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Make Believe Ballroom

  • 1949
  • Approved
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
66
YOUR RATING
Jimmy Dorsey in Make Believe Ballroom (1949)
ComedyMusicRomance

Liza Lee, fast-talking press agent for Al Jarvis, persuades Jarvis to stage a Musical Mystery Contest, with a $5000 prize to the person who can first name the most musical numbers and their ... Read allLiza Lee, fast-talking press agent for Al Jarvis, persuades Jarvis to stage a Musical Mystery Contest, with a $5000 prize to the person who can first name the most musical numbers and their performers. Drive-in carhops Gene Thomas ) and Josie Marlow run neck-and-neck in the conte... Read allLiza Lee, fast-talking press agent for Al Jarvis, persuades Jarvis to stage a Musical Mystery Contest, with a $5000 prize to the person who can first name the most musical numbers and their performers. Drive-in carhops Gene Thomas ) and Josie Marlow run neck-and-neck in the contest, They are friendly rivals until college professor Leslie Todd begins courting Josie. Ge... Read all

  • Director
    • Joseph Santley
  • Writers
    • Albert Duffy
    • Karen DeWolf
    • Martin Block
  • Stars
    • Jerome Courtland
    • Ruth Warrick
    • Ron Randell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    66
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph Santley
    • Writers
      • Albert Duffy
      • Karen DeWolf
      • Martin Block
    • Stars
      • Jerome Courtland
      • Ruth Warrick
      • Ron Randell
    • 3User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos30

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    Top cast42

    Edit
    Jerome Courtland
    Jerome Courtland
    • Gene Thomas
    Ruth Warrick
    Ruth Warrick
    • Liza Lee
    Ron Randell
    Ron Randell
    • Leslie Todd
    Virginia Welles
    Virginia Welles
    • Josie Marlow
    Adele Jergens
    Adele Jergens
    • Adele Jergens
    Jimmy Dorsey
    Jimmy Dorsey
    • Band Leader Jimmy Dorsey
    Martin Block
    • Disc Jockey Martin Block
    Al Jarvis
    Al Jarvis
    • Al Jarvis - Disc Jockey
    Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine
    • Singer Frankie Laine
    Gene Krupa
    Gene Krupa
    • Drummer Gene Krupa
    Pee Wee Hunt
    • Band Leader Pee Wee Hunt
    Kay Starr
    • Singer Kay Starr
    Jack Smith
    Jack Smith
    • Singer Jack Smith
    Toni Harper
    Toni Harper
    • Singer Toni Harper
    Nat 'King' Cole
    Nat 'King' Cole
    • Trio Leader
    • (as King Cole Trio)
    The King Cole Trio
    • King Cole Trio
    Charlie Barnet
    Charlie Barnet
    • Charlie Barnet, Bandleader
    Jan Garber
    • Band Leader Jan Garber
    • Director
      • Joseph Santley
    • Writers
      • Albert Duffy
      • Karen DeWolf
      • Martin Block
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews3

    6.866
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    Featured reviews

    10mmpendragon-1

    Great Music Film

    80 minutes of some of the best musicians and singers around, including: Frankie Laine, Kay Starr, The Nat Cole Trio, Gene Krupa, Jimmy Dorsey, Charlie Barnett, Jack Smith and more. The story about two carhops competing in a "name that tune" radio contest serves as a pleasant link between songs.

    Frankie Laine sings his million seller, "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," Kay Starr scores with "I'm The Loneliest Girl In Town," and Jerome Courtland (the male carhop) serves up a beautiful recording of "It's A Blue World." For big band fans there's a killer jam session with Jimmy Dorsey, Pee Wee Hunt, Charlie Barnett and Jan Garber.

    The script is witty and fast-paced and the fun never lags.
    horn-5

    You gotta make believe.

    A combination of a radio quiz show in and around the record-spinning radio program, "Make Believe Ballroom", created by Martin Block and Al Jarvis. Liza Lee (Ruth Warrick), fast-talking press agent for Al Jarvis (Al Jarvis), persuades Jarvis to stage a Musical Mystery Contest, with a $5000 prize to the person who can first name the most musical numbers and their performers. Drive-in carhops Gene Thomas (Jerome Courtland) and Josie Marlow (Virginia Welles) run neck-and-neck in the contest, They are friendly rivals until college professor Leslie Todd (Ron Randell) begins courting Josie. Gene is thrown out of the contest on the grounds he tried to bribe sound engineer Jerskin Elliott (Louis Jean Heydt) into telling him the name and performer of the final, deciding mystery tune. Believing that Gene is innocent, Josie tricks a confession out of Elliott and clears Gene for the grand finale.

    Gene and Josie tie and share the prize money and together buy the drive-in of Gene's dreams. Liza and Leslie also decide to form a life partnership.

    Filled with one dizzy shot after another of spinning 78 rpm records that fade into a singer or band doing their stuff. Their stuff includes Frankie Laine (On the Sunny Side of the Street), Kay Starr (Lonesomest Gal in Town), Jack Smith (The Way the Twig is Bent), The King Cole Trio (The Trouble With Me is You), and pre-teen Toni Harper on three songs (Candy Store Blues, Little Miss In-Between and, with The Sportsmen, Hamburger Heaven.) The combined bands/orchestras of Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Dorsey, Jan Garber, Pee Wee Hunt, Gene Krupa and Ray McKinley work together on "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," in addition to band-alone renditions of many songs.

    Adele Jergens (then being groomed for bigger things by Columbia) drops in as a decorative guest star on the radio program. The plot itself plays out in about 25 minutes of the 79-minute running time, and the rest of the film is all music.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Referenced in Les Soprano: Kennedy and Heidi (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      (uncredited)

      Written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields

      Sung by Frankie Laine

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Swingens mästare
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Jimmy Dorsey in Make Believe Ballroom (1949)
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