Young Man with a Horn

Michael Curtiz was a genius director, don't you agree? Masterpieces like "Casablanca" "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" "The Charge Of The Light Brigade" "Mildred Pierce" and over 150 other titles including the musical "Romance on the High Seas" which introduced Doris Day to the world. In "Young Man with a Horn" Doris Day is the luminous center, the ideal. She is photographed and framed like a reachable dream. Kirk Douglas plays the trumpet player in love with the wrong woman and Lauren Bacall here is the personification of the wrong woman, she knows it, she tells him but he goes for it like a lamb to the slaughter. "Young Man with a Horn" has some extra pluses, Hoagy Carmichel for instance and Juano Hernandez but what the film reminded me of was, Michael Curtiz's brilliance and that Doris Day was, is and always will be one of the great film actresses of all time. Regardless of the film she appeared in, she displayed an extraordinary talent to be, to be totally and if you think I'm just waxing lyrical, "Young Man with a Horn" presents indisputable evidence of her extraordinary talent.

This is a great film with three great actors; Kirk Douglas as Rick Martin, Lauren Bacall as Amy North, AND Doris Day as Jo Jordan. Even though the movie was loosely based on the short and sad life of jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke, the ending was written in a more positive light than Bix's tragic real life story. Yet the movie still manages to capture the essence of a tormented musician's existence, the dangers of alcoholism, the deceptions of false love, and the effect Rick Martin's choices have on those around him who love...and hate...him. There's Lauren Bacall and Doris Day...bad girl and good girl...who will he choose? Slinky, seductive, and cat-like Lauren? Or loving, beautiful and wholesome Doris? It's a visual feast with two of Hollywood's most alluring women! And it's an acting tour de force from all involved, including Juano Hernandez as young Rick Martin's African American trumpet mentor, Art Hazzard. It's also a great pathos film, only with an added light-at-the end-of-the-tunnel type of ending. Not necessarily a true to life ending, but it makes for a great story...and an even greater movie. This should definitely be on DVD!

Rick Martin is a young boy who finds the love for music after his mother dies. The trumpet becomes his instrument, and he learns to play it from an old master called Art Hazzard. Young Man with a Horn from 1950 is directed by Michael Curtiz. Rick Martin is first played by Orley Lindgren, then by Kirk Douglas. Lauren Bacall plays his troubled wife Amy North. Doris Day is the singer friend Jo Jordan. Hoagy Carmichael is the pianist friend Willie 'Smoke' Willoughby. Juano Hernandez portrays Art Hazzard. The cast is quite superb. Douglas does excellent job in the lead. Especially when Rick starts having problems with the alcohol, then Kirk really has to act. And that he does really well! I think the movie becomes more interesting when it portrays all those problems this young man starts having. Problems with marriage, drinking. When it's not just about music and how good he is at it. Bacall's performance is very film noir, which works fairly good in this movie. Day is very touching in the caring she has for her friend. And she can really sing, which we all knew! If you're a fan of the main trio, if you like good music, if you like drama you should see this movie.

More or less fictional, this film tells the story of a lonely but musically inclined kid who grows up to be an ace trumpet player. Kirk Douglas plays Rick Martin, a guy with a one-track mind ... music. But whereas he could make a steady income playing in routine dance bands with their sing-a-long songs, Martin prefers the more free-form sounds of jazz.

But jazz doesn't sell records, so Martin hops from one boring band to another, never finding satisfaction except when he's engaged with other like-minded jazz musicians. It's the old conflict of commercialization vs. art. Along the way Rick meets his true love, Jo (Doris Day), but gets sidetracked by a sultry academic named Amy (Lauren Bacall). And therein lies the main problem with this film.

Amy is an annoying character. Since she relates not at all to music, every time she's on screen, we have to listen to her whine. She detracts both from Rick Martin and from the film's jazzy, moody style. These plot segments, which show up in the second half take us far away from jazz and into angst filled soap opera territory.

Ted McCord's terrific B&W cinematography adds a lot. The lighting and interesting camera angles amplify the moody, downbeat tone, consistent with a 1940s urban visual style, helped along by effective sets and realistic costume design. Casting is acceptable except for Lauren Bacall, who is too overbearing. Doris Day is quite good. And Hoagy Carmichael does a terrific job, both in acting and in narrating the story.

A satisfying film overall could have been rendered even better had the script kept the focus on Rick Martin and his love of jazz. That "Young Man With A Horn" didn't win any kind of award is unfortunate. It's a good film, especially for viewers who enjoy jazz and can appreciate the dreary, moody ambiance of 1940s urban America.

...in this musical biopic based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke, American pianist, coronist, and composer who died at age 28. Directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Warner Brothers, this film tells the tale of RIck Martin (Kirk Douglas) who is orphaned as a child and raised by a much older sister who moves around the country, finally settling in LA. A loner both by nature and nurture, he becomes interested in music in general and then the trumpet specifically, with trumpeter Art Hazzard (Juano Hernandez) becoming both a tutor and father figure to him. His sister disappears from the story early on, and this makes Rick a convincing latchkey kid at this point.

As a grown man he meets two women. One is a singer in a band, Jo Jordan, who is just too sweet and understanding to be true to the point that nothing romantic develops. Doris Day is wasted in this part except when she sings. The other is socialite Amy North (Lauren Bacall) who Martin sees as an interesting enigma to the point that he marries her. This is where the film loses its way as Amy's characterization is all over the place. Other than the fact that she seems to enjoy tormenting Rick I really don't get her motivation.

I read the portion of director Curtiz' biography dealing with this film, and apparently Bacall didn't like her character either and clashed with Curtiz on a regular basis on this subject. The lesbian angle for Amy was written in intentionally, but with the production code still being in full force, it's really hard to see it unless you know it's there.

This is worthwhile with Kirk Douglas' electric portrayal, the touching relationship between Rick Martin and Art Hazzard, the great portrayal of night life and jam sessions, and Hoagy Carmichael's narration, all outweighing the goofy ending.