Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines

Album: Or How I Flew From London To Paris In 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" is the title song of the 1965 British film which is subtitled Or How I Flew From London To Paris In 25 Hours 11 Minutes.

    As might be expected, this is a comedy set in the early days of aviation; its theme is a race from London to Paris with a £10,000 prize. Exactly one hundred years later - in 2010 - it was possible to travel from Central London to Paris in less than two and a half hours. By train!
  • Although "Those Magnificent Men..." was written by the English composer Ron Goodwin, the first two lines were written by Lorraine Williams, the wife of Elmo Williams, who was at that time the European Managing Director of 20th Century Fox. Mrs Williams is not credited on the sheet music, which was published by Miller Music/United Artists.

    The song was released on the soundtrack album and also as a single. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?