Strike Up the Band (film)
| Strike Up the Band | |
|---|---|
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 |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
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Release date
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September 27, 1940 |
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Running time
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120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $854,000 |
| Box office | $3,494,000 |
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.
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.
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.
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Wikipedia