Birth of the Blues

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Movie
Original title Birth of the Blues
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1941
length 87 minutes
Rod
Director Victor Schertzinger
script Harry virtue (also template) Walter DeLeon
production BG DeSylva
Monta Bell for
Paramount Pictures
music Robert Emmett Dolan
camera William C. Mellor
cut Paul Weatherwax
occupation

Birth of the Blues is an American musical film from 1941. Directed by Victor Schertzinger , Bing Crosby , Mary Martin and Brian Donlevy star in the Oscar-nominated production.

action

In 1890, Jeff Lambert was a young boy living on Basin Street in New Orleans . Although his conservative father tried again and again to beat the black local musicians' love for jazz music from him, he achieved nothing with the boy.

When Jeff grew up he helped famous cornet player Memphis get out of jail. Soon after, the men formed a Dixieland jazz band. They call themselves "Basin Street Hotshots" and try to gain a foothold in New Orleans. They are thrown out of a cinema for their “black” music and the cafes and even the nightclubs reject their kind of music. The tide turns, albeit slowly, when Betty Lou Cobb, who Jeff became friends with, insists that she only wants Jeff's band to join the cafe where she performs. At first, the audience does not want to get involved in the music that is new to it, but gradually gives up their resistance when Betty Lou encourages people to dance and sing along, which in the end leads to the visitors becoming familiar with the new music, the Jazz make friends. Little by little the band got the longed for recognition and even became a little famous. There is a tense atmosphere between Jeff and Memphis, however, as both men have fallen in love with Mary Lou.

When Memphis proposes to Betty Lou, she rejects it because she loves Jeff. Jeff loves the young woman too, but he loves his music even more. It is also he who urges the band to take a better engagement at the Lafayette café. Blackie, the owner of the Black-Tie-Café, does not want to do without the successful performances of the band and realizes his threats, raids the Lafayette and beats the band members with his people and injures some of them seriously. Jeff's friend Louey, in particular, who wanted to bring him a telegram containing an offer to work in Chicago, is so badly injured that he has to stay in the hospital for some time. After it is clear that Louey will be all right, the band members prepare to go to Chicago. But again, Blackie and his henchmen give them trouble. A shootout ensues in the course of which Blackie's cronies accidentally shoot their own boss, only to then flee. During the renewed attack, Jeff had stood protectively in front of Memphis. Now that the two have spoken out, Jeff finally wants to confess his love and thus Betty Lou.

background

production

The film was shot from April 21 to June 4, 1941 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood . The budget was a flat $ 857,283. Edith Head was responsible for the costumes .

The opening credits of the film say that it is dedicated to the musical pioneering work of the people from Memphis and New Orleans, who pioneered a new musical genre with their music. A photomontage then shows the most famous of them, such as Ted Lewis , Duke Ellington , Louis Armstrong , Tommy Dorsey , Jimmy Dorsey , Benny Goodman , George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman . Also shown is a scene from the 1925 Paramount film The Golden Princess, starring Betty Bronson and Neil Hamilton , which loosely traces the fate of a Dixieland jazz band, one of the first white bands in a black musician-dominated neighborhood that runs along Basin Street played in New Orleans. Young Jeff's band meets a band loosely based on the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band , a black group from Basin Street.

The character Jeff Lambert embodied by Bing Crosby is said to be loosely based on the jazz clarinetist Alcide Nunez , the figure of Memphis portrayed by Brain Donlevy on the jazz pioneer Nick LaRocca . Mary Martin and Bing Crosby played together a year earlier in the musical film Rhythm on the River . Here too, Victor Scherzinger was its director. Mary Martin is the mother of actor Larry Hagman , born in 1931, who became famous for his role as JA Ewing in the television series Dallas .

The film's director, Victor Schertzinger, died on October 26, 1941, just before the film was released. He was able to finish the film four days ahead of scheduled shooting time and remained about $ 15,000 under budget. Paramount had the right to name actor Eddie Anderson by the name "Rochester" in the opening credits, the name of his most famous character, with whom he has always been associated. Trombonist Jack Teagarden made his debut in this film. Bassist Harry Barris had previously played with Bing Crosby in his Rhythm Boys Group.

According to the film industry's magazine The Hollywood Reporter , Constance Moore , Lillian Cornell and Virgina Dale were named for the film, as was Eddie Bracken , who was slated for a comic role. The previous naming of Ben Holmes as screenwriter and Mark Sandrich as producer and director also proved out of date when the film came out. Monta Bell replaced producer AM Botsford, who was leaving Paramount Studios. The multiple Oscar nominee cameraman John F. Seitz , who was named for the film, is no longer featured in the finished film. Clarinetist Dany Polo stepped in for Bing Crosby when Crosby played the clarinet in the film , and for Brian Donlevy, 'Poky' Carriere was the cornet double.

AMPAS documents from March 21, 1941 contain the information that the character Louey was killed by a gunshot wound, but in the finished film he was hit in the head and survived. It was also criticized that the film story was generally satisfactory, but that the script at hand could not be approved because it contained too many unacceptable scenes from the red light district of New Orleans and prostitutes, as well as unacceptable dialogues and it was also unacceptable that murderers were punished get away. In particular, care should be taken to ensure that girls of color do not behave coquettishly towards Jim, a white man. Then the script was revised again. The Paramount press department was exposed to a dispute between the cities of Memphis and New Orleans, both of whom saw themselves as the true authors of the blues and thus claimed the right to the film premiere. So there was a double premiere in both cities.

According to the Hollywood Reporter , British music publisher Campbell Connelly and Co., Ltd., is suing Paramount over the rights to WC cell phones Song Memphis Blues . Paramount alleged that the rights to the song were obtained from the owners Mercer and Morris. Campbel Connelly had previously acquired the rights. The result of the process is not known.

Soundtrack

Theatrical release

  • USA, premiered in Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana: October 31, 1941
  • USA (general start): November 7, 1941
  • Argentina: May 14, 1942 ( Title: Sabroso y piante )
  • Portugal: August 16, 1943 ( Title: Sinfonia Bárbara )
  • Sweden: January 24, 1944 (title: Swingens födelse )
  • Finland: May 30, 1946 ( Kiihoittavaa rytmiä )
  • Switzerland: August 7, 2003 at the Locarno Film Festival
  • Brazil: Title Sinfonia Bárbara
  • Hungary: Title A Blues születése

criticism

The New York Times critic , Bosley Crowther , said that Paramount could not guarantee the historical accuracy of the story of the blues, but that the film, which was supposed to usher in the Christmas season, started very early, but that Paramount had a good performance to welcome the holidays. The purpose of the story without many words is to pay homage to the early Dixieland jazz bands. The story in the film is not worth mentioning and is rather arbitrary. A freelance clarinetist, a number of naive musicians gather around him, including a woman who sings, and love also casually plays a role. A visit to the cinema is worthwhile, however, in view of the jam sessions and the refined presentation of songs and mockery.

Variety conceded to the film that it would tell its story, the story of Basin Street in New Orleans, the cradle of Dixieland jazz, lively and with enthusiasm. In addition to romance, there are also threatening moments, but especially a Calvalkade of jazzy music.

TimeOut , London, took offense when the film suggested: “White man invents the blues!” In fact, a white man sings Tin Pan Alley medleys just like Bing Crosby sings. However, there is real jazz precedence through Jack Teagarden and his trombone and, as anyone would expect, a certain black precedence in the birth of the blues is at least represented by Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, who plays Bing Crosby's faithful factotum.

Award

Robert Emmett Dolan was nominated for an Oscar in 1942 for his music for the film in the category "Best Film Music" (musical film) , but had to admit defeat Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace and the cartoon Dumbo .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Birth of the Blues at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  2. ↑ Birth of the Blues Trivia at TCM (English)
  3. ↑ Bosley Crowther: 'Birth of the Blues' Film, Mostly Old Songs, Seen at Paramount In: The New York Times . December 11, 1941 (English), accessed January 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Review: Birth of the Blues at Variety , accessed on January 10, 2016.
  5. ↑ Do: Birth of the Blues In: TimeOut, accessed on January 10, 2016.