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The Benny Goodman Story

1956, Movie, NR, 116 mins

The Benny Goodman Story: Review

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Allen impresses mightily in his first acting job as the incomparable Benny Goodman. Anytime a musical biography is attempted, if the person is famous enough, it's dangerous to toy with the truth. In the case of THE GLENN MILLER STORY, there was the added drama of his unexpected death. In this case, Goodman has the standard rags-to-riches history of so many musical personalities and, despite Davies' often inventive and intelligent script, truth can get tiresome. Davies also directs with as much aplomb as he can muster, but it's uphill in the dramatic scenes because the audience is waiting for the musical numbers that dot the screenplay. Every major musician with whom Benny played is represented, and the film is jam-packed with music. (Goodman does the clarinet playing for Allen.) To the producers' credit, they don't shy away from any of Goodman's humble beginnings, and his Jewish mama and papa are well represented by Gersten and Simon. Goodman was one of the first bandleaders who integrated his musicians, but little is made of that. Appearances by Sammy Davis Senior in an acting role as the late Fletcher Henderson and Hy Averback as Goodman's manager are highlights. Averback later became a respected film (I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS) and TV director after beginning as a radio announcer. leave a comment
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