Alexander Courage

Alexander "Sandy" Mair Courage, Jr. (December 10, 1919  May 15, 2008) was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme music for the original Star Trek TV series.

Early life

Courage was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received a music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, in 1941. He served in the United States Army Air Forces in the western United States during the Second World War. During that period, he also found the time to compose music for the radio. His credits in this medium include the programs Adventures of Sam Spade Detective, Broadway Is My Beat, Hollywood Soundstage, and Romance.

Career

Courage began as an orchestrator and arranger at MGM studios, which included work in such films as the 1951 Show Boat ("Life Upon the Wicked Stage" number), The Band Wagon ("I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan"), Gigi (the can-can for the entrance of patrons at Maxim's), and the barn raising dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Shore leave

Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the crew, who took it as a prime opportunity to drink in excess, indulge in other pleasures denied to them aboard the solely masculine ships, and desert. Many captains were forced to take on new members of the crew to replace the ones lost due to shore leave.

In popular culture

Books, films, and songs about sailors on shore leave include Jean Genet's 1953 novel, Querelle of Brest; Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's 1949 film musical of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town; and Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel's 1964 ballad "Amsterdam".

The US singer-songwriter Tom Waits wrote a song entitled "Shore Leave" in 1982, and included it on his album of the following year Swordfishtrombones. As well as describing the excesses noted above, it also details the loneliness that many sailors feel when they suddenly find themselves with free time but without loved ones to share it with. His separation from his wife (he's in Hong Kong, she's back in the USA) is most poignantly put in a beautifully haunting line: "And I wondered how the same moon over this Chinatown fair/ Could look down on Illinois, and find you there".

Shore Leave

Shore Leave may refer to:

  • Shore leave, the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land
  • "Shore Leave" (Star Trek), a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
  • Shore Leave (film), a 1925 film starring Richard Barthelmess
  • Shore Leave, a The Venture Brothers character parodying Shipwreck (G.I. Joe)
  • See also

  • Shore lead, oceanographic term for a waterway opening between pack ice and shore
  • Shore Leave (film)

    Shore Leave is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by John S. Robertson and starring Richard Barthelmess and Dorothy Mackaill. It was produced by Barthelmess's production company, Inspiration, and released by First National Pictures. A print of the film survives.

    Shore Leave is based on the stage play of the same name written by Hubert Osborne. The play ran on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre from August 8 to December 1922 for a total of 151 performances. The play starred James Rennie and Frances Starr in the leads played by Barthelmess and Mackaill in the film.

    Cast

  • Richard Barthelmess - Blige Smith
  • Dorothy Mackaill - Connie Martin
  • Ted McNamara - Bat Smith
  • Nick Long - Captain Martin
  • Marie Shotwell - Mrs. Schuyler-Payne
  • Arthur Metcalfe - Mr. Schuyler-Payne
  • Warren Cook - Admiral Smith
  • Samuel E. Hines - Chief Petty officer
  • References

    External links

  • Shore Leave at the American Film Institute Catalog
  • Shore Leave at the Internet Movie Database
  • Shore Leave at silentera.com
  • Podcasts:

    Alexander Courage

    Born: 1919-12-10

    Died: 2008-05-15

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Theme From Star Trek

    by: Alexander Courage

    Space... The Final Frontier
    These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise
    Its five-year mission:
    To explore strange new worlds
    To seek out new life and new civilizations




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