1h 28min | Biography, Music, Romance | 21 February 1947
Director: Alfred E. Green
Stars: Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Janet Blair, Paul Whiteman, William Lundigan, Sara Allgood, Arthur Shields.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039365/
Available on AmazonPrime; watched on megapack, mediocre print.
Arthur Shields is Barry Fitzgerald's brother (sounds and looks like a younger version of him). He's pappa Dorsey; Sara Allgood is their mother.
Per IMDb trivia: other musicians/singers in the credits: Charlie Barnet, Bob Eberly, Henry Busse, Helen O'Connell. Mike Pingatore, Art Tatum, Ziggy Elman, Stuart Foster and Ray Bauduc. I've heard of Charlie Barnet. I really only know Eberly because he stood up and sang. I would probably recognize HO without her standing before a band. Art Tatum I don't know by sight or sound style, but I know I like him: I have some of his albums. I was in a mediocre mood until the Dorsey band went to Tatum's after-hours club and jammed with him; it made me really happy musically, but also the fact that they showed integration onscreen, with the black man being the guru they sought. It's not the first time showing blacks and whites making music together, but I've only seen a handful of such films so far. (I can just hear the non-existent commentary track by a black studies historian, decrying the white musicians stealing the innovations of the blacks. But at least we SEE it on film. They're paying homage to an originator. And we get to hear that originator: a welcome primary source.)
Songs performed are numerous, and some are very familiar. Musically, the film is a treat. This should go on my pick-me-up list, like Pal Joey ('57). Just the sheer quality is rejuvenating. The only quibble: I wish they'd have secured Frank Sinatra (or archive footage) to sing at least 1 of his hits with TD.
The bickering of the Dorsey brothers, and the bad acting by the real brothers playing themselves, distracts from the overall joy of the film. However, the fact that the brothers could not co-exist actually benefited our culture, because their rivalry fueled their ambitions, and we probably got double the excellent output because they split up.
The quality of the public domain print hurts too. I wish someone like Olive, Kino, or Criterion would find good footage and put out a special edition.
I'm bumping this to a 7- (formerly a 6), mostly because of the Tatum stuff. (Yet another instance where I appreciate something much more for having watched these films chronologically.)
Charles R. Rogers Productions, distr. UA, dir. Green; 7-
