The theme for 12 O'Clock High was the piece that most inspired me to take up the flute. It's very simple -- primarily a descending minor scale -- very simple. But I had always loved it from when I first heard it when the series was on television. Google informs me that the series ran from '64-'67 so I was between 8 and 11 years old at the time. I really enjoyed seeing Robert Lansing commanding his bomber group. The plot seemed very sophisticated at the time compared to the other fare on the tube. Later I saw the movie on whose music the TV theme was based. That had Gregory Peck and -- doubtless influenced by the show -- I enjoyed that as well. That shows up on cable from time to time, but I haven't seen the show in a long time.
This is a rollicking fun song. I think my favorite rendition is a live rendition with the Clancy Brothers where one of them comes out on the stage and says "We're going to do Finnegan's wake but before we start Tommy is going to read the entire novel by James Joyce." Then Tommy starts reading what sounds like gibberish and I had to check that this is indeed how the novel starts!
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