Filming “The Bonnie Blue Flag“ Behind the Scenes at “GODS & GENERALS“

@2ndSouthCarolinaStringBand At the beginning of the last week of November, 2001, we were invited to travel to NYC to record a sound track version of “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” for a scene in the long awaited Ted Turner “Gods and Generals” film. As excited as we were about the impending session, our high spirits were quickly subdued as we neared the city and could see smoke still rising from the site of the shattered towers of the World Trade Center. We checked into the Millennium Hotel Broadway, one of the most luxurious hotels in NYC, and were up bright and early the next morning and headed to the Sound-On-Sound recording studio, where we were joined by the film’s music director, David Franco, and two other notable musicians, John Whelan and David Kincaid. (Whelan is a world class award-winning button accordion player, and Kincaid is leader and lead singer of his rock band, The Brandos). David Kincaid has two excellent albums of Civil War music, “The Irish Volunteer”, and “The Irish-American’s Song.” Both men and their music are well-known to the Civil War reenacting and Irish music communities. Under Director Franco’s skillful guidance, the session went smoothly and quickly. On December 1, 2001, shortly after dawn, we were taken to the amazing sprawling military camp set, where an ersatz performance stage had been cobbled together from rough-sawn planks and military wagons draped with soldier’s quilts and blankets. Facing the stage, there were even several rows of crude log benches that would serve as VIP seating for the ‘Top Brass’ of the Army of Northern Virginia, when they and nearby troops assembled later for the show. Director Maxwell and Music Director Franco gathered all the actors, performers and musicians together, arranged us on the stage, and explained that we would rehearse the show to the music we pre-recorded at Sound-On-Sound barely a week earlier. We were a little anxious at first, realizing we would be lip-syncing to our own recording, but as it turned out, we sang and played along with ourselves just as we would have at any music jam session. It was great fun and as relaxed as it could have been. A word of praise here for the two actors who portrayed Harry McCarthy, Damon Kirsche (who had been on hand at the studio earlier that week to record his vocals) and the talented young woman who played his wife, Dana Stackpole. We met the two of them, both experienced Broadway singers and dancers, only late the night before we would go to the filmset, when they explained to us what they had planned. As I recall, they had put their ‘show’ together on their flight from California. Nothing had been written in the official script, so they had basically improvised a very creative comic ‘bit’ on their own initiative. As the day unfolded, under David Franco’s able direction we performed “The Bonnie Blue Flag” numerous times as it was filmed from various camera angles. Ultimately, all that remained was a crane-mounted, “wide-angle establishing shot”, which would show the vast scale of the camp as men rushed from all over to join the already assembled crowd watching the show. But first, a relatively lengthy ‘waiting period’ was required to allow time for the late afternoon sun to reach a point that would offer optimal lighting for the scene. During this time, we musicians could not be restrained from doing ‘our thing’. We spontaneously began playing songs of the period that we were all familiar with. Soon, even ‘Stonewall Jackson’, Stephen Lang, was up on the stage singing along on “Southern Soldier” and playing the tambourine with us. The finale was, of course, “Dixie’s Land”, presented here just as it happened on set that day and was captured by one of the many filmmakers present. He has generously shared it with us - and we now share it proudly with you, our wonderful fans and supporters. “Gods and Generals”: Behind the Scenes with the 2nd South Carolina String Band and Friends. We hope you enjoy this look ‘behind the scenes’ and we heartily encourage viewers of this video to buy, rent, or stream the entire amazing film. GODS AND GENERALS, 2003 A Ted Turner/Warner Brothers Film Musicians from left to right: Bob Beeman, Christopher St. Peter, Fred Ewers, David Goss, Joe Ewers, David Kincaid, John Whelan, Greg Hernandez Singer/Dancers: ‘Harry McCarthy’ ~ Damon Kirsche ‘Lottie Estelle’ ~ Dana Stackpole NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED ALL COPYRIGHT MATERIAL USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF “FAIR USE“ IN TITLES 17, 107 TO 118 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIALS REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE COPYRIGHT, SOLELY INTENDED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.