# Playing the national anthem in cinemas and at the close of TV each day

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 17, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093 "2015-01-17T19:37:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093/41 "2015-01-23T16:12:24Z")

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I think it 's unfortunate that “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for all its majesty, has a pitch range outside the capability of most people, and that the music was derived from an old English drinking song–“To Anacreon in Heaven.”

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093/42 "2015-01-23T16:14:48Z")

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> [@dougie\_monty](#):
>
> I think it 's unfortunate that “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for all its majesty, has a pitch range outside the capability of most people, and that the music was derived from an old English drinking song–“To Anacreon in Heaven.”

You have to be drunk to sing it properly.

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**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093/43 "2015-01-23T16:31:00Z")

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> [@Spoons](#):
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> I don’t recall that. I grew up in Toronto, Ontario. All we got was the movie, and maybe some trailers. Where did this occur?

Sarnia.

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**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093/44 "2015-01-23T17:36:25Z")

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> [@running\_coach](#):
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> You have to be drunk to sing it properly.

Well, in 1930 Ripley put an item in his column, titled AMERICA HAS NO NATIONAL ANTHEM, and mentioned the source of the music. (Francis Scott Key, of course, wrote the words.) This caused a nationwide uproar, and countless petitions and angry letters were sent to Congress, which passed a resolution in March 1931 establishing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem.

The girl I mentioned I went to high school with–a lovely lady with a coloratura soprano to match–sang the anthem at “Six Flags” Magic Mountain once, and gave it an operatic tone, which not everyone appreciated. I regret I was not there to hear her.

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**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-the-national-anthem-in-cinemas-and-at-the-close-of-tv-each-day/710093/45 "2015-01-23T18:27:23Z")

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Does anyone know the origin of playing the national anthem at the end of the broadcasting day? It seems such a strange idea, I can’t help but wonder who came up with it and why.

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