Swing romance

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Movie
German title Swing romance
Original title Second chorus
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1940
length 84 minutes
Rod
Director HC Potter
script Elaine Ryan
Ian McLellan Hunter
production Boris Morros
for Paramount Pictures
music Artie Shaw
camera Theodor Sparkuhl
cut Jack Dennis
occupation

Swing Romance is an American musical film directed by HC Potter from 1940.

action

Trumpet players Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor have been permanent students for seven years. They deliberately fail exams because they make more money as musicians as members of the college band Perennials than they do outside of university. One day at a college graduation concert, Danny meets the attractive Ellen Miller, who admits she's already been looking for him - he still owes her boss money. Hank also falls in love with Ellen immediately and so both go to see Ellen's boss the next day, but are more interested in seeing the young woman again. They got the idea to hire Ellen as a band manager. When she explains that she already has a job, Danny and Hank use a lie to get her fired. Inevitably, Ellen becomes her manager and is so successful because of her feminine charms that the college band soon takes the jobs away from the renowned band around Artie Shaw . It gets pricked up because either the band or the manager of the band has to be very good. He announces himself to a concert of the band.

Danny and Hank believe that he wants to hire one of them as a trumpeter for his band and try to outdo each other when performing. In the end, it turns out that Artie has hired Ellen as the new manager. Danny and Hank's band is now falling apart and they both pretend to want to follow in the professional footsteps of their fathers who have nothing to do with music. In reality, both of Ellen travel to New York City and are in their office when Ellen was able to get Artie to have Danny and Hank play for him. In addition to the rivalry for Ellen, despite their friendship, Danny and Hank are also professional competitors and try to sabotage each other. When Danny is auditioning for Artie at a concert, Hank manipulates his sheet music so that Danny plays crooked. Hank, in turn, is pushed off the stage by Danny shortly before his solo. Both men are kicked out of the concert hall by security guards and Ellen swears that she will not see either of them again. As word of the scandal got around, Hank ended up earning his living as a trumpeter at horse races and Danny was booked as a Russian singer and dancer in a small bar.

Meanwhile, Ellen has found a financier for a planned concert by Artie Shaw in the rich and naive Mr. Chisholm. Mr. Chisholm used to be passionate about playing the banjo, but he's completely unmusical. When he meets with Ellen for an agreement and makes music with her more badly than right, Danny and Hank secretly enter their apartment, as Ellen has given both of them on the phone and now each jealously believes the other is with her. When they both find each other under Ellen's bed, they decide to chase away the supposed rival Mr. Chisholm. Hank poses as Ellen's husband and Mr. Chisholm leaves, disturbed. Ellen is desperate as Artie's concert is about to be canceled, and Danny and Hank are contrite. They promise to make up for the mistake. You confess to Mr. Chisholm that Hank lied and make him feel guilty for thinking badly of Ellen. He is grateful to them and they both play him a song that Danny wrote. As a sponsor, he is allowed to decide which songs to play and so Mr. Chisholm finally insists Artie on Danny's song, which he wants to accompany on the banjo himself. Danny is allowed to audition and Artie agrees to Danny's performance with the song. Hank's job is to keep Mr. Chisholm from playing in the evening and is successful: He and Mr. Chisholm secretly mix sleeping pills into a drink for the other, so that both of them sleep through the big concert evening. Danny, in turn, celebrates a resounding success with his song, which he conducts as a conductor. After the premiere, he drives away with Ellen.

production

Second Chorus was on the campus of Occidental College in Los Angeles turned and Paramount Studios. The film premiered on December 3, 1940 in New York City and was released in US theaters on January 3, 1941. The film has not yet appeared in Germany.

Various songs can be heard in the film. The trumpet solos were recorded by Bobby Hackett (Fred Astaires Parts) and Billy Butterfield (Burgess Meredith Parts).

  • Sweet Sue, Just You (Music: Victor Young , Text: Will J. Harris )
  • Would You Like to Be the Love of My Life - sung by Fred Astaire (Music: Artie Shaw, Text: Johnny Mercer )
  • I'm Yours (Music: Johnny Green , Text: EY Harburg )
  • Beautiful Dreamer - sung by Charles Butterworth (Music: Stephen Foster )
  • Poor Mr. Chisholm - sung by Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith (music: Bernard Hanighen , text: Johnny Mercer)
  • Dig It - sung by Fred Astaire (Music: Hal Borne , Text: Johnny Mercer)
  • The New Moon Is Shining (trad.)
  • Sugar (Music: Maceo Pinkard , instrumental)
  • Everything's Jumping (Music: Artie Shaw, instrumental)
  • Double Mellow (Music: Artie Shaw, instrumental)
  • Concerto for Clarinet (Music: Artie Shaw, instrumental)

Originally the film did not contain dance numbers and was rewritten for Fred Astaire during the filming. He had agreed to participate in the film because he wanted to be in front of the camera with Artie Shaw. In retrospect, Astaire called the film the worst film of his career in an interview.

criticism

Leonard Maltin gave the film two out of four stars, called it an "experienced musical comedy" and wrote that the film does not have enough music and hardly any dance, but is a lot of fun.

Awards

Second Chorus received two Oscar nominations in 1941 : Artie Shaw and Johnny Mercer were nominated for an Oscar for Best Song for Love of My Life . Artie Shaw also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Score .

Web links

Commons : Second Chorus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Second Chorus (1941). In: American Film Institute . Retrieved November 1, 2018 .
  2. ^ "Routine musical comedy", "Not enough music and hardly any dancing, but what's there is fun." Second Chorus. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved November 1, 2018 .