The Benny Goodman Story
by Valentine Davies
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Barry Truex, Berta Gersten, Donna Reed, Herbert Anderson, Steve AllenDirector: Valentine Davies
Brand: Universal
Cinematographer: William H. Daniels
Writer: Valentine Davies
Editor: Russell F. Schoengarth
Producer: Aaron Rosenberg
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Benny Goodman Story
Movie Review: He can't help the way he is--and aren't we glad?
Summary: 4 Stars
I understand the history in this story isn't precisely correct, but oh-my-god the music! Steve Allen, who made his film debut here, is only playing along with Goodman's original recordings, but he still gives an intensity and modesty to the role.
And again, the music. You've got a lot of the greats, including Gene Krupa, Stan Getz, and Harry James playing themselves. The film's a treat to watch, but worth buying to listen to over and over again.
Rebecca Kyle, March 2009
Summary of The Benny Goodman Story
The jazz clarinetist and bandleaders story includes his boyhood his sweetheart and his swing-era frame. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/04/2003 Starring: Teddy Wilson Wilton Graff Run time: 116 minutes Rating: G Director: Valentine DaviesIt lacks the tragic ending of The Glenn Miller Story, a smash hit released a year earlier, but this enjoyable musical biopic does a nice job of blending Benny Goodman's sweet swinging clarinet with a healthy dose of Hollywood hokum. The emphasis is on Goodman's struggle to get "hot music" into the mainstream, and his shy wooing of a socialite (Donna Reed). With Steve Allen cast as the bespectacled Goodman, there's a comic undertone to the bandleader's somewhat geeky demeanor, and Allen (a musician himself) is believable fronting the orchestra. Real-life swing figures, including Goodman Quartet players Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, and Lionel Hampton, lend verisimilitude. The climax comes with Goodman's legendary 1938 jazz concert at Carnegie Hall, a turning point in American popular music--and the sight of a mild-mannered man in a tuxedo leading his band through the glorious frenzy of "Sing, Sing, Sing" remains a delight. --Robert Horton
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