Victory at Sea 

Twenty-six episode series about naval combat during World War Two. Famous for its music score, eloquent narration and combat footage.

Stars:

Leonard Graves, Karl Dönitz, Winston Churchill

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Leonard Graves	...	Narrator 26 episodes, 1952-1953

Storyline

Twenty-six episode series about naval combat during World War Two. Famous for its music score, eloquent narration and combat footage.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | year 1944 | navy ship | aerial combat | naval battle | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Action | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The second episode, which dealt with the attack on Pearl Harbor, was re-broadcast on December 7th, the 11th anniversary of the attack.

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Alternate Versions

This documentary series was so popular that, several years later, in 1954, the footage from the 26 episodes was edited, and a 35mm negative was prepared, for a theatrical release in a 98 minute version. During the next decade this version was released in many foreign countries, including some of the former Axis powers. This gave audiences the chance to see the footage on a large screen and hear Richard Rodger's famous symphonic score in higher fidelity from the large theater speakers.

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Connections

Referenced in The Wonder Years: Goodbye (1990)

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Soundtracks

Song of the High Seas
by Richard Rodgers
Williamson Music Company (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Interesting to see 50+ years later

I just found the entire 3 DVD set at Wal-Mart in the bargain bin for $5.50, so I thought I would take another look. Total of 13 hours to watch it all (26 episodes). I was born in 1948 and saw most of them on TV in the sixties. Many independent stations repeated them for many years.

Better than I expected actually, time has been kind to the obvious sincerity of it's creators, and to the obvious gratitude and respect they give to all the Allied fighting men and women. More abstract and arty than a straight forward documentary, but very truthful in it's depiction of the causes and final results of WWII. That war was greatly dependent on sea transportation, and the final victory was dependent on who achieved the final mastery of the world's oceans. The Allies were the ones who were able to do it.

Interesting too, to see how they try to strike a balance between big events, and the individual soldiers and sailors that made them happen. The score is impressive, if a bit too much by today's standards. I read somewhere that Robert Russell Bennett contributed just as much as Richard Rodgers to final score. I imagine that Rodgers provided all the major themes, and it was up to Bennett to fit them to the images. Great job!

Should be seen by every ruler, or potential ruler. A warning to tyrants that wars are eventually won by ideals, determination, and the supplies to back them up. Logistics: their quality and delivery will determine the eventual victors. The Allies outproduced and surpassed the material quality of the Axis, attacked their very source in the process, and insured their eventual defeat.

Sorry to see that the producer, Henry Salomon, lived a very short life. IMDb's facts were rather skimpy, I have to find out more about him. He did a few more outstanding documentaries before his early death. Might have more to say at a later time

Trivia: I had all 3 LP records made of the background music, pretty good overall. Unfortunately, the producers decided to add sound effects to the last one, relegating immediately to just novelty status, rather than for serious music listening. Too bad too, because it contained some interesting but more minor themes in the series. Silly stuff like 16 inch guns firing, torpedoes being fired, bulldozers, planes...just for kids mainly.

RSGRE

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Voitto merellä

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC), United States Navy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (26 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1