The Fabulous Dorseys

[Hardbopjazz]

Anyone ever see this film? I wonder how much music is in the film?

https://www.facebook.com/JazzImprovisers/videos/963707117073307/

 

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by Hardbopjazz

[JSngry]

You've seen worse!

I caught it on late-night tv a good while back. It's pretty funny (often unintentionally), but there's a lot of music in it, most of it very entertaining. Make the popcorn, sit back and have fun.

And then get back to work!

[medjuck]

13 hours ago, Hardbopjazz said:

Anyone ever see this film? I wonder how much music is in the film?

https://www.facebook.com/JazzImprovisers/videos/963707117073307/

 

 

I saw it on tv a couple of times in the late '50's.  As I remember it there was a lot of music. 

[Big Beat Steve]

See for yourself:

 

[gmonahan]

There is a jam session in the movie with Art Tatum, Charlie Barnet, Ziggy Elman, and Ray Bauduc as well as some of the hits by both bands ("Marie" and "Green Eyes"). It's been available on DVD for some time as well as being on youtube (above): Fabulous Dorseys

 

gregmo

[Hardbopjazz]

 

1 hour ago, Big Beat Steve said:

See for yourself:

 

https://www.facebook.com/JazzImprovisers/videos/963707117073307/

 

Holy crap. Thanks. I can watch this tonight. I believe TMC had this on at 3 am a few weeks ago. I can no longer stay up that late and I don't have DVR service.  

 

 

 

 

[Big Beat Steve]

Not wanting to spill the beans or spoil the fun for anyone, but here is what the Swedish jazz mag ORKESTER JOURNALEN had to say about this flick in their October, 1947 issue:

Dorsey Brothers' Movie Weak

The movie about the Dorsey Brothers' lives and doings has now been shown here and proved to be a big disappointment. It premiered in a few smaller movie theaters far outside our capital's center, which seemed like an indication that the worst was to be expected regarding the quality of the film. Quite so - it proved to be  bad in all respects, and you did not even get to hear really good music. Some good musical moments were to be heard here and there, but nowhere near as much as one had hoped for in a movie about musicians. The best music came about in a jam session that made an appearance halfway through the movie. Its main personality was Art Tatum who played excellently, but of course you only got to see him for a few seconds, whereupon the camera moved away, focusing instead on a table in the club  where the movie's lovers sat and turtledoved. Which was a big blunder on the part of the director, because after all we can turtledove ourselves anytime, but I'll be damned if anybody can play like Tatum. When Tatum's solo was over the camera moved back to the band for a few moments and you got to see Charlie Barnet, Ziggy Elman and Ray Bauduc in action, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey too, of course, but what they played was not all that out of the ordinary. Tatum was the only one worth hearing in the entire movie, but he got to play too little to make it worth the price of the movie ticket.

 

Just quotin' ...

[gmonahan]

Yes, well, I don't think anybody ever thought of it as a potential oscar winner!!  Tommy and Jimmy weren't bad musicians, and their bands were pretty good, but great actors they definitely were not!

 

 

gregmo