Little Drummer Boy West Wing
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- Опубликовано: 19 дек 2009
- The Little Drummer Boy from the TV show The West Wing.
Broadcast 1999 from Award winning episide In Excelsis Deo [ series 1 episode 10 ].
If you know the name of the choir, please let me know.
Lyrics
Little Drummer Boy
Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him
Pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you!
Pa rum pum pum
On my drum.
Mary nodded
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him
Pa rum pum pum
I played my best for Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
"The Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song from 1958 - words and music by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone. The best-known and most standard version is by the Harry Simeone Chorale. It is also known as the "Carol of the Drum".
The words and music to the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy was composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958. The lyrics of Little Drummer Boy consist of no less than 21 rum pum pum pum' - a major part of the song and therefore presenting an apparently easy task for the lyricist! However, Little Drummer Boy has been a huge hit for several artists.
The lyrics tell the apocryphal story of a poor young boy who, unable to afford a gift for the infant Jesus, plays his drum for the newborn with the Virgin Mary's approval. 
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"Toby......I'd like to come along." The tears of a grateful citizen flow every time I see this.
Mrs Landringham lost her sons in Vietnam.
"I can only hope" gets me everytime, especially Bartlet's look where he knows Toby's right.
jamie32501 the acting between the two of them is simply indescribable
Amazing instant reply.
Without breath or thought.
"If only"
This is everything
Yes. I smiled when Toby said that. Well done Toby.
Me too. The onion fairy visits every time I watch it. When Toby says "I can only hope Sir." It hits so hard. We look after criminals better than our Vets. It's the exact same here in the UK.
I’m not sure if this is the best moment of television history, but it gets my vote.
This clip has become my December ritual.it't how I get myself motivated to start Christmas prep. Every year, and always brings me to tears
it's right up there somewhere
Second.
One of the reasons this scene works so well is that Richard Schiff’s emotions during the funeral are quite genuine. They used an actual US Navy Chaplain and the actual Marine Corps Burial Detail. Every take they did they did the complete burial ceremony from the top. Thus, Richard Schiff was overcome with very real emotion by the time they finished filming it.
Yes! R.I.P. Kathryn Joosten... a very fine actress, who played Mrs. Landingham with great dignity and nuances...
The hardest thing I ever had to do in all the military funerals I participated in was to present the Flag to the widow or next of kin. The words are hard to say without choking up. I'm a 12 year veteran of the US Army. My brother was a Marine veteran and he died. Someone presented a flag to his wife. My father was a Korean War vet and someone presented the Flag to my mother at his funeral. I always thought about that when presenting the Flag. I was there when it was presented for my brother and my father. I watch this episode every Christmas and I have my kids watch it with me. Bless all of you who read this.
Thank you for your father's, yours and your brothers service. Blessings to all of your family from Korea.
@@schmoo02231 Thank you very much!
Watched and cried.
Your words ring true,. I am a veteran of the USMC. Parent of current active duty USAF and a gold star family member loosing our Marine 1-16-2018. While on active duty I've served in burial details numerous times, but receiving that flag and hearing those words still haunts me and am proud at the same time.
My condolences to you and your family. Thank you for your service.@@lewisbarclay6574
This episode was perfection, and Toby's 'stop him in his tracks' retort to President Bartlett was the pinnacle. "I can only hope, sir".
Jed knew that was coming and would have been disappointed if it was not said.
The best.
This is acting at its finest. This is writing at its finest. This is TV at its finest.
Totally agree. I don't believe that there will be another show to match it.
I've watched this scene many times...and am always brought to tears
It shows our government at it's finest, or at least how it should be.
And also Mandy was there.
It's the moment between Toby and Jed though, that little heartbeat of total silence, then just an approving look and the hand on the shoulder. That sets me off and then it just gets messy after that.
Damned fine writing, damned fine acting.
West Wing remains, for me, an example of the very best TV that the US can produce. I still rewatch parts of it today.
I’ve rewatched it 12 times, start to finish …… The best there ever was.
One of the finest moments in television
And let's not forget Kathryn's Joosten's understated brilliance earlier in the same episode with her 'I miss my boys' monologue. Two standout performances in a show full of standout performances. This episode was only ever bested by Two Cathedrals, and there's very little from any other American drama that has ever come close.
I agree, your sentiments are spot on.
Amen to that.
The episode about 'Grandfathers' also holds a dear place in my heart.
You are so spot on. Two Cathedrals in my opinion remain the best TWW episode and perhaps one of the best in the history of American Television.
For some reason, “Somebody’s going to emergency, Somebody’s going to jail” especially last 10 minutes of that hit me equally hard. In Excelsis Deo makes top 5.
I had forgotten "I miss my boys" was in the same episode. Wow. Either one would have been enough for one hour.
Me cry??? Like a baby. Still the best show. USMC Vet
Thank you for your service, Adam.
There is that special way that Aaron Sorkin can write a scene that just cuts right to your heart. As many times as I've seen this it still takes my breath away.
Well said. Brilliant and incredibly moving.
I have watched this at least a dozen times and a new thought hit me when the honor guard took the casket out of the hearse. Did they think " Why are we doing this for a homeless loser?" Then they realized they were doing it for a vet and all that resentment went away. We don't know the details of everyone's life, we should not judge.
This scene Should go down as a Classic! Not only in the acting but the sense of Humanity that is portrait in this scene.
"I can only hope so" is probably one of the finest lines written
True power is being able to deliver a devastating rebuke of someone's actions without raising your voice or eliciting resentment. Mrs Landingham had that power.
All Mrs. Landingham wanted to do was spend one more Christmas with her boys. This was one of the early and what would grow to be a number of heartaching episodes which would weave. through The seven years that we laughed and cried and watched again and again because they were so important. Once again Aaron Sorkin’s writing would have us reaching for the tissue box. This was why television was made. Yes it was the way we hope that the world would be and at least for an hour once a week we got to have a moment when it was.
It cannot be over 20 years ago. The beauty of this story is Aaron Sorkin's finest moment. My dad was still alive when this first aired. I watched it knowing that one day we would be at Arlington for his ceremony. I wept like a baby. How wonderful that we honor those who served with such a poingnant thank you "from a grateful nation", God bless you, dad.
GOD BLESS
BRAVO!!
God Bless your Dad.
A salute to your father for his service and sacrifice to our nation; my father is buried in Saratoga National Cemetary: A WWII Navy vet, U.S.S. Winslow Destroyer.
God Bless you both.
I am a 57 year old female Army veteran whose Father served in WWII , Korea, and Vietnam, and died in 1986 of a rare bone marrow cancer. My youngest daughter served in the Air Force during Operation Enduring Freedom, and she died last year ( 2019) of septicemia and complications of alcoholic cirrhosis due to PTSD. Whenever I hear “Taps” being played, it completely just sucks the beating heart from my chest and smashes it into dust. This scene , especially with the 21 gun salute, crystallizes all of my pain and pride in my family’s sacrifices and service. It is hard to watch, but then again, it is supposed to be.
Thank you for your father’s, yours and your daughters service. I was OIF and OEF.
Thank you for your service and that of your loved ones, from a fellow Army veteran.
My heartfelt thoughts this time of year, my GOD bless you
God Bless and thank you for your service
A big, big hug to you. I grew up in an alcoholic family under totally different circumstances. My daughter is not talking to us these days for things I did. I miss her a lot. I can’t imagine knowing that she had passed.
You don’t need to watch this. You understand the gravity and stupidity of the situation. You need to heal. I hope you can. Your daughter would want you to.
God bless. ❤
This is what you were America, for God's sake don't abandon it.
This is why television was invented, not for mindless sitcoms but for bringing human emotions out of people. Retired USAF (Viet Nam) and I cry every time I see this, and I hope I always will.
You and me, both.
Times three.
USMC 2008 - 2013
Thank you so very much for all that you have done for our country.
me too! i think of all the people in my life i lost.
Many thanks Sir for your years of service. You served our country with honor. We are a grateful nation because of your efforts.
I love Mrs Landingham’s admonishing Toby for doing what he did and then later asking to come along. I think she truly appreciated the gesture for the homeless veteran considering both her sons died in combat. One of my favorite episodes.
All the time she was saying you absolutely should not have done that she was nodding
@@susanyork5089 I never noticed that until now. :)
@@susanyork5089 And she smiles when she directs him to the President. :)
I also love how she tells Toby she would like to go with him, hat on and coat all buttoned up. As if he could have answered negatively upon seeing her that way. Sorkin is truly gifted.
@@susanyork5089 the unspoken line is (“ but I’m proud of you for doing it”).
“I miss my boys.” Mrs. Landingham. And then her wanting to attend the funeral with Toby? This is precision writing, casting and acting. Best show ever on television.
The Marines were genuine. When the US Navy learned of the ‘burial’ they offered their services so it would be done right.
The only way it should be.
If it has taken the soldier signing of on this more than 2 seconds after reading the script I would be VERY surprised.
A fabulous episode from a fabulous series.
@@alexandermarquardt597 Marines, but yea.
Look up how it came about. Arlington leadership did in fact jump at the chance when they go the script.
@@tomb7088 The Marines are part of the Navy Department
I absolutely love when Mrs. Landingham is standing there, all bundled up, and says, "Toby, I'd like to come along". Perfect.
martin sheen (the actor) once said in an interview that toby is the conscinece of this white house. indeed.
toby is such a complex and emotional character. the ingenuity of the great aaron sokrin
Aaron Sorkin writing had a way of cutting to the core often with one small powerful sentence. “I can only hope”, wow what a line.
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
Hello there. How are you spamming this blessed day? @@edithbannerman4
I have seen this over and over and have come to the conclusion that this is the finest episode of a Great Great show.
One of my favorite ww episodes but my favorite line belongs to Mrs. Lanningham earlier when she tells Charlie “I miss my boys”.
I've seen this a hundred times, and my eyes still water.
shit, I cry buckets and I'm not even a yank. semper fi
Good god i thought i was the only one.every time it happens.
Same. I always get goosebumps, too.
Every single time. Can't help it. Beautiful and profoundly sad in many ways.
I watch it every christmas and I think it hits me harder every time.
Possibly the best episode of a terrific series. Still brings tears to my eyes.
I don't know about best, but definitely up there. I'd rank Two Cathedrals as probably the best.
Hard to beat TC indeed but WW was so good you'll find gems all over the series. Still unmatched to this day.
@@ajohnson153
Goosebumps…..
It has been 24 years since this first aired. I am taken back to every military funeral I have attended. This is probably one of the most powerful scenes from The West Wing. It brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it- even after 24 years.
I swear, I cried whenever I watch this scene, when Mrs Landingham says "I'd like to come along." The weight of the story she told Charlie earlier, about her sons who died in the war, were already weighing on me, and that line just pushes me over.
"I can only hope, sir." No further words needed. New Year, 2020.
Dec 24,2020. This scene is almost 20 years old and I watch it religiously every Christmas. One of the most poignant and powerful scenes ever created.
"I can only hope, sir," says so much. Maybe, if we were actually forced to fulfill all of our country's obligations to its veterans, we might have to take a real look at the cost of going to war rather than sweeping it under the rug.
An even better solution would be to stop sending soldiers to kill and get killed. So many more lives would be saved.
@MikeJames6, Obama and Biden were actually trying to extradite the US from the wars Bush started. BTW Cheney didn’t serve either.
@MikeJames6, weak sarcasm. Of course the Democrats aren’t pure, but I don’t recall a Democratic president denigrating a man who did serve his country like Trump did to John McCain. Trump boosts his own self importance by belittling the achievements of others.
@@MrRecrute Sure, Trump does all of that and more that make normal people cringe. However, he also has improved wages for all Americans, especially working class people of every color race and creed. He is the only politician to actually listen to his base. He has used the power of the US to broker global peace deals. He has handled the Pandamic about as well as any leader would/could have done...some misteps sure but Trump has done his job to the best of his ability. Maybe if Biden had run in 2016, he would be President now. But Biden was told to wait so as of 2020 his mental capacity is not what it needs to be for him to be President.
@@billhomann8229, The average wealth of a worker making the median wage or less has risen by a total of $4,000 in the three years since Mr. Trump took office. The average wealth increase for those in the top 1%? That's up $2.2 million. Wages for lower paid workers have risen 16% since his election. That's true. But most of that increase owes to other factors, including a move by many states to hike their minimum wage. And manufacturing? They’ve been hurt by Trump’s trade fight with China. Manufacturers haven’t moved out of China and if they do they haven’t moved back to the states but to other countries such as South Korea, India and the ASEAN countries. www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-collar-boom-fact-checking-trump-state-of-the-union-worker-income-and-manufacturing-job-claims/
Trump has not developed any additional peace treaties except for the love-in between the UAE and Israel. However he’s torn up the nuclear weapons agreement between the USA and Iran. He panders to autocrats such as Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.
He’s handled the pandemic poorly compared to South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. He can only be compared to Boris Johnson of the UK or Jai Bolisaro of Brazil. Read what Bob Woodward says in his book on Trump using Trump’s words about the pandemic.
20+ years later and I am crying like a child....
Me too ... and that's just watching this snippet, without needing the build-up.
This has to be the most powerful Version of Little Drummer Boy that I've ever seen or heard. Ever.
The fact that the White House staff came together in formation while the funeral was in process was overwhelming. I cried hysterically from that point on.
I served for 20 years in the Australian Army, and I attended my fair share of funerals, and I am reduced to tears every time I watch this. When Toby and Ms Landingham flinch at the rifles, that really gets to me
My dad died in 1983. He was, like my brother and I, career military. I took emergency leave from my unit, as did my brother, when he died. My brother and I were both Master Sergeants. I arranged for an honor guard, and color guard, as was both fitting and authorized. When the detail arrived at the gravesite, they saw my brother and I..and we were kitted out as sharp as they were. My brother and I were pleased that they had spent a little extra time getting their uniforms immaculate, as we had. The Captain in charge called his detail together, and I could almost read his lips...DON'T FUCK THIS ONE UP. It was pretty special. They screwed up the flag folding, and asked very politely to my mother if they could give it a second go.
I flinch every time
America has never done very well by its vets imho, least of all the veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars. I can only hope that this is something that hasn’t only happened in fiction. I’m a pacifist, but I still believe these men deserve to be honored for the sacrifice they made. The way they’ve been treated is horrendous.
I had an uncle pass away last week. He was a navy man who served during Vietnam. I heard the command for the honor guard and still jumped when they fired the first salute. Taps, the salute, and amazing grace are three things that I will never get over hearing. I just can't stop myself from crying when I hear them.
@@frankm.2850 Better than the veterans of the British Armed Forces by far.
I attended a full military funeral in 1968. He was an Army private. A friend. He was 21 and I was 18. Like this clip, I flinched when they shot the rifles. I cried when Taps were played. RIP all military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. I'm 70 now and will always remember.
You are supposed to flinch when the volleys are fired, it is to shake you to your core so that you never forget what has taken place.
They don't RIP, because they were paid murderers.
I was a professional trumpet player...I played taps many times...it was so hard
3 times in my life I’ve attended military funerals with full honors. For my Father, who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, for our daughter, who served in the Air Force in Enduring Freedom, and very recently for my husband of 33 years who was an Army veteran and flight medic who saved many lives but couldn’t save himself from the crushing depression after losing our little girl. Taps is crushing to the soul.
@saranelson5745
May God have mercy on you. Please find hope in the living while honoring the deceased. Your loved ones were heroes of the highest order.
May your living soul find peace
"I can only hope, sir." EVERY man and woman who raised their hand, and then went off with our country's flag on their shoulder, to do their duty deserves far more than they get when they come home. So long as ONE of them is homeless, hungry, unemployed, or uncared for, then we have FAILED in our duty to them.
He said a page in 5 words and Bartlet immediately knew Toby was in the right.
Well said sir
If you can watch a higher definition clip of this scene try to do so. Notice how red the eyes of Richard Schiff are - this is because that they did multiple takes for the scene at the cemetary, and because the real marine guard insisted on performing the complete cermemony each time - each take was a entire honour guard sequence. Richard Schiff was so moved that at the end of each take he broke down in tears.
That's so cool. Thx for posting that. Thought it was impossible for me to like this scene more.
The marines also never perform the ceremony for films and TV; it's always reenacted by actors. They made an exception in this case, because of the respect with which the episode treated the subject matter, and agreed to have a real marine guard perform the ceremony for the episode. Had it been actors, they would have just shot the bits they needed, and Schiff's emotions might not have been brought to the surface by it.
The crescendo of the music and the raw emotion...pure magic. We can only hope for a leader with the intelligence (and staff) of this show.
It could be that the Marines considered each iteration an homage to all of the fallen who have not received appropriate honors.
Semper Fi, brothers, from an Army vet.
When we buried my Dad (a WW2 Marine), I got to see the Marines do this for real. Semper Fidelis, indeed.
"I can only hope, sir." gets me every damn time.
Just like it got Bartlett ...
Best line in I think one of, if not the best TV show ever.
"We can only hope,sir." One of the best lines in a show that had thousands of great lines over the course of the series. Like wickedpissa25 said below, I get watery too, and I've seen this a number of times.
@R B I don't think it was Bartlett pissed at himself. I think it was a sense a pride in his fellow human being, something profoundly missing in our world today.
Can't say i have much love lost for the politics involved.
BUT I WILL SAY at least consider your yearly Good Deed.
At lest he can ACT human once in a while..
- The 1 one line is worth it. -
If only.
Jim Willoughby i was tearing up before I read this comment 😌
I totally agree….so many powerful lines that fall under the radar
As a boy I lived across the road from Arlington (at the old portion of Ft. Myer that was between the cemetery and the Potomac River). I could see a large section of the cemetery from my bedroom window and hear the muffled drums and rifle shots. Years later I attended five funerals there, including ones with full military honors for my father and my uncle. The others were for my mother, my aunt, and my young cousin.
It's a humbling and memorable experience to attend a funeral there.
"You shouldn't have done that Toby."
"You absolutely should not have done that."
"I'd like to come along."
Just seeing Mrs Landingham makes me a bit teary eyed. The scene where she was telling Charlie about her boys was one of the sweetest, yet raw things I've seen.
"I can only hope, sir." Most powerful line in a powerful scene.
As a Veteran....Every time I have seen this (And I have seen it several times) I cry for all those amazing men and women who have died for this country and never got the recognition they deserved
The soldier in this episode was just a character of course, but the unit Toby mentioned is not. The second battalion of the seventh Marines took part in the Inchon Landing and fought at the Chosin Reservoir against the Chinese. U.S. forces numbered around 30,000 and suffered around 18,000 casualties. The Chinese had them trapped and surrounded with 120,000 men. Because the Marines were able to secure and defend two critical passes over the only road out, eventually, the survivors were able to break out. They fought in temperatures of -36 degrees. It was so cold that when the troops got shot, their blood froze, preventing many of them from bleeding out. It was one of the harshest and fiercest battles in the history of the Marine Corps. That war is not widely taught and not well known, but it should be. Great job by the show to shed a bit of light on it.
Same here, brother. I was U.S.A.F. Air Rescue, saw my share of casualties. This scene chokes me up every time.
An old Navy Veteran from the UK here. I have always admired the way the US Armed Forces honour their fallen colleagues this way. I attended 20 plus repatriation services in Afghanistan in 2007/08 and have kept every card from each service before the hercules took off from Camp Bastion bound for Brize Norton. I was 50 then, and they were all SO young. Watching this scene takes me back and is very moving. I live in hope parents will not suffer the loss of their young servicemen and women, but Ukraine/Gaza etc shows I am a fool to even hope.
You are not a fool, there will always be hope.
Watch Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, when you have a chance, thanks!
Fools do not change the world, for there are plenty of fools, and the world is stubborn.
Idealists change the world because they don't care that what they ask is impossible.
Your, sir, are not a fool.
Toby reacting to the gunshots. Brilliant scene.
Real shots too. What you see there are marines, corps wanted to make sure it was done "right". Say what you want about the military: they dont fuck around when it comes to fallen soldiers.
I always wonder if they're foreshadowing there with Toby finding Josh.
Toby with the emotional meatgrinder, then Mrs. Landingham comes in with the 2x4 to the heart.
Every Vet should have FREE housing and FREE health care. PERIOD - No questions asked.
And not having to pay taxes.
They already paid enough.
THIS is why this show remains one of the best written TV shows in history, the attention to detail is unmatched as evident in watching the honor guard. Very well done.
From what I remember it's a real honor guard the military loaned the show. Sometimes if the Pentagon likes the production enough after review they'll make military forces available. The helicopter pilots in Blackhawk Down were also a real military unit.
I well up every time. I did think at first there was something off in the uniforms. The Marine Honor Guard and pallbearers wear the dress blue - white uniform. I had thought this to be summer dress, but it is always used buy the Marines of Marine Barracks Washington and the Honor Guard.
When asked to film this scene in Arlington, the cemetery looked at the script. Arlington said yes. But they wanted it right. So they wanted to use the actual honor guard. When the Navy Chaplin heard about it, he volunteered to do it. He felt it an honor to do it as did the honor guard. So real chaplin, real honor guard, and it was all done right. Like the rest of the series. Right up to season 5...
@@zz4314 I didn't know that. thank you for posting that.
@ZZ I bought the first four seasons and watch them repeatedly. I watched all seven seasons when they originally aired but the writing, story lines...no comparison.
one of the most powerful scenes ever in TV history
Best series on television ever, and this is the best episode. I'll probably seen it 100 times, and I cry every time.
@@chuckharner2032 could not agree more , have seen it so many times , wonderful
@@chuckharner2032
This is still my favorite episode out of so many from the best show ever produced.
This... and the "Brothers in Arms" ending are quite outstanding in every way! So moving....
I loved how you could see Mrs. Laningham and Toby both flinch from the salute. Toby, for remembering his time in war, and Mrs. Laningham for remembering her son's funerals.
Flinching is an instinctive reaction to 7 firearms going off at once.
@@Nyx773 Not when you know it's coming.
Toby was in a war
@@lukethompson2714 Correct.
Toby never served in the military. Aaron Sorkin has confirmed Toby was not a veteran.
I remember watching this when it first aired, well all of them, but this one got me. Now sitting here at almost midnight with my face drenched in tears, what, some 20 + years later. My favorite Christmas song combined with that honor guard at the graveside, and now with memories of my own dad's funeral four years ago. We not only had the Marine Corps there, but the Fire Department as well because my dad spent his life serving. My most humble and gracious thank you to all who have served.
"I can only hope, sir." -- If there's one line to sum up Toby's character, that's it.
Not just the best episode of THE WEST WING - but the best 42 minutes of primetime drama of last 25 years. A earlier scene where Mrs. Landingham talks about her sons would melt the hardest of hearts.
“I can only hope sir” one of the best lines from Aaron Sorkin - brings out the best in all of us
I was drafted during the Vietnam war. I hated every moment. I thought it was so unfair that part of my life was being taken away. Now 50 years later, it’s the proudest achievement I’ve accomplished in my life. I am a Veteran.
Thank you Sir!
Welcome home, and thanks.
Thank you for your service to our country.
🇺🇸Respect🇺🇸
Thank you.
If someone says they've never watched The West Wing, give them the basics, then have them watch this clip, and go down the hole on clips on the sidebar. Some of the best TV writing ever.
If even 1 percent of television was as good as this, I'd never leave the house.
I watch YT a lot more than TV.
No one talks about the wonderful rainbow coalition that sings!
Being a classical musician & having many family members (2 ret. Col) who were in the military, the children singing that song during the service brings the tears....everytime I see it! Thank you "West Wing"
Beautiful.
It was the perfect song. A poor drummer boy who could not afford a gift let alone the finest. His gift was his song, and it made the baby king smile -- a reminder that light shines on all of us, great and small, especially when we give the most and best of ourselves -- like many who served their country yet may have been forgotten through the winds of time.
And the way in which the staff joins the POTUS to listen to the choir sing; it's a 'formation' of their own. The three scenes: the choir, the staff, & the funeral all superimposed upon each other, very powerful & very moving. They totally brought home the point of this episode. While the heads of government make their strategic plans, it is the country's people who carry them out & bear the burden for them. So before setting your plans in motion, think of yourselves, standing shoulder to shoulder with your country's people, ready to meet the call.
When TV was still watchable.
So tasteful, so excellent that the Christmas song's temp matches the honor guard's steps. Sorkin is a master. What great television.
The Director of the episode, Alex Graves, made a change during editing to cut back and forth between the funeral and the choir singing “Little Drummer Boy” back in the White House. These were originally two separate scenes in the script by Sorkin and Rick Cleveland (who based the story of Hufnagle on his own father).
One of the greatest scenes ever. I served in the 9th Infantry Division and the I Corps Honor guards… it was a zero fail mission…. It was the last greatest moment to honor those veterans whom so richly deserved the honor. It’s all about the honor.
I pray to God that our leaders always remember this scene. And that there's never a day when I don't shed a tear over it.
Best series in TV history
Veteran of 8 years with multiple Deployments I wish everyone and fellow veterans a Merry Christmas !!
My wife and I watch this episode every Christmas. More powerful and meaningful than any other holiday special. I still tear up every time I see it.
"I can only hope", me too Toby, me too.
A friend of mine who served in Korea recently passed at the age of 80. Across the street from the funeral home is a middle school, kids were outside playing. When the gunshot salute began, it looked like the kids were scared and they looked over to the funeral home. By the time the salute was over and Taps began to play, they were all standing with their hands over their hearts. Somehow it made me think of this scene in retrospect.
The brilliance of Fine Writing shown here. This is why Writers should be PAID well...
Mrs. Landingham is a class act
I absolutely love how she first admonishes him and then joins him.
I’m a conservative and I loved this show. I used to get some flak from friends. I’d vote for a President Bartlett if there was such a person, but sadly, in this case, life will never imitate art.
As a liberal, I'd vote for Vinnick
As a liberal, I'd vote for the Speaker of the House (forgot his name, he was played by John Goodman). Then again, I'd vote for John Goodman if he ran
Let’s not give up hope. New generations are coming of age with new ideas.
@@JusticeFrogs Why?
@@usafveteranandaproudlibera1658 a republican who actively doesn't think that religion should play any role in politics. Who repeatedly demonstrates compassion for his opponent (the briefcase scene), who at least acknowledges climate change, even if he goes nuclear over renewables. I would vote Santos or Bartlet over him, but i would vote him over most real politicians.
Every day. Every single day, our best give their all for us. Give everything for us. They are *not* losers. They are the *best* of us.
If I had 1% of the talent Sorkin does when it come to putting scenes like this together I would die a happy man. I watch this every holiday season.
This was Toby's finest moment..And I think it's in the top 2 moments in the series. Powerful.
Z Z What is your other top moment?
@@SmittyTheQuickBrownFox what a shock that was!
He also, ya know, saved those [redacted]' by [redacted] info about that [redacted] that he heard about from [redacted].
ByWhatDesign huh lol
First time Toby's vet status is acknowledged that I know of.
Damn, those dust ninjas got me again! I don't know how many times I have watched this scene over the years, but as a combat vet myself it gets me every single time. Just proves just how well written and acted The West Wing was.
How can you NOT like this. The West Wing is easily one of the greatest TV series of all time. No laugh track, no stupid sound effects, no personal nuking of people for laughs, no yelling, aside from the few moments that it was needed.
It was well written, well scripted, and amazingly well acted. it was originally supposed to be about the back staff, with the President being an occasional participant. But that very first episode, when Martin had that first bit they changed everything. That was a good idea since Martin Sheen did such an amazing job as POTUS it makes me weep.
This show ranks up there as one of the best ones ever.
Agreed
I have been a Republican all my adult life and disagreed with many of their policies on the show. That being said this was one of if not the finest political, nay one of the best drama shows ever put on TV. I still to this day every so often pull out the DVD set I bought and binge watch it. Masterful writing, excellent character development( the chemistry between the actors was fantastic) and the right dose of tragedy and humor in the various episodes. Toby's best moment bar none.
This is going to sound crass and I apologise in advance: can you please rescue your party?
@@heisdeadjim I'd rather he explains why it's his party in the first place
@@jane-the-mentalist 🙄🙄 and this is why we can’t even have pleasant conversations about tv shows anymore
Maybe the issue is not with the show but with your party dear man. Welcome to the other side, where there is light. Glad you liked the episode. You will love changing parties even more. We have many of the Republican values as Dems, but not the recent thug element that is destroying your party today.
I believe in my heart that every Courthouse in this Nation should have a dedicated and determined VA office helping coordinate all local, State, and Federal support, services, and benefits to any Veteran that calls or walks through their doors. .I write Presidents, Governor's, and elected officials on the local, State, and Federal level.
One of the best episodes of ALL time. West Wing was my favorite show. We need more Tobys.
I trained kids going to Vietnam. Don't know how many times I've watched this, and I think of them. Folks see my 50 year Vietnam pin and thank me for my service. I say that's kind of them, but that they should thank those that did not come home.
We can't thank them, sir, but we can thank you. You saved lives by your training. You may have saved my older brothers, who did return. Thank you for the lives you saved.
@@bb22602 Appreciat your comments. Stay healthy.
Don’t know why I cry everytime I see this scene. If this is not moving you to tears don’t know what else is!!! RIP veterans!
Perhaps the most emotional and most powerful Christmas episode ever in any television series in the land of TV shows. Brilliant on all counts.
I watch this every Christmas now.
At another time another network it would've been flown to New York for prior approval by boxoffice beancounters.
Also great is the MASH episode Death Takes a Holiday, in which Hawkeye, BJ, and Margaret try to delay the death of a critically wounded soldier on Christmas night until after midnight so his family won’t have to always remember Christmas as the day their loved one died.
m.ruclips.net/video/aEpkPF_X5UQ/видео.html
This scene never fails to make me cry.
My 14 year old son and I started watching West Wing together about a month ago. We had time to squeeze in one episode today (Christmas Day) and it happened to be this episode. We have been a little beside ourselves all day because of it. I had to watch the Drummer Boy sequence one more time before I went to bed. That is all.
You are (were) doing a great thing with your kid.
Brings me to teas ever time I see this scene.
As a vet. And daughter & granddaughter of vets, with a second cousin buried in Tunis, this makes me cry every time. So very poignant and well choreographed. It gets it.
As a child one of my first books was about a drummer boy with Napoleon's army in Egypt. I can't stress this more: lets hope that they are similar kindhearted people out there who'll never be able to watch this without crying
One of the finest moments in a long list of fine moments from the West Wing
After the events in Afghanistan this week and the 13 marines, sailors, and army lost in the last days before we left, I had to swing by again and watch this again. I don't know how many times I have watched this, but it is the best piece of TV I know of.
This reminded that the coming holidays are going to be very difficult for those families 💔
Watched this so many times and it gets me every time. “ I can only hope sir “ x RIP too every fallen soldier ❤️❤️🩹
@@magictheminishetlandpony5640 tears & tears me up every time
2100 American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan but only the ones killed by a terror attack during a withdrawal organized by the former president seem to matter?
One of our local men, Hunter Lopez, was one of those killed. I've never seen a local tribute so touching from the time his remains arrived by Kalitta Air to his final ride passed his middle school and high school (where my grandchildren attend) and every student lined the road to pay tribute while holding our country's flag. Its such a shame that this is a rarity these days-a proper tribute to a fallen solder. Both his parents are law enforcement officers, something he wanted to do after his service.
"I can only hope so" best line in TV history.
If the federal government can spend to study the sexual habits of insects. I think we can honor our veterans.
Easily my favorite scene from all of "West Wing." So extremely well done, and a great use of the subtle military tenor of the song "Little Drummer Boy."
It’s Christmas Eve 2017 and this still is one of my favorite scenes on television.
Very Very moving.
Will Dominguez mine too. A very Merry Christmas to you! 🎁 🎄🎁
We're still in NATO? 😂 This is how you disipline someone without ripping their head off or belittling them. Yes he approved when Toby made his case, but he still had to say something.
Christmas Eve 2019 now,
christmas eve 2019 ... and same
My favorite episode. Goosebumps every time. Mrs. Landingham...
One of the finest moments of the series.
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
One of the finest moments in TV history
It is criminal that this show is off the air yet the Kardashians are allowed to pollute the aiways
This is why I loved the show. I remember my dads funeral like it was yesterday but in reality it was 38 years ago. 21 gun salute. It still shakes my soul and miss him greatly.