Remember when TV ‘signed off’?

  • By Rich Heldenfels Akron Beacon Journal
  • Thursday, October 3, 2013 5:57pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Q: In Salt Lake City in the 1970s-80s, on CBS or NBC, words from the poem “High Flight” were used in the nightly sign-off. Can you tell me the name of the music that played with it?

A: Your question reaches beyond Salt Lake City, and includes TV and literary history.

The mention of “High Flight” probably resonated with night owls around the country who remember when TV stations would actually go off the air for a bit, leaving behind static or a test pattern.

Before the stations signed off, they would run something ceremonial like an image of a waving flag and the sound of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

And another sign-off standard was a reading, with musical accompaniment, of John Gillespie Magee Jr.’s poem “High Flight.”

You might know phrases from the poem like “slipped the surly bonds of Earth,” which were used in then-President Ronald Reagan’s tribute to the crew of the shuttle Challenger in 1986 following its explosion.

The poem itself is much older. Magee was a U.S. citizen serving as a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot when he wrote the poem and sent it to his family in September 1941; his aunt had it published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that November.

Then, just days after Pearl Harbor, 19-year-old Magee died in a collision with another aircraft. As reporters covered Magee’s death, the poem became more widely known,

Indeed, the website of the Library of Congress says, “Within days of Magee’s death, ‘High Flight’ had been reprinted in newspapers across the U.S.

Soon after, the RCAF began distributing plaques with the text of the poem to British and Canadian airfields and training stations. Copies of the poem could be found in the pockets of many U.S., Canadian and British fighter pilots.

There have been audio recordings of the poem, among them one by Orson Welles; a 1957 movie inspired by it; and a John Denver song adapted from it.

Then there are the short films made by the Air Force showing different planes in flight to the accompaniment of music and readings of the poem.

Those films were sent to TV stations and used as their sign-offs from the ’60s to the ’80s.

In fact, a 2008 episode of “Mad Men” has a “High Flight” film playing on a TV set as Pete is in the middle of a late-night assignation.

It’s possible, then, that more than one TV station in Salt Lake City was using a “High Flight” piece as a sign-off, and that they used more than one version.

I have seen some mentions of the music, but not in an authoritative source. Ray Haas, who has spent about 20 years researching “High Flight” and Magee for an upcoming book, said he has not tracked down the name of the composer.

But you can still see some of the films on YouTube. And Haas sells a DVD collection of the films and of readings from the poem by Welles, Russell Crowe, John Glenn and others (You can find out more via www.highflightshop.com.)

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.