[Dixielandjazz] Re: Ilse Weinberger and Glenn Miller (was Two Female Questions)

[Bill Haesler]

[DJMLer mates. This is quite long so, if the subject is of no interest to
you, hit the Delete button now.]

Dear Fred,
I've had no luck with additional information regarding Ilse Weinberger and
the last recordings by Glenn Miller recorded in 1944 on 30th Oct and the
6th,13 and 27 Nov .
I suggest that, as they were not located until the 1990s, they were missed
by earlier Miller biographers like George T Simon and John Flower.
And another thought. Was Ilse Weignberger her real name?
Assuming that she may have been Jewish with family in Germany, I doubt that
she would not be using a traceable name for fear of reprisals.

I did a Google and Yahoo search and came up with the following snippets:
The first hit, obtained by searching >Glenn Miller Propaganda broadcasts<
turned up a link with a photograph of Ilse and an audio clip of her
introducing the Miller band.
  www.earthstation1.com/Glenn_Miller's_Propaganda.html

A review of the RCA 2-CD set (#68320).
"This two-CD set has Glenn Miller's legendary final recordings, six
propaganda broadcasts recorded in England with his Army Air Force Band and
aired in Nazi Germany and throughout Europe. A female announcer speaks
(mostly in German); Miller alternates between German and English, and Johnny
Desmond sings quite effectively in German. The big band (which also included
a full string section) is heard in prime form on swing tunes and some mood
music. All of the performances plus additional announcements and versions of
Miller's theme "Moonlight Serenade" are included on the English Avid label's
Glenn Miller double-CD The Complete Abbey Road Recordings (in addition to
four selections from an earlier session), so that twofer will be preferred
by completists." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

Another review of the RCA CD set:
"By mid-1944, Major Glenn Miller and his band, dubbed the American Band of
the Allied Expeditionary Force, were stationed in England, maintaining a
rigorous schedule of broadcasts and concerts to boost military morale. These
two CDs of lost recordings come from six radio shows taped in October and
November of that year for the American Broadcasting System in Europe. The
shows were directed at German troops, and they're fascinating just as
documents, whether Miller is struggling in halting German, describing the
band as "a true picture of the great melting pot of America," or introducing
a singer with "Sgt. Johnny Desmond, report to Ilse" (the show's announcer)
for a rendition of "My Heart Tells Me" sung in German. But it's the quality
of the music and the exceptional presence achieved in London's Abbey Road
Studios that maintain interest. Miller's hits may have never sounded better,
and arranger Jerry Grey is strikingly adroit at blending the big swing band
with a full complement of string players on such tunes as "Begin the
Beguine." --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Another site which I couldn't quite fathom said:
"As part of the secret broadcasts to the Nazis, Miller included spoken
words, translated by Ilse Weinberger. Miller and Ilse talk directly to
people in German occupied territory. These broadcasts were made for
Eisenhower's Psychological Warfare Division and their purpose was to
persuade the Germans to give up fighting and accept American hegemony."

A review of the earlier Avid CD set of the 'lost recordings:
"With much fanfare, in 1996 RCA put out The Lost Recordings, a two-CD set
comprised of six Glenn Miller propaganda broadcasts that were unwittingly
his final recordings. This particular two-CD set from the English label Avid
(which is probably not as widely available domestically) is actually
superior for it contains the complete broadcasts (with opening and closing
themes), more dialogue in German and English by Miller and announcer Ilse
Weinberger plus four additional selections (including two with Dinah Shore
vocals) taken from an unrelated performance from the previous September. The
Army Air Force Band purposely sounded closer to Glenn Miller's earlier
orchestra on these performances than it usually did in 1944. Not all
listeners will be enchanted by the German dialogue and vocals, but the liner
notes give a complete translation and Miller does crack a couple of good
jokes. As for the music, it gave the large orchestra plenty of opportunities
to swing on numbers as "Here We Go Again," "Caribbean Clipper," "Tail End
Charlie," "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "Jeep Jockey Jump." In addition,
there are some smooth Johnny Desmond vocals, fine dance music and spirited
remakes of Glenn Miller's earlier hits. And yes, the Abbey Road Studios used
for these broadcasts is the same one immortalized later on by the Beatles."
Posted by Scott Yanow, Jun 18, 2004.

The following is an extract from an article by Lewis A. Erenberg,
History Department, Loyola University Chicago.
BROADCASTING FREEDOM: GLENN MILLER AND POPULAR MUSIC DURING WORLD WAR II
The complete article can be accessed at
   www.uni-erfurt.de/nordamerika/doc/Papers_rtf/erenberg.rtf
"Whether at home or abroad, Miller¹s broadcasts also featured propaganda
skits that dramatized the Four Freedoms and equated swing with free
expression and American democracy.  The orchestra¹s overt propaganda tunes,
for example, hailed the United States as a cosmopolitan nation.  ²There are
Yanks² (1944) praised the unity of diverse Americans, linking Yanks from
²the banks of the Wabash² to ²Okies, crackers,² and ²every color and creed/
And they talk the only language the Master race can read.²  Miller¹s
six-week series of broadcasts for the Office of War Information, The German
Wehrmacht Hour, beamed from England to Germany during Fall 1944, also
equated a pluralistic nation and its music.  Coming after D-Day, these shows
on the American Broadcasting Station in Europe (ABSIE), as part of the Voice
of America, urged the German troops to surrender and attempted to give them
a favorable impression of the United States.  Using Miller in this way
reflected a shift in American propaganda, as Holly Shulman has argued, from
fomenting resistance and mass revolt to making the acceptance of American
power primary.  Musical entertainment as symbols of a democratic American
way of life would convince Germans to surrender and impress other Europeans
with the beneficence of American motives‹all without having to say too much
about concrete American plans.  To these ends, the program employed a German
announcer, Ilse Weinberger, the singer Johnny Desmond doing popular American
tunes in German, and German dialogue to trumpet the blessings of democracy
in music.  In one episode, for example, Ilse declared that an American could
play any music he liked with- out ²barriers Šwhether the music is American,
German, Russian, Chinese or Jewish.²  Miller underlined the point.  ²You
find all nationalities among,² the orchestra.  ²There¹re even quite a number
of boys whose parents came from Germany, Russia, Italy and many other
countries.  But today they are true Americans, sitting side by side with
their buddies no matter who they are or where they came from.  This is a
true picture of the Great Melting Pot America, and a symbol of unity in the
fight for freedom and peace.²  On another show he added that swing, with its
²love of freedom and carefree life are two vital American characteristics.²
Dialogue was usually brief, however.  The band¹s per- formances of popular
tunes, such as ²Body and Soul,² or a swing tune associated with Duke
Ellington, Benny Goodman, or Miller himself usually said it all."

And finally, from the Miller Nichols Library site:
"A true audio treat, The American Band of the AEF recorded a series of shows
at EMI studios in London that were broadcast over German airwaves for German
soldiers! The 1944 broadcasts enlisted the assistance of female German
announcer Ilse Weinberger and gave Glenn Miller a chance to brush up on his
German conversational skills. In this October 30th clip, aired November 8th
on the German Wehrmacht hour, the band performs the Miller hit "In the Mood"
and features the versatile Johnny Desmond - who the French dubbed "Le
Cremaire" (the Creamer) - singing "Long Ago and Far Away" in German."

Very kind regards,
Bill.