TV REVIEWS : Sousa Documentary Marches to Uneven Beat

The marches of John Philip Sousa are so ubiquitous and so quintessentially American that we begin these days to take them for granted, as somehow inevitable products of the national spirit. Reminding us of the fascinating man behind the hits is “If You Knew Sousa,” a heady, uneven documentary airing at 10:30 tonight on “The American Experience” (KCET-TV Channel 28).

The 80-minute show, produced by Tom and Linda Spain and narrated by Charles Kuralt, captures the popular phenomenon of Sousamania in its own rush of adulatory hero-worship. The train tours crossing the country, the pioneering pops concerts, Sousa’s keen showmanship and business acumen are all vividly presented.

That the March King had any musical life outside his bands is not so clear. You won’t know from this program that Sousa spent several years as a violinist in theater orchestras between his first youthful stint in the U.S. Marine Band and his return as its director--even that there was a five-year hiatus is left quite vague. You won’t know what Sousa’s three novels are about, or about his extensive work organizing bands for the U.S. Navy during World War I--activities that reportedly led to a nervous breakdown. You won’t even hear of the sousaphone, the tuba variant first made to Sousa’s specifications in the 1890s.

Intimations about his personal life and work habits are more forthcoming, thanks to effective interviews with surviving band and family members, and judicious quotation from Sousa’s autobiography. Colorful, ardent testimony from Sousa authorities Paul Bierly, Jon Newsom and Loras Schissel reveals the living impact of the legend.

So do the performances. Alas, they appear in snippets, and as background to voice-overs. The enthusiasm of all involved is quite palpable, but in 80 minutes there ought to have been time for a march or two, preferably from among the less familiar of the 136 that Sousa composed.