Starring Steve Allen, Donna Reed, Berta Gersten, and Herbert Anderson
Directed by Valentine Davies
Music and Lyrics by Benny Goodman and others
This week, we're jumping into that big band sound with biographies of two influential band leaders. The Glenn Miller Story was a huge hit for Universal in 1954 and proved, despite rapidly changing taste in music, there was still an audience for big band movies. Allen was influential in his own right. An accomplished comedian and pianist, he wrote thousands of songs, recorded hundreds more, and wrote novels, children's books, and essays. Today, he's best-known for his TV work, and in fact, was hosting the original The Tonight Show and about to star in his first of many prime-time variety shows. How well does he do playing another famous musician, the "King of Swing" who anchored one of the most beloved orchestras of his day? Let's begin at Chicago in 1919 and find out...
The Story: Benny Goodman (Allen) starts playing the clarinet for music teachers when he's 10. By the time he's 17, he's traveling with Ben Pollock (Himself) and his band. Near the end of the 20's, he breaks out and forms his own band. Though it's not successful at first, he does meet wealthy jazz lover John Hammond (Anderson) and his sister Alice (Reed). They invite him to their home, where he impresses Alice by playing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.
Benny courts her, but she's considered too high-brow for him. His mother (Gertson) wishes he'd find someone closer to his station. Meanwhile, his swinging sound has slowly become wildly popular, especially on the West Coast. Now, his band is doing extensive touring, have their own radio show, and will even be appearing in a movie. Even as he prepares to appear at Carnegie Hall, he still has Alice on his mind. Alice for her part is ready to concede, not only to her feelings about Benny, but to the fact that brassy American jazz can be as powerful and heartfelt as European classical concertos.
The Song and Dance: The real reason to see this is the wide variety of cameos from jazz and big band greats whom Goodman actually worked with. That's the real Ben Pollack he plays for, and the real Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, and Teddy Wilson performing in his band. One thing that's not often brought up about Goodman that many people would appreciate more nowadays is his racially integrated band. Though it's not heavily discussed in the film, just seeing black and white musicians playing together at a time when the Civil Rights Movement was picking up steam and most bands were still segregated - and black and white artists get equal respect for their music - is revelatory.
Favorite Number: We open with Goodman's first attempt at playing the clarinet (and the only time we actually hear Steve Allen playing). Soon enough, he's so good, he joins Pollock's band for "By the Beautiful Sea" during a cruise gig...but it's the black band playing "King Porter Stomp" he really loves. His own band starts off with "Original Dixieland One-Step." Alice is impressed with how Goodman manages to tamp down the jazz and do an excellent "Clarinet Concerto" at her brother's home. "Stompin' at the Savoy" becomes a literal stomp when the teens listening get so into it, they start dancing in the aisles. One even grabs a bewildered Alice for a dance! We hear Wilson do "On the Sunny Side of the Street," while Krupa and Harry James go to town on "Sing, Sing, Sing" and James solos on "Shine."
The last 20 minutes of the film is given over to that famous Carnegie Hall concert. Among the songs heard here, much as they were in the actual concert, are "Sensation Rag," "Avalon," "Don't Be That Way," and "And the Angels Sing."
Trivia: Unlike Glenn Miller, Goodman was still very much alive and active when this film was made. After his band dissolved in 1944, he segwayed into smaller bands and experimented with be-bop and classical. He continued with large and small bands until shortly before his death in 1986.
Goodson plays all the clarinet solos heard in the movie. The only time beginner Allen actually played was in the first scene, where the young Goodman plays the clarinet for the first time.
What I Don't Like: Despite the wonderful music heard here, everything else is a snore. Though Allen does resemble Goodman, he's otherwise nothing like the reputedly temperamental and hot-headed band leader. The story is cliched to the max, and not only barely touches on many real details of Goodson's life, pretty much whitewashes everything but the racial aspect. Alice, for instance, had already been married and had children before she married Goodson, which isn't mentioned. Reed does what she can with a dull and thankless role. And as with most so-called "historical" musicals of the 40's and 50's set in the recent past, there's no attempt at historical accuracy after the first 20 minutes. Once they get into the late 20's, it looks like 1954 for the rest of the movie.
The Big Finale: Terrific music aside, I found this to be overwhelmingly dull. Unless you're a huge fan of Allen, Reed, Goodman, or the musicians involved, you're better off looking up Goodman's real recordings and passing on this one.
Home Media: DVD only at the moment.
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