Strike Up the Band (film)
Strike Up the Band | |
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File:Strike-Up-the-Band-1940.jpg
theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Busby Berkeley |
Produced by | Arthur Freed |
Written by | John Monks Jr. Fred F. Finklehoffe Kay Van Riper |
Starring | Judy Garland Mickey Rooney |
Music by | (see article) |
Cinematography | Ray June |
Edited by | Ben Lewis |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release dates
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September 27, 1940 |
Running time
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120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $854,000[1] |
Box office | $3,494,000[1] |
Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American black and white musical film produced by the Arthur Freed unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) and distributed by its parent company, Loew's Inc.. The film was directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, in the second of a series of musicals they co-starred in, after Babes in Arms, all directed by Berkeley.
A memorable quote from the film is "Take that boy on the street. Teach him to blow a horn, and he'll never blow a safe.", spoken by Paul Whiteman.
Contents
Plot
Jimmy Connors (Mickey Rooney), a student at Riverwood High School, also plays the drums in the school band, but dreams of playing in a dance band. He and his "pal" Mary Holden (Judy Garland) sell the school principal the idea of forming the band and putting on a dance. The principal is initially doubtful, but then agrees to buy the first ticket. The event is a success and the school's debt for the instruments in paid off.
Famous band leader Paul Whiteman (played by himself) sponsors a contest in Chicago for the best high school musical group, and Jimmy decides the band must compete. In three weeks, the kids write, plan, and put on a show. The melodrama, called "Nell from New Rochelle", is also a success and raises the money to go to Chicago, but they're still short. A loan from Whiteman himself solves that problem. But when a member of the cast is injured and needs a critical and urgent operation, the band gives the money up so that the injured student can be flown to Chicago for the operation.
The band raises the money anyway, competes in Chicago, and wins the $500 prize. To Jimmy goes the honor of leading all the bands in a grand finale performance.
Cast
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Songs
In keeping with MGM's practice of the time, the film soundtrack was recorded in stereophonic sound but released with conventional monaural sound. At least some of the original stereo recording has survived and been included in some home video releases, including the Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland Collection.[2]
- "Strike up the Band" (1927) – music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin
- Played during the opening credits, sung by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and chorus in the finale
- "Our Love Affair" (1939) – music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Arthur Freed
- Played during the opening and end credits
- Played on piano by Mickey Rooney and sung by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney with orchestral accompaniment
- Reprised by the animated fruit orchestra
- Reprised by the band at rehearsal and at the dance
- Reprised by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in the finale
- Played often as background music
- "Do the La Conga" (1939) – music and lyrics by Roger Edens
- Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Sidney Miller (actor),
- William Tracy and chorus at the dance
- Reprised by the cast in the finale
- "Nobody" (1939) – music and lyrics by Roger Edens
- Sung by Judy Garland
- "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?" (uncredited) – traditional
- Played as background music at the start of the fair sequence
- "The Gay Nineties" – music and lyrics by Roger Edens
- Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, William Tracy,
- Margaret Early and chorus at the Elks Club show
- "Nell of New Rochelle" (1939) – music and lyrics by Roger Edens
- Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus in the Elks club show
- "Walking Down Broadway" (uncredited) – traditional, arranged by Roger Edens
- Sung by the chorus in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "A Man Was the Cause of It All" (1939) – music and lyrics by Roger Edens
- Sung by Judy Garland in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "After the Ball" (1892) – music by Charles Harris
- Played as dance music in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "Sobre las olas (Over the Waves)" (1887) (uncredited) – music by Juventino Rosas
- Played as background music in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl" (1909) (uncredited) – music by A. Baldwin Sloane, yrics by Edgar Smith
- Sung by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "Home, Sweet Home" (1823) (uncredited) – music by H.R. Bishop
- Played as background music when Nell rocks the cradle
- "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" (1891) (uncredited) – by Henry J. Sayers
- Danced to and sung by June Preisser and sung by the chorus in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- Reprised in the finale of the 'Nell of New Rochelle' sequence
- "Come Home, Father" (1864) (uncredited)' – music and lyrics by Henry Clay Work
- Sung by Larry Nunn and Judy Garland in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence
- "The Light Cavalry Overture" (uncredited) – music by Franz von Suppé
- Played in the "Nell of New Rochelle" sequence several times
- "Rock-a-Bye Baby" (1886) (uncredited) – music by Effie I. Canning
- Played as background music when Willie is told to go home
- "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl?)" (uncredited) – music by Ray Henderson
- Played as background music when Jimmy and Barbara wait for her parents
- "When Day is Done" (uncredited) – music by Robert Katscher
- Opening number played by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra at Barbara's party
- "Wonderful One" (uncredited) – music by Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofé Sr.
- Played as dance music by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra at Barbara's party
- "Drummer Boy" (1939) – music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed
- Performed at Barbara's party by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney (on drums and vibraphone) and other band members
- Reprised by the cast in the finale
- "China Boy" (uncredited) – by Dick Winfree and Phil Boutelje
- Played as background music during the travel and contest montage
- "Hands Across the Table" (1934) (uncredited) – music by Jean Delettre
- Played as background music during the travel and contest montage
- "Limehouse Blues" (1922) (uncredited) – music by Philip Braham
- Played as background music during the travel and contest montage
- "Tiger Rag" (1918) (uncredited) – by Edwin B. Edwards, Nick LaRocca, Tony Sbarbaro, Henry Ragas and Larry Shields
- Played as background music during the travel and contest montage
- "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" (1843) (uncredited) – arranged by Thomas A. Beckett
- Played as background music when the flag is raised at the end
Reception
Box office
According to MGM records the film earned $2,265,000 in the US and Canada and $1,229,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $1,539,000.[1]
Critical response
- "While all the young principals do themselves proud, Garland particularly achieves rank as one of the screen's great personalities. Here she is for the first time in the full bloom and charm which is beyond childhood, as versatile in acting as she is excellent in song - a striking figure and a most oomphy one in the wild abandon of the La Conga."
Movie and Radio Guide, 1940:
- "The La Conga danced by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in Strike Up the Band is nothing less than sensational. For that reason, Movie and Radio Guide hereby christens the number 'The Roogaronga.' This title is a combination of the first three letters of Mickey's and Judy's last names, to which has been added the identifying dance classification."
Variety, September 18, 1940:
- "Strike Up the Band is Metro's successor to 'Babes in Arms,' with Mickey Rooney, assisted by major trouping on the part of Judy Garland ... Picture is overall smacko entertainment ... and Mickey Rooney teamed with Judy Garland is a wealth of effective entertainment."
Awards and honors
In 1941, the year after the film was released, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards.[3] Douglas Shearer (M-G-M;s Sound Director) won an Oscar for Best Sound, Recording and Roger Edens and George Stoll were nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Music, Original Song for the song "Our Love Affair". George Stoll and Roger Edens were also nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Original Score.
Home video
As well as being commercially released as a VHS in its own right, it was also released on 25 September 2007 by Warner Home Video in a film package entitled: "The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection." This collection included the films Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, Girl Crazy, and Strike Up the Band.[4]
In popular culture
Strike Up the Band is featured in:
- That's Entertainment! (1974)
- Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM (1996) (TV)
- Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998) (TV)
References
Notes
Further reading
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strike Up the Band (film). |
- Strike Up the Band at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Strike Up the Band at IMDb
- Strike Up the Band at the TCM Movie Database
- Strike Up the Band at AllMovie
- Strike Up the Band at Rotten Tomatoes
- Information at Soundtrack Collector
- DVDbeaver.com
- Pages with broken file links
- English-language films
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Films directed by Busby Berkeley
- American black-and-white films
- 1940 films
- 1940s musical films
- 1940s teen films
- American films
- American musical films
- Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award
- Films produced by Arthur Freed
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Films about music and musicians
- Films set in schools