L'America dei Dorsey

Wow, I loved the Dorsey brothers big band music and what a treat it must have been when filmmaking was still in its infancy (1940's) to have these two musical wonder brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey appear in a wide release film brimming with some of their most popular musical numbers

I read that some other reviewers were not impressed with the Dprsey brothers acting abilities, but the way I internalized this biographical film, these were two brothers who were not actually acting but in reality, they were re-living their love/dislike relationship with one another and who can argue with either of these two highly talented brothers who had a different viewpoint on how their (own) music should be played and heard.

I will tell you what I saw and what I heard and the music that I heard was a musical sound that I want to hear more of even some seventy years after it's first release. I really do wish I was born in the 1920's and had the opportunity to see and hear the Dorsey brothers big band music live.

This is an entertaining film especially if you enjoy big band music and a bit of sibling rivalry which most brothers and sisters can relate to. I give it a much appreciated 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

This black-and-white film seems almost like a documentary, with legendary big band leaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey playing fictionalized versions of themselves and delivering many of the hits that made them famous, including "Green Eyes," "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," and "Marie." Performances by big band musicians and singers from the 1940s, including Art Tatum, Charlie Barnet, Bob Everly, Paul Whiteman, and Helen O'Connell help convey a sense of why this music is such a perfect expression of the American generation that won World War II with its determination and cockeyed optimism. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

I watched this film this afternoon and I am amazed that Janet Blair didn't become one of the great sex symbols of the era. It was only for this beautiful, sexy woman that made me stay with it, (plus the fabulous music). The script was dreadful, the acting (apart from Ms Blair), was embarrasing and the storyline was desperately dull. So in summary if an actress can make me stick like glue to a bomb of a movie like that, she must be something special. Surely we can at least have a headshot!

The condition of the print that was transferred to DVD was just awful. This was no bootleg, either. It's the commercially available disc. That is a pity. Worse is the ham-handed acting and Irish accents think enough to cut with a dull knife. Even Barry Fitzgerald never laid it on that thick.

However... for me, it as all worth it to see Helen O'Connell sing "Green Eyes." Oh yes! So, I hold with many of the others' views: watch this for the music and skip the rest.

It would be a help if the print could be restored to a decent condition and a disc transfer made from that. However, the overall quality of the movie and, sadly, the lack of general interest in good music of the Swing Era, probably doesn't justify the expense.

The Dorsey Brothers were great musicians, and I admire their work greatly, but they weren't actors. They could carry off reasonable performances in cameo roles in films, like Tommy Dorsey did in the film "a star is born" but other than that, they were not worthy of a main role.

However, I am not here to dump this film; it has some fantastic music in it, including a great jam session with Art Tatum. We are treated to a fabulous amount of Dorsey hits like Tommy Dorsey's soulful rendition of "I'm Getting Sentimental over you" and Jimmy Dorsey's swingey rendition of "Tangerine".

Also, there are some enjoyable cameo appearances (apart from Tatum) that include the famous bandleader Paul Whiteman and the singer Bob Eberle.

The worst thing about this film is a romantic relationship that occurs between the DB band's pianist and the singer. This relationship has virtually nothing to do with the film, and amounts to an unbearable schmaltz.

"The fabulous Dorseys" isn't a bad film but you probably have to be a massive fan of the talented brothers to truly like this film. Enjoy the music! 7/10