Just Before the Battle Mother," and "A Night in June."
Folder 3: Program materials: Production Notes, 1975: Notes and documents relating to video production of "From the Hearts of Men," a bicentennial salute to patriotic band music and it's composers, performed by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band (Director, Harry Begian), narrated by William Warfield, and directed (video) by Darrell Blue. Includes shot lists, script sheets, and director's notes.
Folder 4: Correspondence, 1974-1976: Correspondence related to the production and recording of "From the Hearts of Men" show, including letters to video director Darrell Blue, and from band director Harry Begian.
Folder 5: Financial Materials and Notes, 1975: Folder contains financial records, production notes, brochures, and video purchase forms for the recording of "From the Hearts of Men."