 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2013-05-11 14:53
Not sure if this is old news or not, but the entire movie "The Benny Goodman Story" is now on YouTube.
Sure, it has the usual Hollywood exaggeration and factual errors, but Steve Allen is an uncanny Benny Goodman look alike.
Great clarinet soundtrack too (just ignore the bad fingerings)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmaXN3gTP14
Thanks to Hans (from Canada) for the tip.
...GBK
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Author: William
Date: 2013-05-12 16:16
Steve Allen was Benny's personal choice to play himself in the movie produced by the Selmer company. Steve actually studied the clarinet for the role but could do little more than hold it on screen. All of the clarinet that you hear on the soundtrack is BENNY GOODMAN, at perhaps his best. That old movie, as mellow dramatic as it was, inspired many young kids to take up the clarinet for their school bands and may have helped Selmer sell many Bundy Resonite and Centered Tone clarinets. As a high school kid, I loved that movie--and still do.
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-05-12 16:34
Thanks for the post, GBK - saw it when I was in High School, and couldn't stop watching it again yesterday. Benny was probably playing his Selmer BT on the soundtrack; don't know how modern clarinet technology could have sounded any better...
Have shared it on my Facebook page so others might enjoy also.
Gary K
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-05-12 16:58
There is a video interview with Benny (Merv Griffin Show?) where he said, "I laughed like hell when I saw it."
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: GBK
Date: 2013-05-12 19:21
Paul Aviles wrote:
> There is a video interview with Benny (Merv Griffin Show?)
> where he said, "I laughed like hell when I saw it."
> ..............Paul Aviles
Knowing Benny's reputation that quote may have been:
"I laughed like hell all the way to the bank when I saw it."
Just sayiin'
...GBK
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-05-13 01:21
I just saw part of the 1979 interview on Merv Griffin with Benny and Buddy Rich. I guess Buddy Rich's outbursts are as legendary as Goodman's cheapness. You can get a taste of Rich's outrageous, foul, demeaning tirades on Youtube. I love Rich's drumming and he is a real master on this Griffin clip. I still remember going to a crummy movie in NYC at the theater that was downstairs in Columbus Circle. The year was about 1970 and at the back of the theater was Rich standing and drinking a soda. I couldn't believe that he would just be doing something so ordinary as watching a crummy James Caan movie and drinking a soda while wearing a big stupid yellow rubber raincoat. Apparently he walked in a few minutes before I did (in the middle of the movie). Back in those days I saw many famous musicians just milling around and doing everyday stuff. I once saw Count Basie walking down the street near Times Square while wearing a captain's hat. I saw Frank Foster while I was playing in his youth Jazz orchestra.
BTW, the crazy fingering by Steve Allen during Goodman's solos was half the fun of the movie. A must see. I thought you couldn't post an entire movie without breaks on Youtube because of a time restriction.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2013-05-13 23:00
I saw Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson at Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio. Buddy was on his best behavior. I read that Buddy was not happy to be opening for Maynard, but Maynard was far more popular by that time.
Buddy did throw a temper tantrum at a local high school, where he put his fist through a drum head. The school officials vowed to never invite him back.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-05-13 23:06
gkern wrote:
> Thanks for the post, GBK - saw it when I was in High School,
> and couldn't stop watching it again yesterday. Benny was
> probably playing his Selmer BT on the soundtrack; don't know
> how modern clarinet technology could have sounded any better...
There is actually an interesting story behind this. Apparently Benny Goodman wanted to re-acquire the clarinet he played during the 30's (having either sold it or given it away years before) to use for recording the soundtrack for this movie. He placed an ad in "Clarinet Magazine" stating that he was looking for his old clarinet clarinet with the serial number L3682, which would indeed have been a BT model. I've never heard whether or not he actually acquired the instrument or not.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-05-14 03:02
I saw Maynard Fergusen at Birdland when I was about 12 years old (1966). My parents took me, and even to this day I think it was illegal to take a minor into a place where alcohol was served, somehow I ended up there. Four years later I went to the Village Vanguard to hear Charles Mingus and then later Herbie Hancock. Not only was I underage, but at 16, I still looked like I was 12. The wait staff kept forcing me to buy more drinks. i ordered gin (which I hated) and managed to spill one drink on the floor and spit one into napkins so that they would leave me alone and let me stay and listen.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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