Bio of swing band leader 'Benny Goodman' from age 10 (1919) to his landmark Carnegie Hall band concert in 1938. Not exactly historically accurate, but great music. Also, guest appearances ...
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Title: The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve Allen | ... | ||
| Donna Reed | ... |
Alice Hammond
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Berta Gersten | ... |
Mama Goodman
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Barry Truex | ... | |
| Herbert Anderson | ... |
John Hammond Jr.
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| Robert F. Simon | ... |
Papa Dave Goodman
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Hy Averback | ... |
Willard Alexander
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| Sammy Davis Sr. | ... |
Fletcher Henderson
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Dick Winslow | ... |
Gil Rodin
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Shepard Menken | ... |
Harry Goodman
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| Jack Kruschen | ... |
Murph Podolsky
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| Wilton Graff | ... |
John Hammond Sr.
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Fred Essler | ... |
Prof. Schoepp
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David Kasday | ... | |
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John Erman | ... |
Harry Goodman (at 16)
(as John M. Erman)
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Bio of swing band leader 'Benny Goodman' from age 10 (1919) to his landmark Carnegie Hall band concert in 1938. Not exactly historically accurate, but great music. Also, guest appearances by many great musicians of the time. Written by Don Femia <[email protected]>
Certificate:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
3 January 1956 (Japan) See more »Also Known As:
La historia de Benny Goodman See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Benny Goodman: That wasn't me - that was Mozart.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Benny Goodman played all the clarinet music heard on the soundtrack himself, with the exception of the scene where the young Goodman first tried to play the clarinet - the squeaky notes were actually played by Steve Allen. See more »Goofs
When Benny is 16 and sitting and playing on the roof of his apartment house, the "buildings" in the background have lights in certain windows. Years later when he is again in the same place, the same lights in the same windows are shown. See more »Quotes
Alice Hammond: I can't remember when I've been so moved.Benny Goodman: That wasn't me - that was Mozart.
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Crazy Credits
Benny Goodman's theme song is played over the appearance of the "Universal International" globe. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Viewed from the point of view of a jazz fan interested in the history of swing, this movie is a treasure. There are moments all through when some of the true greats in jazz can be at least glimpsed, and some have ongoing parts: Buck Clayton, on trumpet, Teddy Wilson on piano, Gene Krupa, on drums, Lionel Hampton on vibes, Stan Getz on tenor saxophone (he was the farthest to the right on the front row--almost always cut out of the pan-and-scan print shown on TCM, but he has a great solo and closeup in one of the numbers, in the Palomar ballroom section). There are other stars who appear for one scene, but it's fun to see them, even briefly. Ziggy Elman plays his trumpet solo on "And the Angels Sing" glibly verbatim from the famous recording, but rushes, unfortunately. The plot is quite predictable, and there's no clinch at the end, just shining eyes. A must-buy for the jazz sentimentalist--but get the wide-screen version.