Colonel Bogey March
| Colonel Bogey March | |
|---|---|
| March by F. J. Ricketts | |
| Composed | 1914 |
| Audio sample | |
The "Colonel Bogey March", by Kenneth J. Alford, performed by the United States Navy Band
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The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march composed in 1914 by Lieutenant Kenneth J. Alford (1881–1945), a British Army bandmaster who later became the Director of Music of the Royal Marines at Plymouth. The melody is often whistled. During the Second World War, British soldiers sang the lyrics "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" to accompany the tune.
The march first appeared in film in 1938 when it was hummed by Michael Redgrave in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. For David Lean's 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, set during World War II, English composer Malcolm Arnold added an orchestral march, which he titled "The River Kwai March", to accompany the Colonel Bogey march. Empire magazine included the melody in its list of 25 of Cinema's Catchiest Earworms.