The Last Long Mile - US WW1 Song

The Last Long Mile was originally composed by Emil Breitenfeld while the musician was training with the 17th New York Regiment in Plattsburgh, New York. The song-originally known as either The Long Last Mile or the Plattsburg Marching Song-quickly became popular with soldiers, and was presented along with other soldier's compositions to the National Board on Army and Navy Camp Music. The board liked the song, and considered it one of the best songs to have been produced in soldier's camps. The song was later featured in the first issue of Music in the Camps, an activity book produced for army and navy training camps.

[@airborne8282]

Emil Breitenfeld was my great-uncle (the older brother of my grandfather.) While at Columbia University, he wrote the music & lyrics for the varsity shows, performed with full orchestras, which he conducted; I have the scores. Some whippersnappers named Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein were coming up in the Columbia ranks when he was in his hey-day.
"The Last Long Mile" was used as the military Act One Finale to the Broadway musical "Toot Toot," in 1918 - the other songs were composed by one Jerome Kern; an the script and lyrics were by Edgar Allan Woolf, who, 20 years later, became one of the principal scriptwriters for a little MGM flick called "The Wizard Of Oz."
"The Last Long Mile" is included in World War I song anthologies.
For various complex psychological reasons, despite the fact that every door was open to him in New York, due to his accomplishments and well-placed family, Emil moved to San Francisco after leaving the army. His lifelong career in music was an exercise in "almost/not quite." He became a silent movie organist; then when silent movies died, he became a vaudeville arranger; then went vaudeville died, he became the house conductor and arranger for the Golden Gate movie theatre in San Francisco, for years.
His son, Paul Breitenfeld, picked up clarinet as a boy, when he lived for a few years with my grandparents and my mother and uncle; then he picked up the alto sax, and eventually became famous the world over as Paul Desmond, the saxophonist/composer for the Dave Brubeck Quartet, for whom he wrote "Take Five" among other compositions.
When Emil went out West, never to return, he left behind the Sohmer piano his parents had bought for him. I have a photo of my grandfather playing this piano in the NY apartment, and a pencil sketch my grandfather made of the piano, and I was shocked later in life to recognize the piano as the very piano my mother had in our dining room, on which I first learned to play when I was 5.

[@esenaboxaki]

That's the first WW1 film I've seen where the film is not sped up.

[@bendsherman1984]

I used restored footage where they had actually slowed down the speed of the footage of it.

[@MrMcFish219]

I really like the editing, 0:47 is really fun to watch.

[@noahyoung5251]

Excellent job with the editing, I wish a lot more of these songs got the same level of attention! If I could give two thumbs up, I would!

[@HEILIGERRomer]

It's the lassssttt looooooonnnnnnggg
mile!!!!🎶🇺🇸
Happy Independence Day folks. 🫡❤️

[@BugonHand]

This is a British song, mate...

[@Kerberos-hx7xf]

@@BugonHand Nope, the guy who wrote this was an American soldier serving in the US Army. If it were British, then why would it refer to Springfield rifles? (an American rifle during the war before being replaced by the Enfield 1917) and its sung by an American

[@BugonHand]

@@Kerberos-hx7xf my bad

[@ClappyBiz]

nice - Love from plaid

[@logan1889]

Wonderful video, I own this record for my Victrola. Your version has very good sound quality!

[@Ieatred40]

WE MAKING IT OUT OF BALLROOM BLITZ WITH THIS ONE🥶🥶🥶🗣️🗣️🗣️💯💯💯💀💀💀🔥🔥🔥🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🏈🏈🏈🏈🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🏫🔫

[@FersoElFlaco]

Question is this billy murray singing?

[@bendsherman1984]

This one is sung my Charles Harrison

[@paulwucher9149]

This is a British song not american

[@bendsherman1984]

This version of the song was sung by Charles Harrison, who was a American singer.
The lyrics also has American words and “Springfield on your shoulder” referring to the Springfield bolt action rifle that was issued to American soldiers. The Last Long Mile" was originally composed by Emil Breitenfeld while the musician was training with the 17th New York Regiment in Plattsburgh, New York.