The Benny Goodman Story

Writer, director Valantine Davies took on this musical challenge as a testimony to the legendary impresario Benny Goodman and what was then called 'Swing' music.' The film itself is called " The Benny Goodman Story " and it features the late great comic Steve Allen. The movie does a good job of incorporating the early life of the famed musician and the life-struggles he encountered. Striving from an early age to learn his instrument and then later to adapt it to create what he called a 'special' type of music for the era of Early Swing and later Jazz age. The movie does not lend itself any of Goodman's foibles or controversies as there were little in his life. Still it does take a few liberties with his personal history, but nothing which detracts from the established music which he help to initiate. Indeed, his ability to play his clarinet and entrance his audiences is what makes this movie and then the cast which includes Donna Reed, Berta Gersted and Barry Truex as Benny Goodman (at 16), is what marks this Bio-pic as a musical Classic and the late great Gene Cruppa on drums. In addition for any who love the legendary sounds of the Big Bands in the age which started them all, you can do no better than sit and enjoy this musical rendition which is a tribute to that era. Easily recommended. Well done.

Jazz enthusiasts in particular, and pop 40s devotees in general will enjoy the fine jazz renditions in "The Benny Goodman Story." Some very fine clarinet playing is heard on the soundtrack by Goodman himself, and there are many wonderful jazz musicians heard and seen as guests in the film. While Benny's story may well have been "reinvented" a bit for story's sake, the over all feel to the film is a typical rise from humble beginnings to the heights of stardom scenario. Those who'll enjoy the musical performances without being too critical on factual matters will undoubtedly find this a pleasant film. Goodman's famed Carnegie Hall concert is recreated as the movie's climax--and what a concert that was!

Enjoyed this very entertaining film about Benny Goodman performed by Steve Allen who himself was a great composer, piano player and all around actor and late night show host. This was a very compact Hollywood story detailing the life of the great Jazz King of the 30's. Donna Reed, (Alice Hammond) gave a great supporting role as Benny's girlfriend and then his wife. The film was filled with all great jazz musicians, Gene Krupa, Lional Hampton, Harry James and Sammy Davis Sr. along with many other famous jazz musicians. In the 1950's you were able to go to the Roxy Theater, Paramont and Music Hall in New York City and see these great musicians in between the showing of their feature movies and at very low prices, especially at 10 AM for a price of $1.25 to $2.00. This is a great film and the musical selections will keep you glued to this film from beginning to end.

Benny Goodman was known as the King of Swing, and his songs "Sing, Sing, Sing," "One O'clock Jump," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "Moonglow," "Goody Goody," and my favorite "And the Angels Sing" (performed in this film by Martha Tilton) helped define an era. He was still going strong when this movie was made and continued to play his clarinet until his death in 1986 at the age of 77. Portrayed as an adult by television pioneer Steve Allen, Goodman's band musicians perform in this film: Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Ben Pollack, Edward "Kid" Ory, and Lionel Hampton. The film makes clear that Goodman was instrumental in breaking the racial barrier in American music. Gorgeous Donna Reed costars (and blessedly doesn't sing), and Sammy Davis Sr. plays Fletcher Henderson. And you'll love the scene where Goodman shows the music snobs that he can play Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto" with the best of them. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Viewed from the point of view of a jazz fan interested in the history of swing, this movie is a treasure. There are moments all through when some of the true greats in jazz can be at least glimpsed, and some have ongoing parts: Buck Clayton, on trumpet, Teddy Wilson on piano, Gene Krupa, on drums, Lionel Hampton on vibes, Stan Getz on tenor saxophone (he was the farthest to the right on the front row--almost always cut out of the pan-and-scan print shown on TCM, but he has a great solo and closeup in one of the numbers, in the Palomar ballroom section). There are other stars who appear for one scene, but it's fun to see them, even briefly. Ziggy Elman plays his trumpet solo on "And the Angels Sing" glibly verbatim from the famous recording, but rushes, unfortunately. The plot is quite predictable, and there's no clinch at the end, just shining eyes. A must-buy for the jazz sentimentalist--but get the wide-screen version.