Don't ask.
Clicking on the play-button below will bring you footage from a 1967 Italian television show. The babe sings a song whose title appears to be "Zum Zum Zum"--either that or she's vamping because she can't remember the words. (I found this on Youtube; you can read the lyrics here .)
She's lip-synching, actually, while a guy in birth-control glasses pretends to conduct an orchestra behind her. The audience is obviously bored out of their collective skulls.
Halfway through the tune, for no apparent reason, a United States Navy Band marches on stage. The bandleader--he looks like a master chief to me--takes the babe by the arm, and they parade around like Professor Harold Hill and Petula Clark on a date. The song ends, the sound man fades in some applause and the audience wakes up.
This is all happening in a foreign language. Can anybody provide a little context here? What's going on? If anyone recognizes this band or any of its members, post it below. I'm clueless.
Update - 4SEP07
The world's foremost internet researcher--my wife--informs me that according to this article at wikipedia, a popular Italian singer named Mina "[sang] 'Zum zum zum', a #1 hit in Sabato sera Spring 1967 series, accompanied by NATO Naval band . . . ."
Update Update - 11SEP07
Mike Beegle knows all; he's playing the clarinet in the video in question.
Acording to Mike, "Zum, Zum, Zum" was a huge hit for Mina. The opening lines translate as "There's a band playing in my head," and the singer further observes that she just can't get that sound out of her head.
So it only makes sense that the CINCSOUTH Band, under the direction of MUCS Jerry Tanguay, should march into her life. We knew there'd be a sensible explanation.
Mike has done his best to recall who's playing with him:
"It was a new edition of the band that reported aboard just before I split for Pensacola. But I can pick out the snare drummer, Romero. One of the tuba players is probably McLandish, I think Lou Hinds had already split by that time. Bones, probably Ed (Fast Eddie) Harris and perhaps Shelly Fine.
Not too shabby at picking forty-year-old names out of the hat, Mike.
