Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

musicjune-957-115337 This is a superb flick with the finest music and musicians ever put into one great flick. I knew most of them and used to listen to them in the Metropole Cafe, The Famous Door, Birdland and more. They were all gentlemen and were genuinely pleased to hear people say how much they loved their efforts. One night in the Metropole I was standing at the bar listening to Charlie Shavers and Sol Yaged came in off the street and challenged Shavers to a Battle Royal. Shavers and Yaged went at it for 25 minutes and finally we all gave the nod to Shavers. Yaged briefly got angry and I heard him mutter an expletive under his breath. But the surprise was the smile and the sweat covered hand shake that he offered to Charlie Shavers. These were wonderful people of which I cannot say enough good things about. Please do not miss this one. It is in a class by itself.

Lechuguilla Maybe back in the 1950s this film was of interest to viewers. But half a century later, it comes across as dated, bland, and boring. Benny Goodman no doubt was a talented band leader and clarinet player. But many other musicians have also been talented, and their "story" has not been told on screen. I'm not being factious when I ask of this film: what's the story here?Surely it's not Goodman's public persona. The film portrays him as expressionless, nerdy, versatile, single minded, and uncompromising. As a bland Goodman, Steve Allen's performance is understated, and that renders a protagonist so flat and dull that a mannequin could have played the title role as well.Actually, there is a "story" here, if you look closely. It's Goodman's insight. He was something of a musical prophet. He anticipated what audiences wanted to hear. Instead of the usual "stock arrangements" being played on radio and in clubs, Goodman opted for a new style, called "hot music", derived in part from a synthesis of ragtime and dixieland jazz, music that was, at first, relegated to your local, disreputable back room speakeasy. Goodman popularized that style of music.Technically, the film is adequate. Costumes and production design are credible. There are some interesting camera angles at the film's beginning; lighting is conventional. Although Goodman's appearance changes as he gets older, his longtime friend Gil Rodin (Dick Winslow) does not change at all through the years, an oversight in makeup and/or casting. As Goodman's love interest, Donna Reed shines. She is adroit at changing facial expressions during scenes wherein not much is happening. The film's structure is okay, but the ending is abrupt; the film just ... stops.One of the better aspects of this film is the appearance of other famous musicians, including Harry James, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, and singer Martha Tilton.Although I did not find "The Benny Goodman Story" to be especially interesting, it probably would be of interest to viewers who like Goodman's dated style of music, or to those interested in the history of popular music in the U.S.

funkyfry This project by Valentine Davies (who also wrote but did not direct the more famous but IMHO inferior "Glenn Miller Story") rises somewhat above the usual level of musical biographies largely due to the fact that it puts most of the emphasis on music (as opposed to the standard romantic melodrama, which is present but less important than usual) and contains many original musicians from the "big band" period who along with Goodman revolutionized jazz music.Steve Allen plays Goodman, and IMHO he did a superior job to most actors who try to play an instrumental musician. He truly seemed to have respect and love for the instrument. Barry Truex actually also did a very good job in the scenes as the teenaged Goodman. Donna Reed puts in a competent but unexceptional performance as his blue blooded love interest. Although the word "jew" is never mentioned in this film, the central component of the melodrama seems to be that Benny's mother disapproves of his marrying a high born gentile woman. I thought the early parts were interesting, in the sense that Goodman had to basically convince Alice (Reed) that swing music was musically respectable.Other characters weave themselves in and out of the thread of Goodman's life with reasonable proximity to truthfulness. Some of these represent the names of some of his greatest collaborators -- appearing in most cases with rather unconvincing wigs and/or dye jobs. These include Harry James, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, Ben Pollack, Ziggy Elman, and Martha Tilton. At one point we're even treated to a partial recreation of the famed Carnegie Hall concert, which represents both the musical and dramatic finale of the film. But my favorite scene was when the guys in Goodman's band met Lionel Hampton -- working in a cafe as the waiter, cook, and entertainment. Benny can't resist the urge to get his instrument out and jam with him; the film's honest depiction of "jam sessions" featuring artists like Hampton and Wilson is one of its brightest points.A solid musical bio-pic with just the right amount of story and plenty of solid music.

randy_lejeune Although in general, Jazz is one of my most unfavourite types of music, I was captivated by the story. I couldn't get up once I had started watching it. Donna Reed and Steve Allen really brought the story (partly fictional by the way) of Benny Goodman out and intrigued me enough to want to learn more about his life and the sort of music he played. The musical numbers in the film are among Goodman's best, and really liven the film up. A great film.