Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)

Subject: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: GUEST,John C. Bunnell
Date: 16 Jul 18 - 11:18 AM

Google-fu (and YouTube) have entirely failed me on this one, and yet I can't believe that it's so obscure that the material is simply unfindable. Here's the story:

In grade school in the late 1960s (US, Pacific Northwest), we were shown a series of social-studies/history films produced -- if memory serves -- by NBC (possibly the news division, possibly an educational sub-unit of the news division), covering a series of time periods from (I think) the Revolutionary War right up to the then-present.

These films, being aimed at grade-school viewers, included songs; I think most of the individual films used familiar popular and folk songs relative to the period or topic of the particular film. There was, however, at least one recurring song/lyric -- I don't think it was quite a theme song, in the sense of opening and closing every movie in the way of a television episode, but definitely repeating from one to the next and setting an overall arc for the film series. Here is the fragment of lyric that I remember, which I believe would have been the end of a verse and possibly part of the refrain:

"...built this land of opportunity;
A nation of immigrants, of hard-working immigrants,
Are we."

You can see, I expect, why this has been running through my head lately; does anyone else remember those films and the song in question, and if so, know where and how to track down lyrics if not an actual recording?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: GUEST,Jayne H.
Date: 16 Jan 19 - 07:56 PM

I remember too! I am in my sixties, and I grew up in Michigan. I remember that song, and can still sing the refrain--and you've got the words mostly correct. I think. Except that I believe the exact words were:

"A nation of immigrants, a nation of immigrants
Built this land of opportunity
Descendents of immigrants, of hard-working immigrants
Are we"

I came across your comment just now because I myself have been trying to track down that song, and information about the program(s) it was from.

I remember a TV series which I believe was called "Exploring" from that time. I believe it was broadcast on Saturday afternoons, and I remember that one documentary-type episode was all about Ellis Island. It's my impression that the song was used in that episode, and was perhaps the theme song for the series from then on. Well, I could be wrong about that, but I DO remember being fascinated by the program about Ellis island, and I DO remember that song.

Like you, I've had absolutely no luck in locating the song.I've Googled everything I can think of. I'm very happy to know that someone else remembers it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 19 - 11:10 AM

You might find breadcrumbs to follow if you visit the the Newseum. Alas, I think you have to go there in person, they don't have much of their collection online. Back when it first opened I heard interviews when journalists discussed being able to call up and watch episodes of decades-old programs. Google offered up this education link from the museum that I couldn't get from their home page. You'll have to poke around, but if you think those programs were aimed at a particular age group you might be able to track down a whiff of a reference.

And here is the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Another rabbit hole to traverse.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: GUEST,Dave D
Date: 17 Jan 19 - 03:54 PM

I found one of these programmes on archive.org, and the song you are after is included in the closing titles.

https://archive.org/details/theroadtogettysburgcivilwarpart118611863

I can't find more editions of the programme. Archive.org is wonderful, but poorly indexed - I searched for "NBC exploring" to come up with the above, but if folk can think of other, more creative search terms they might well be able to discover further episodes.

Dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 19 - 04:10 PM

Good find, Dave! I've used Archive for a lot of versions of web sites (it is also called "The Wayback Machine" after the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon program segment called "Peabody's Improbable History"), and a friend publishes annotated versions of historic books there. I hadn't thought about their housing video.

Putting on my library hat: the Archive posts a link to WorldCAT, and if you click on the author information (top of the form), you get this: 'au:Graphic Curriculum, inc., New York.'. And you should be able to mine that for details. If the OCLC results stop you at a paywall, then head down to your local public library and access it there; most of them have an account.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: GUEST,Dave D
Date: 17 Jan 19 - 04:38 PM

Yep, the link to WorldCat provides the titles of the episodes, which you can then feed back to archive.org to find the actual content. Not sure if they are all on archive.org, but the first one I tried worked a treat. Great call - librarians rule!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: John C. Bunnell
Date: 18 Jan 19 - 04:33 PM

Oh, excellent!!!

Many, many thanks to all three of you for jump-starting this into a successful search. It turns out that Jayne's memory of the closing lyrics is correct -- but also, on a bit of further listening and poking about, that they're essentially the closing half of a framing theme song. Unfortunately (though not surprisingly), the Wayback Machine video quality is uneven, so there are skips in what I'm hearing, but with the prospect of more episodes to be found, I think I'll have a full set of the framing lyrics before too long, and by the sound of it there is more to be found in the body of the films.

Meanwhile, further credit where due: the screen credits indicate that the music for these was "written and sung by" one Stan Davis. That name isn't immediately familiar to me, but these surely won't have been his only credited songs, so I now have an artist to research as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: GUEST,Dave D
Date: 19 Jan 19 - 07:37 AM

Glad to be of service.

Just one note - if you are searching for further episodes as per Stilly River Sage's linked list of titles, do not use the Way Back Machine but the search box a little further down the screen. Wonderful as the Way Back Machine is, archive.org is so much more and it is with the other search box you will find books, audio, videos and hopefully further episodes of Exploring.

Subject: RE: Stan Davis
From: Felipa
Date: 19 Jan 19 - 09:08 AM

Ecosia search engine comes up with love songs by a Stan Davis -
My one and only love: "The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an April breeze on the wings of spring, And you appear in all your splendor, My one and only love" / Like a Lover: "Like a lover the river wind, Sighs and ripples its fingers through your hair, Upon your cheek it lingers,"/ My Foolish Heart: "The night is like a lovely tune Beware my foolish heart How white the ever constant moon Take care my foolish heart There's a line between love and fascination That's hard to see, how many names such as this For they both have the very same sensation When you're locked in the magic of a kiss Her lips are much too close to mine Beware my foolish ... "

Do you think this is the same lyricist? A Canadian! (or at least lives in British Columbia) http://standavis.ca/home.html He doesn't look young, but whether he's old enough to have had his songs recorded in the 1960s I don't know. The song list on this website doesnt include the love songs or - as far as I've noticed - that immigrant song but it does have some political lyrics such as
WATCH OUT FOR COMMUNISTS
THOSE LOW-DOWN, DIRTY ROTTEN COMMUNISTS
YOU BETTER BE CAREFUL
YOU SIMPLY MUST RESIST
CEASE AND DESIST THOSE VILE COMMUNISTS
THERE’S NO COMPARISON
BETWEEN THOSE COMMIES AND AMERICANS
WE CANNOT CO-EXIST
SO WATCH OUT FOR THE COMMUNISTS!

(capital letters because I copied and posted from http://standavis.ca/music.html )

or
WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS
THERE IS A RISK SECRETS WILL LEAK
BUT NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE IS
WE CANNOT LET THE DOCTOR SPEAK

FOR THIS CONTENTIOUS SITUATION
(DO WHAT IT DEEMS)
WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF MEANS
(WE’VE GOT THE MEANS)
FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR NATION
WE’LL GO TO EXTREMES

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: Felipa
Date: 19 Jan 19 - 09:20 AM

a musician named Stan Davis, >70 years old, posted in the Mudcat Monte Dunn obituary thread in 2012

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (Stan Davis)
From: Felipa
Date: 19 Jan 19 - 09:25 AM

I've emailed the two Stan Davis addies I found in those searches and will let you know if I get any reply/replies; or maybe the Stan Davis/es I wrote to will reply directly on Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'nation of immigrants' (NBC ed. films)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jan 19 - 12:12 PM

Yes, the Wayback Machine has a distinct function (particularly useful to those who had events or information listed on sites that have since been changed - I use it to illustrate web design work I did on a site that has since taken down pages because they installed a new content management system) - scrolling down the page reveals a world of databases. Electric Sheep is particularly fascinating!