1940

The war is in full swing. At General Gordon Arthur wants to join the war effort but he is too old. Instead, his boys become an air force cadet band. Gordon wants to join the war effort as well but he has a bad heart. General Gordon sees its first wedding. Gordon and Joan marry. They decide to move to Toronto to get away from Arthur and tell him so. Several boys join the war effort. Meade Sinclair is the first but he is killed shortly after in an accident at training camp. Next, are Pete Humphreys, Ross Sturley and Johnny Hailstone. Several boys who just returned from England want to go back, Don Radelet is one. He sent Norma a letter when he returned and her sister mailed him back saying Norma died on the Athenia. He wants revenge. Ralph Derrick joins and so does Hugh Steeves the son of Captain Steeves. The last to join is Gordy McCullough. (Over 125 of his boys join the three services.)

Dal gets a gig at the Hotel Vancouver. He would like to join the war effort too but he has a glass eye. In Toronto, Gordon gets in tight with the Romanelli brothers after selling vacuum cleaners doesn’t work out.

There are three Romanelli brothers Luigi, Don and Leo. Whenever they play an important society gig they all show up. One goes out. When the others feel it is their turn they both go out and elbow the first one off stage. This farcical routine carries on all evening.

Gordon arrives at 6:45 one night for a 7:00 gig.He is chastised for being late and told they are going to penalize him by making him play second trumpet. Whenever there is a solo written into the second trumpet part they tell him he can’t play it tonight and they give it to the first.

There are other eccentrics as well. J. Stanley St.John who hires 47 bands to play different New Year’s gigs around town all under his name. To be sure there are no complaints that they aren’t really getting a Stanley St. John band, he puts in an appearance at each over the course of the evening.

Frank Bogart has a six piece band that is playing at the Club Top Hat. Gordon manages to get in with him and continue arranging. He is fortunate because he can hear his arraingments and make corrections as he is sitting in the band.

The Palais Royal is down the street. It books in every major American big band Goodman, Ellington, Miller, James, Dorsey. After closing at the Top Hat Gordon catches the last half hour of whichever band is playing.

He leaves Bogart in 1945 and starts his own band at the Hollywood Hotel. By a strange twist of fate he is booked into the Brant Inn which is a classy venue. He decides to advertise for a vocalist and in walks Vina Smith. Gordon is smitten immediately and ends his marriage to Joan. He has one daughter with Joan who he adores Susan. He has two more children with Vina, Debra and Gordo.

Quotes from Ambassadors of Empire Season 2 Episode 1:

Arthur: “String players are not like the rest of us.”