1964 World Open

[asop]

"Bit of a Difference":

You nailed it. Don Angelica, the long time "Music Man" for the Garfield Cadets relocated to Casper Wyoming, and had a very great deal to do with bringing the Casper Troopers into national contention. Jim Jones, a drummer, and the corps founder-director had for the longest time been teaching ALL the captions (And doing quite a good job of it) I believe Bellville's Jim Miiddleton was signed on to work with F-Troops drum line and brought that section up to speed in a hurry.

Mr. Jones continued to write and teach the corps drill as well as the program for the Troopers "Winter Guard", (Whose style was copied from Alex Haddad's "Phantomette's unit, the "Winter Guard" of the Rockford Phantom Regiment) which brought home the corps first National Title" in 1963 by winning the Legion title. The corps maintained a "Charisma" all through the 1960s that set them apart from the National Contender's "Pack".

Elphaba

WWW

To make a point on some of this, if you have access to it, listen to the 65 VFW at McCormick Place recording. Only your ears can determine how much improved they were from previous years. And, they weren't playing the toughest music on the planet either, but the execution had improved. Don't get me wrong, they were good. But if you are not seeing the drill and only listening, you'll see what I mean. A 4th place finish in prelims and finals wasn't a bad deal, considering you were going up against the 1965 Chicago Royal Airs, who were completely off the map. I know, I saw those Royal Airs in May that year, and they were already throwing babies.

<gsksun4>

Edited December 31, 2007 by asop

[KeithHall]

More corps than DCI....LOL

Here are those prelim scores:

August 30, 1964 Bridgeport, CT

Blessed Sacrament 88.23

Cavaliers 88.02

Royal Airs 87.73

St. Kevin's 87.72

Boston Crusaders 86.62

Kilties 86.58

Garfield 85.75

St. Lucy's 85.68

Selden 84.05

PAL-Bridgeport 83.78

Troopers 83.42

Madison 82.8

Racine Scouts 82.42

St. Joe/Batavia 81.68

St. Raphael's 80.58

Marion Cadets 78.57

Royal Lancers-CT 78.5

Starlighters-NY 78.37

OLPH Ridgemen 78.17

St. Rocco's 77.75

St. Joe Patron 77.53

Pittsfield Cavs 75.42

St. Rose Imp. Lancers 75.38

St. Ann's Loyalaires 75.3

Fair Lawn Cadets 74.8

Little Falls Cadet 73.65

New Britain Grenadiers 73.27

Explorers-CT 69.87

Shoreliners-CT 69.65

Hot Shots 68.02

Paramounts 67.93

Minisink Warriors 67.1

Hilltoppers 66.73

Targets 66.03

St. George Olympians 65.98

Pacers 63.83

St. Mary's Crusaders 61.42

Ramblers-NY 60.87

Bath Bucs 52.55

Eastsiders 47.88

Royal Highlanders 46.53

Shawinigan Majorettes 40.92

[MikeD]

Here are those prelim scores:

August 30, 1964 Bridgeport, CT

Hilltoppers 66.73

My first corps...I was 10 1/2 in the summer of 64, and my dad had signed me up with the Livingston NJ Hilltoppers. I was a snare drummer in their feeder corps. The 'big corps' was a pretty decent Garden Sate Circuit class 'B' corps. Sad to say, VFW post politics tore them apart, and the feeder corps became the only Hilltoppers in 1965, with the bulk of the main corps forming a new GSC corps, the Imperial Guardsmen. I marched with the Hilltoppers through 67....we never made the field, just parades.

[gsksun4]

Here are those prelim scores:

August 30, 1964 Bridgeport, CT

Blessed Sacrament 88.23

Cavaliers 88.02

Royal Airs 87.73

St. Kevin's 87.72

Boston Crusaders 86.62

Kilties 86.58

Garfield 85.75

St. Lucy's 85.68

Selden 84.05

PAL-Bridgeport 83.78

Troopers 83.42

Madison 82.8

Racine Scouts 82.42

St. Joe/Batavia 81.68

St. Raphael's 80.58

Marion Cadets 78.57

Royal Lancers-CT 78.5

Starlighters-NY 78.37

OLPH Ridgemen 78.17

St. Rocco's 77.75

St. Joe Patron 77.53

Pittsfield Cavs 75.42

St. Rose Imp. Lancers 75.38

St. Ann's Loyalaires 75.3

Fair Lawn Cadets 74.8

Little Falls Cadet 73.65

New Britain Grenadiers 73.27

Explorers-CT 69.87

Shoreliners-CT 69.65

Hot Shots 68.02

Paramounts 67.93

Minisink Warriors 67.1

Hilltoppers 66.73

Targets 66.03

St. George Olympians 65.98

Pacers 63.83

St. Mary's Crusaders 61.42

Ramblers-NY 60.87

Bath Bucs 52.55

Eastsiders 47.88

Royal Highlanders 46.53

Shawinigan Majorettes 40.92

If I remember correctly, the corps did their show without the concert number in prelims to allow time for all the corps to compete. This cut the usual 13 minute show down to about 10 I guess.

[MikeD]

If I remember correctly, the corps did their show without the concert number in prelims to allow time for all the corps to compete. This cut the usual 13 minute show down to about 10 I guess.

In my marching days with Garfield our prelim show was not just the show without concert. I think there was a 7 or 7 1/2 minute time limit, and you had to keep moving at all times. NO stop time permitted. We had to tweak all sorts of stuff...and of course leave out a good portion of the movement part of the show i addition to concert. I have the 1971 World Open performances of Garfield in both prelims and finals on DVD, and it's amazing how much of the show is not performed at prelims.

[mikeyinsunnyflorida]

I cant add anything as to why the results were as they were, but what a great time it was for me to see the cream of the crop for the first time in my then young drum corps experience. I marched prelims that day with a small corps from from poughkeepsie, ny called the Pacers. it was our first year as an m&m corps and our first exposure to a major competition. up until this prelim, we had been in smaller local circuit shows against corps like the warriors, olympians, targets, pittsfield cavaliers and a connecticut corps or two. but on this morning, we were often 15 feet away from the giants practicing in the parking lot outside the stadium. i vividly remember watching the cavaliers, troopers, BSand the kilties practicing for the prelims. we came in 36th out of 42 corps. we were thrilled that we beat so many corps. a great day for a young kid. i think seeing those corps practicing inspired me to be a part of this great activity for so many years. and to top off the day, we stayed to watch the finals with the added treat of the troopers in exhibition. the younger kids today get bored when you talk about those old days, but i just silently laugh all the way to the "memory" bank!

[gsksun4]

I cant add anything as to why the results were as they were, but what a great time it was for me to see the cream of the crop for the first time in my then young drum corps experience. I marched prelims that day with a small corps from from poughkeepsie, ny called the Pacers. it was our first year as an m&m corps and our first exposure to a major competition. up until this prelim, we had been in smaller local circuit shows against corps like the warriors, olympians, targets, pittsfield cavaliers and a connecticut corps or two. but on this morning, we were often 15 feet away from the giants practicing in the parking lot outside the stadium. i vividly remember watching the cavaliers, troopers, BSand the kilties practicing for the prelims. we came in 36th out of 42 corps. we were thrilled that we beat so many corps. a great day for a young kid. i think seeing those corps practicing inspired me to be a part of this great activity for so many years. and to top off the day, we stayed to watch the finals with the added treat of the troopers in exhibition. the younger kids today get bored when you talk about those old days, but i just silently laugh all the way to the "memory" bank!

I too marched that day. They had a leader board to post scores after each corps went on. Pieces of paper with your score. Up until that time, corps were posting 50's, 60' and a few low 70's. I waited patiently by that board with mixed emotions. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, they put us up with an 84. I was so excited, I turned to one of our contra players and said "Holy %$@&", we can win this thing!!!!!!. I was only 16 at the time, what the heck did I know. He, being much more experienced said "Nah, the Cavies will come in here and put up a 90". He wasn't that far off. I never got to see any of the show from the stands that night, but that was one of the greatest line-up's you could have ever seen. If I could go back in time, I'd be right there at that 64 W.O and then, step on over to the 64 Worlds Fair show and finally settling down in my seat at Roosevelt Stadium for that 1966 Dream.

Still, a great day and a great time for drum corps.

[elphaba01]

"1964 Worlds Fair Championship"

Flushing Meadow NY

The Singer Bowl

September 2 1964

1. 85.30 Chicago Royal Airs

2. 84.60 St Kevins Emerald Knights (1 Pt Pen)

3. 84.45 Chicago Cavaliers

4. 84.35 Racine Kilties (1 Pt Pen)

5. 82.60 Casper Troopers (.6 Pen)

6. 82.30 St Josephs of Batavia

7. 81.95 St Lucys Cadets

8. 80.90 Racine Scouts

9. 78.55 Garfield Cadets

10. 76.95 Magnificent Yankess

11. 76.70 Madison Scouts

12. 70.10 Marion Cadets

13. 63.15 Blue Rock

14. 62.35 Lancers (Washington DC)

15. 56.60 Easton Chessmen

16. 49.80 Jackson Raiders

17. 44.50 Greenville Presidents

Caption Awards:

Bugles: Royal Airs 17.35

M & M: Casper Troopers 26.05

Drums: Racine Kilties 16.75

GE: Racine Kilties 8.55

This was a VFW sponsored contest, whose "Chairman" was the same as had "Chaired" the VFW Nationals at Cleavland, Anton Schlecta. The Singer Bowl was a conccrete floored field that was not quite the lenght & width of a "Regulation" football field.

As you can see, the scores and placements from this contest vary quite a bit from those of the WO Prelims which were held the following day in Bridgeport, and in which many of these corps competed.

Our thanks to Eastern Review Magazine for the scores and the breakdowns.

Elphaba

WWW

Edited January 3, 2008 by elphaba01

[gsksun4]

"1964 Worlds Fair Championship"

Flushing Meadow NY

The Singer Bowl

September 2 1964

1. 85.30 Chicago Royal Airs

2. 84.60 St Kevins Emerald Knights (1 Pt Pen)

3. 84.45 Chicago Cavaliers

4. 84.35 Racine Kilties (1 Pt Pen)

5. 82.60 Casper Troopers (.6 Pen)

6. 82.30 St Josephs of Batavia

7. 81.95 St Lucys Cadets

8. 80.90 Racine Scouts

9. 78.55 Garfield Cadets

10. 76.95 Magnificent Yankess

11. 76.70 Madison Scouts

12. 70.10 Marion Cadets

13. 63.15 Blue Rock

14. 62.35 Lancers (Washington DC)

15. 56.60 Easton Chessmen

16. 49.80 Jackson Raiders

17. 44.50 Greenville Presidents

Caption Awards:

Bugles: Royal Airs 17.35

M & M: Casper Troopers 26.05

Drums: Racine Kilties 16.75

GE: Racine Kilties 8.55

This was a VFW sponsored contest, whose "Chairman" was the same as had "Chaired" the VFW Nationals at Cleavland, Anton Schlecta. The Singer Bowl was a conccrete floored field that was not quite the lenght & width of a "Regulation" football field.

As you can see, the scores and placements from this contest vary quite a bit from those of the WO Prelims which were held the following day in Bridgeport, and in which many of these corps competed.

Our thanks to Eastern Review Magazine for the scores and the breakdowns.

Elphaba

WWW

Interesting how St. Joe's of Batavia placed over Garfield and Lucy's in this one and the next day did not.

What's also interesting is that the Troopers took high M&M with a 26.05. Not bad, but at the World Open all the rage was that Casper was the only corps to ever get that perfect 30 in marching. I guess they had an off day. Heh......

If I remember correctly, if this contest was on a Saturday afternoon then Lucy's competed in it, then rushed over to Newark that evening where we were competing then all went up to Bridgeport Sunday morning to perform, then hit the field for finals Sunday night. That's quite a workout man.

Edited January 3, 2008 by gsksun4

[up4479]

That's a good observation. IMO, this is the sort of thing that made drum corps great in the 50's and 60's. When you got 30, 40 or even more corps together for a show with prelims and finals there were always say 5 corps that would be in the top 5 because those 5 corps were the cream of the crop for that year. They were on another level. They may have moved around in the top 5 from show to show but they would always be at the top unless something went wrong, ie. penalties, weather, tough night, politics, etc. The other 5 or 7 spots could be taken by any of say the next 20 or 25 corps on a given day. (1969 VFW as an example. Forget the point spread, if you were there with us at prelims you would probably agree that the corps as low as about 28th could have made finals.) I always felt the judges did a great job of keeping these corps' scores within reach of each other so that both the corps and fans would eagerly await the next big show and keep everyone guessing which corps would make finals. Sometimes the top 5 could also change from prelims to finals. It helped everyone keep interest in the season, especially the marching members. The corps always went into a show feeling they had a shot at making finals or even winning unlike today where it seems to me that corps are slotted for the season and that's that.

I miss the days when there were about 1000 corps and hundreds of competitions of all levels filling the night with the sounds of brass and percussion.

Steve Solombrino