Les rois du jazz

Original title: The Best Things in Life Are Free

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Ernest Borgnine, Dan Dailey, Gordon MacRae, and Sheree North in Les rois du jazz (1956)

Ray joins Buddy and Lew to form a successful 1920s musical show writing team. Soon, they've got several hits on Broadway, but Buddy's ambition leads to friction among the group, as the other... Read allRay joins Buddy and Lew to form a successful 1920s musical show writing team. Soon, they've got several hits on Broadway, but Buddy's ambition leads to friction among the group, as the other 2 feel increasingly left out.Ray joins Buddy and Lew to form a successful 1920s musical show writing team. Soon, they've got several hits on Broadway, but Buddy's ambition leads to friction among the group, as the other 2 feel increasingly left out.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

391

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

Photos11

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9:57

Storyline

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Trivia
Links to IMDb files for the real-life people who were portrayed in the film using their real names: Lew Brown, Buddy G. DeSylva, Ray Henderson, Al Jolson, Winfield R. Sheehan. Sheehan, who died in 1945, was the head of production at Fox Films from 1926 to 1935. He was most notable for developing the early career of Shirley Temple, but was fired to make way for Darryl F. Zanuck after the merger that created Twentieth Century-Fox, the company that produced the film.

Goofs
An establishing shot of Times Square in New York City, supposed to be taking place around 1930, clearly shows 1950s automobiles in the traffic.

Connections
Edited into Your Afternoon Movie: The Best Things in Life are Free (2022)

Soundtracks
Lucky Day
Music by Ray Henderson
Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
Sung by Dan Dailey

User reviews14

Featured review

10/10

A tonic for troubled times

Sheree North, a wonderful presence in too few films in the 1950's. She was up there with the best and you only have to see her in ' No Down Payment ' to see how seriously good she was. I am one of the lucky few who taped this film back in the 1980's when it was shown on UK television in Cinemascope. It leaves and breathes Cinemascope and yet crime of crimes it is only available in pan and scan. Why was this idiotic decision made ? My faded copy with dodgy faded colour is better, and many cinemas on re-runs would have shown it like this, and I am not complaining. The ' Black Bottom ' HAS to be seen on widescreen, and it is one of those great musical numbers that uses the full length of the screen, and Sheree North dances so perfectly I get vertigo just looking at her. And now where is this film in the history of musicals ? Nowhere near the top and it should be. Even Ernest Borgnine sings and he could!!! Also he gives a fine performance. Michael Curtiz, one of Hollywood's great directors gave us this treasure and it is an insult that this is a semi-forgotten film. It works on every level.