The Band made its first motion picture appearance in 1935, as a featured player in a musical short titled Meet the Professor! The film is a two-reeler shot at what Spectator called “talkie studios” in the Bronx. Filming took place in January; release was in February. (Post-production was not so intensive back in the 30s.) The story is set at “Oyster College,” yet the fictional school’s band plays “Who Owns New York?” (and sings “C-O-L-U-M-B-I-A”) as well as “Sans Souci” and “Stand Up and Cheer.” Demonstrating that it was a double-threat ensemble — a symphonic band as well as a marching unit — the group also gives a creditable rendition of Wagner’s Prélude to Act III of “Lohengrin”.
Meet The Professor shows off the Band in all its majesty.
That’s us! Fourth billing!
The players in action.
A full half-century later, in 1985, a contingent from the Band made a brief showing in another movie whose title ends with an exclamation point: Turk 182! This one is a Bob Clark action comedy, set in New York City and starring Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich and Kim Cattrall. A crew from the Band, wearing white slacks and baby blue tops (mysteriously accented by flowing red bandanas), plays “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” and a fun time is had by all.
The Band in Turk 182. The red bandanas did not catch on.
