Klarinet Archive - Posting 001187.txt from 2003/03

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] Benny Goodman Story (movies about jazz musicians)
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 16:38:05 -0500

We have mentioned several really sappy movies about jazz musicians. It
might be fun to try to decide which one is the best (or the least bad)
of the group. Let's see, there is:

The Benny Goodman Story
The Glenn Miller Story
The Eddie Duchin Story (the sappiest of all, I think)
Young Man with a Horn (starring Kirk Douglas as a Bix Beiderbecke clone)
The Five Pennies

And there were two movies starring the Glenn Miller orchestra, although
they were not specifically about Miller or his band:

Orchestra Wives
Sun Valley Serenade

We mustn't forget the original sound movie, the Jazz Singer, starring Al
Jolson, which actually has nothing to do with jazz. This one wasn't
very good when it first appeared, but it has been re-made at least two
more times (in the 1950's, starring Danny Thomas, and in the 1980's,
starring Neil Diamond), and each time it has been remade it has been
worse than the previous time.
Also, The King of Jazz, one of the earliest movies in both sound and
color, about, and starring, Paul Whiteman, which also has little if
anything to do with jazz.

And, then in later times there is:

High Society, with Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby
Bird (about Charlie Parker)
'Round Midnight (about a fictitious player, but apparently based on
events in the life of Dexter Gordon, and the lead is played by him.)
(There is also one from the 60's starring Paul Newman and Natalie Wood,
but I can't think of the title right now. This is a pretty good one.)

Finally, I'll make my nomination for what I think is the most
entertaining movie about jazz musicians, although the basic premise has
more holes in it than Swiss cheese:

The Gang's All Here, starring Benny Goodman, Mel Powell, Louis
Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey and more (working from memory of a long time
ago).

Any other suggestions or additions to the list?

Ed Lacy
University of Evansville

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