Orchestra Wives

On Australian television, this movie has always been shown as the second half of a double bill, following 'Sun Valley Serenade'. It's a neat balancing act, the upbeat nature of 'Sun Valley Serenade' being brought back to earth by the semi-documentary flavour of 'Orchestra Wives'. The latter is a compelling movie and as another reviewer pointed out, it didn't do well in the USA. At a guess I'd put this down to the non-melodramatic but seemingly realistic performances - unusual at the time. Having been a fan of Ann Rutherford since enjoying her in the 'Andy Hardy' movies, I was struck by her excellent but out of character performance. Once again the Nicholas Brothers provide the most memorable scene but all in all, it's a fine screenplay with great production values.

You gotta hand it to GLENN MILLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA. Their leader may lack acting charisma but he's got a band that plays great tunes with that unmistakable Miller sound and some good band singers to do the tunes justice. And the producers of this movie were wise to use The Nicholas Bros., an acrobatic dance trio that do outstanding routines to "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo".

But the plot, well that's another story. It's one of those catty backstage plots about a group of orchestra wives and the jealousy that erupts when an innocent young girl (ANN RUTHERFORD) joins the group only to discover that her husband's ex-flame is still carrying the torch for him, and will stop at nothing to win him back. What happens among the group is pretty hard to swallow, but it's just a device to make way for hearing Miller and his band in their glory days.

As in SUN VALLEY SERENADE, it's the musical numbers that knock the film out of pedestrian and into the winner's circle with numbers like "Serenade in Blue", "At Last", "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo", and "People Like You and Me". It's also a pleasure to rediscover singers like Marion Hutton, Tex Benecke, Ray Eberle and The Modernaires.

Pretty ANN RUTHERFORD and handsome GEORGE MONTGOMERY do nicely in the romantic leads and it's s fun way to spend time listening to Miller and his boys. CAROLE LANDIS, MARY BETH HUGHES and LYNN BARI sharpen their claws on some sassy dialog. It's fun!

I love this movie! It has the great Glen Miller band and features Tex Beneke. It also has the fabulous Nicholas Brothers in a WONDERFUL finale! In addition, the costumes that the "wives" wear should be in a time capsule; they are really great and perfectly reflect the best fashions of the day. The plot is to be tolerated as it creates a framework for music, dance and beauty that lifts the soul!!! Thumbs up!! What a treat to see Jackie Gleason playing the bass. Also, Tex Beneke was a voice I had only heard on records. It is delightful to see him try his hand at acting. Ann Rutherford is so lovely, and I just find the whole film a fluffy treat. The music is just the best and I always delight in the Nicholas Brothers.

Coming back to this after a long gap I was surprised how much I remembered of it and basically how good it was. The glue and the title refer to some of the band's spouses and their overall bitching and attempts to go better over the others. This film sums up womankind as seen by Golden Age Hollywood - after watching it I feel more in touch with my feminine side. Maybe not! But I wouldn't wanna play in the same band with Buddy either!

Ignoring the above, the key to enjoying this movie lies in the marvellous and plentiful music (although mimed to) by Glenn Miller & his Orch. Some glorious 40's standards are captured here, "At last" but especially the sublime "Kalamazoo" sung by Tex Beneke definitively, where the Nicholas Brothers wrap it up in their usual laid back and reflective style.

The atmosphere is great, not quite in the Andy Hardy vein for Ann Rutherford, but I take my impressions of what small town America might have been like in the 40's from this film (along with "Shadow of a doubt").

Glenn Miller certainly helped create a unique and unforgettable sound with his music and his band - but his acting left something to be desired!

Lively mix of mellow sounds and backstage back-biting. I could have used more of the band, but the signature I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo fills a lot of musical space. Wow, the title really means it. The wives and girl friends are a catty lot, scheming and conniving, especially a brunette Carol Landis (Natalie). She and her two cohorts Gilmore and Hughes should wear big black hats and stir a steaming black kettle as they plague poor, sweet Connie (Rutherford). Then there's the jealous Janie (Bari) in her drop-dead revealing gowns. No wonder Bill is having trouble with wife Connie.

It's a fine cast. Note how well Rutherford acts with her big, expressive eyes-- hard not to put a protective arm around her. Surprisingly, it's a sleek and lively George Montgomery a few years before he made a sober-sided career of the six-gun and horse. Landis also scores well showing what a fine, versatile actress she was before her untimely death. And catch future TV stars Jackie Gleason and Harry Morgan in bit parts, along with a bobbie-soxer Dale Evans before her frontier team-up with Roy and Trigger.

Credit director Mayo with blending things together in pleasing fashion, something of a challenge given the sometimes salty wrinkles in the plot. It's a good look at Miller the man and a sampling of his celebrated band, along with the swinging Modernaires. And, despite a conventional happy ending, the narrative appears a more revealing look at traveling bands than I, for one, expected from a big studio production.