Why wasn't the Johnny Horton Bismarck song included in the 1960 movie?

[Dan Kappes]

It's only included in the US trailers for the film.

Is it because it's a British film and the British either didn't want the song to be used in the film or was the movie completed and released before the song could be put in it? And since both were released in 1960, which was released first, the song or the movie?

It's a fantastic song by the way.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

I think you have to take into account for whom the movie was made .

As mentioned before.:
There are. '' Ugly Americans' ' (To say nothing of the portrayal of a Mrs. J.J. Brown. LOL) in the British "A Night To Remember" (1958)
There are "Stuffy and Snobby British" in the American "Titanic" (1997 version) .
There are "Arrogant British and Americans" in the German "Titanic" (1943 "Nazi" version )

 

[N. D. Risener]

From what I've read it seems the movie was filmed first and then Johnny Horton was commissioned to do the song to help "sell" the film to American audiences who weren't as familiar as the British were with the history of the Bismarck pursuit. I'm also guessing the British producers of the film wouldn't have wanted to use the song even if it had been available because although Horton's country style music might be popular with U.S. audiences it just wouldn't have worked in Britain. Besides Winston Churchill was an elegant orator who didn't speak like an Aw Shucks, I'm Just A Country Boy.

 

[Kurt Urbain]

I love that song!

 

[Dan Kappes]

I love it too! It's one of my most favorite songs and it was also a chart-topper in its day.

 

[Kurt Urbain]

Bismarck was a state of the art battleship but she had to go. Up yours, Mr. Hitler. The Cameron doc about the wreck is phenomenal if you haven’t seen it. It’s on YouTube.

 

[Dan Kappes]

Yeah, so far I've only seen the National Geographic doc and even the British sailors who were on the ships that fired at her said that they were sad that the Bismarck had to be sunk. But if she was allowed to prey the Atlantic like a wild animal, she would have sunk many Allied ships and the Axis Powers would've won WWII like in The Man in the High Castle.

 

[Kurt Urbain]

The story goes that the Germans scuttled the ship so it couldn’t fall into Allied hands, probably a good move. The wreck is pretty pristine for being 3 miles down, the very end of the stern is gone, the 4 main turrets fell out due to gravity, and the bridge is gone but otherwise she’s in good shape. The swastikas on the main decks are particularly chilling.

 

[Dan Kappes]

I think the Allies would have put her to better use operating for their side if they were able to salvage her, but the Germans wanted it to sink, so when she became too damaged from the British guns that she couldn't operate on her own, they scuttled her.

 

[Kurt Urbain]

There probably wasn’t much they could have done with her, most of the superstructure and big guns were destroyed. The armor belt kept her afloat, but constant bombardment was ‘boring through the armor like a piece of cheese.’