33 reviews
"Mary, we could put Riverwood High School on the map."
Overlong but fun Mickey & Judy "let's put on a show" musical, directed by the great Busby Berkeley. Drummer Jimmy (Mickey Rooney) and would-be girlfriend Mary (Judy Garland) try to make their high school band a success. Along the way they deal with little personal dramas like Jimmy's mother wanting him to be a doctor, a new girl in town who captures Jimmy's eye, and one of the band members needing an emergency operation. The musical numbers are good, if not particularly memorable. Mickey & Judy are terrific, as always. It's probably pretty corny stuff for those who aren't fans but, if you enjoy these types of movies, I'm sure you'll have a good time with this one.
worst of the three.
I love the Mickey/Judy movies and this is a wonderful example of a superb one, but of the three "lets put on a show" type movies this is the worst. It's still fantastic don't get me wrong, but Babes in Arms and Babes on Broadway are much better! The songs are fantastic but not as catchy as the songs from the other movies. Judy is fantastic! It just tears your heart when she sings Nobody. It's a perfect blend of humor and music in this movie. Fantastic. If you like this one, I absolutely recommend Babes in Arms and Babes on Broadway. (Babes on Broadway is my favorite movie ever) It's great! you really should watch this movie!
- lacy_lou_92
- Sep 28, 2007
- Permalink
Let the music play
Being a huge lifelong fan of Judy Garland, with a voice that you can listen to for hours and tire of, and who likes her paired with Mickey Rooney (a multi-talented performer with a tendency to overdo it), 'Strike Up the Band' was definitely something that couldn't be missed.
To me, 'Strike Up the Band' is the second best of their four "backyard" musicals. Their best being 'Girl Crazy', the best paced of the four and with the best songs and choreography, even if the story is not as good as the rest of the film. Faring weakest is 'Babes on Broadway' ('Babes in Arms' was a slightly better film regardless of its bowdlerisation of the source material), that film gets a lot right still but is too sentimental, contrived and corny in places with some out of place patriotism and a sour-taste-in-the-mouth finale. All four are worth watching though, and all four are well above average films.
'Strike Up the Band' is not perfect either, its Achilles heel being the far too corny, melodramatic and ponderous middle third (a shame because the film is actually very well paced for most of it and then drags badly in the non-musical moments of the middle third). The dialogue warms the heart and moves sometimes but the silly corniness of some of it is cringe-worthy.
Lastly while the cast are mostly splendid, there is one exception and that is the terribly annoying June Preisser (just as much as in 'Babes in Arms'), enviously athletic dancing is not enough for an obnoxious character played far too broadly to unbearable degrees.
However, even when not in Technicolor, 'Strike Up the Band' still looks lovely in crisp black and white and with elegant production design. As said, on the musical front (production values, songs, vocal performance, arrangements, choreography and dancing) 'Strike Up the Band' fares significantly better. The songs are great, not as great as the scores for 'Girl Crazy' and 'Babes in Arms' but almost. The three best songs being the plaintive "Our Love Affair", the exuberant "Drummer Boy" and the barn-storming "Do the La Conga".
Busby Berkeley's direction and how he stages the songs are not quite as imaginative, witty or dazzling as some of his other films, but it doesn't come over heavy-handedly and it has charm, tenderness and energy, particularly in the aforementioned three songs. Unlike 'Babes on Broadway', sentimentality is avoided thankfully and is replaced by a lot of entertainment and heart-warming. The story is unexceptional but is full of energy, fun, heart and charm, palling only in the non-musical moments of the middle third.
Rooney and Garland make 'Strike Up the Band' especially worth seeing, they are both on top form and their chemistry irresistible. From personal opinion, of the four Rooney-Garland "back-yard" musicals (despite 'Babes in Arms' being the one to get the Oscar nomination) this contains Rooney's best performance of the four, his role really plays to his strengths and even stretches him in showing more talents that one never knew he had (i.e. didn't know he could play the drum so well). Garland is as ever radiant and deeply touching, "Our Love Affair" being one of the most poignant renditions of any song in a film she starred in (very near the top too, and the list is long). Paul Whiteman, not the "King of Jazz" for nothing, contributes hugely to the film's appeal too.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable film, a must for Garland fans and a must for anybody wanting to see what the fuss is about with her and Rooney together. 7/10 Bethany Cox
To me, 'Strike Up the Band' is the second best of their four "backyard" musicals. Their best being 'Girl Crazy', the best paced of the four and with the best songs and choreography, even if the story is not as good as the rest of the film. Faring weakest is 'Babes on Broadway' ('Babes in Arms' was a slightly better film regardless of its bowdlerisation of the source material), that film gets a lot right still but is too sentimental, contrived and corny in places with some out of place patriotism and a sour-taste-in-the-mouth finale. All four are worth watching though, and all four are well above average films.
'Strike Up the Band' is not perfect either, its Achilles heel being the far too corny, melodramatic and ponderous middle third (a shame because the film is actually very well paced for most of it and then drags badly in the non-musical moments of the middle third). The dialogue warms the heart and moves sometimes but the silly corniness of some of it is cringe-worthy.
Lastly while the cast are mostly splendid, there is one exception and that is the terribly annoying June Preisser (just as much as in 'Babes in Arms'), enviously athletic dancing is not enough for an obnoxious character played far too broadly to unbearable degrees.
However, even when not in Technicolor, 'Strike Up the Band' still looks lovely in crisp black and white and with elegant production design. As said, on the musical front (production values, songs, vocal performance, arrangements, choreography and dancing) 'Strike Up the Band' fares significantly better. The songs are great, not as great as the scores for 'Girl Crazy' and 'Babes in Arms' but almost. The three best songs being the plaintive "Our Love Affair", the exuberant "Drummer Boy" and the barn-storming "Do the La Conga".
Busby Berkeley's direction and how he stages the songs are not quite as imaginative, witty or dazzling as some of his other films, but it doesn't come over heavy-handedly and it has charm, tenderness and energy, particularly in the aforementioned three songs. Unlike 'Babes on Broadway', sentimentality is avoided thankfully and is replaced by a lot of entertainment and heart-warming. The story is unexceptional but is full of energy, fun, heart and charm, palling only in the non-musical moments of the middle third.
Rooney and Garland make 'Strike Up the Band' especially worth seeing, they are both on top form and their chemistry irresistible. From personal opinion, of the four Rooney-Garland "back-yard" musicals (despite 'Babes in Arms' being the one to get the Oscar nomination) this contains Rooney's best performance of the four, his role really plays to his strengths and even stretches him in showing more talents that one never knew he had (i.e. didn't know he could play the drum so well). Garland is as ever radiant and deeply touching, "Our Love Affair" being one of the most poignant renditions of any song in a film she starred in (very near the top too, and the list is long). Paul Whiteman, not the "King of Jazz" for nothing, contributes hugely to the film's appeal too.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable film, a must for Garland fans and a must for anybody wanting to see what the fuss is about with her and Rooney together. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 14, 2017
- Permalink
Mickey does it all
A delightful high-energy romp. I think Mickey Rooney outshines Judy Garland in this one (but that might be like comparing apples to oranges, which incidentally play a not incidental role in this movie). Mickey plays the piano, the drums, sings, dances, pitches baseballs and jumps over fences and hedgerows....plus he's good to his widowed mother and turns up the "life's a gas" charm at the drop of a hat. Judy is more serious, reflective, and tender, all of which works well in the songs she performs. I could have done without the extended "Snidely Whiplash" melodrama routine, but hey, what's perfect in this world. The teenagers in this movie, however, look like miniature adults, and moreover, some of Mickey's band members look a little long in the tooth. Was there really a time when jazz was the most shocking thing a kid could be interested in?
Mickey and Judy Great but Film a Bit Too Much!
"Strike Up the Band" is another teaming of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland who are of course put in the position of putting on a show to save a band, a school program for children, a school from closing, etc. You name it. It could be any of those things. Of all the movie musicals that were made in their heyday, these were the most bizarre, meaning while enjoyable and with good music still somewhat beyond belief. They always seemed to defy the odds, getting what they want, albeit with some obstacles along the way. This outing though is not quite as good as others, due to some of the supporting actors' not so subtle acting. Less is more is not an adage used here. In fact, there's nothing subtle here. Ann Shoemaker does give good support as his mother, with a nice speech about being a great man. But the length, its feeling of self-importance, and some awkward moments of corniness hurt its effectiveness. It is very enjoyable with great musical numbers for Mickey and Judy; but there's just so much of everything here, making it two whole hours, including a over-the-top tongue-in-cheek save-the-damsel production in the middle of the movie, lasting 15 minutes itself. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for what it is, but afterwards, you'll feel like you had a workout.
- JLRMovieReviews
- Jul 20, 2015
- Permalink
Mickey, Judy and June indulge in corn, sap, archaic drama, and manic and somber music.
- weezeralfalfa
- Jul 13, 2014
- Permalink
American dreaming
I can't help it, I love Mickey and Judy, and this is their best film together. It has fun songs ("Our Love Affair" and "Do the La Conga" especially), good Busby Berkeley productions (both the aforementioned, especially the fruit-as-orchestra dream sequence!), but more importantly, it perfectly evokes the ideal small middle-American town, complete with understanding mothers and principals, swell fellas and gals, and a comforting everything's going to be just fine feeling. I can't help yearning for this never-never land of rebellious but polite youths and understanding old-timers!
"Let's put on a show!"
It's another "let's put on a show!" movies starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland! I saw Strike Up the Band before Babes in Arms, and while I thought it was silly at the time, compared to the earlier flick, it's as epic as Gone With the Wind.
Mickey takes the lead as a high school student far more interested in his drum set than preparing to become a lawyer to fulfill his mother's dream. Judy's in love with him, but he doesn't care about girls, only music. A lowerclassman, Larry Nunn, is in love with Judy, and when June Preisser shows up batting her eyelashes at Mickey, it stars an extremely uninteresting love quadrangle. Mickey isn't really interested in June; he's just getting into the show's rehearsals. Judy isn't interested in Larry, even though he's clearly the better choice. Larry proposes marriage and promises to never go out with other girls, the same evening that Mickey's stood Judy up to go out with June. Larry's only thirteen and offers to wait until she's ready, and when she turns him down, it's heartbreaking to see his face. Why doesn't she just tell him to wait? By the time she's gotten Mickey out of her system, Larry will probably have grown up and gotten over his crush. No heartbreak necessary. Plus, compared to the disinterested, unreliable, pushover Mickey, Larry's a dream!
If you're going to watch this one, it's either because you love the silly Mickey-Judy movies or because you want to see another Busby Berkeley musical. Busby Berkeley movies have such a special feeling to them, that even though they're dated and the music isn't always great, you're going to see someone who put a lot of thought into his craft instead of just "Let's put on a show!" like the people in his movies. You'll get to see his classic angles and beautifully framed shots, but you might not like the rest of the movie. Both leads are in their super-hyper phases, and since we know what we know about how old Hollywood fed the kids drugs to give them pep, it's not really too much fun to see them bouncing off the walls. "Who's been feeding you vitamins?" Judy jokes when Mickey approaches her with particularly intense energy. It's just not funny to hear her say that, since everyone knows they weren't really vitamins. There's just so much energy a person can put into the conga line before someone notices he's not really normal.
Mickey takes the lead as a high school student far more interested in his drum set than preparing to become a lawyer to fulfill his mother's dream. Judy's in love with him, but he doesn't care about girls, only music. A lowerclassman, Larry Nunn, is in love with Judy, and when June Preisser shows up batting her eyelashes at Mickey, it stars an extremely uninteresting love quadrangle. Mickey isn't really interested in June; he's just getting into the show's rehearsals. Judy isn't interested in Larry, even though he's clearly the better choice. Larry proposes marriage and promises to never go out with other girls, the same evening that Mickey's stood Judy up to go out with June. Larry's only thirteen and offers to wait until she's ready, and when she turns him down, it's heartbreaking to see his face. Why doesn't she just tell him to wait? By the time she's gotten Mickey out of her system, Larry will probably have grown up and gotten over his crush. No heartbreak necessary. Plus, compared to the disinterested, unreliable, pushover Mickey, Larry's a dream!
If you're going to watch this one, it's either because you love the silly Mickey-Judy movies or because you want to see another Busby Berkeley musical. Busby Berkeley movies have such a special feeling to them, that even though they're dated and the music isn't always great, you're going to see someone who put a lot of thought into his craft instead of just "Let's put on a show!" like the people in his movies. You'll get to see his classic angles and beautifully framed shots, but you might not like the rest of the movie. Both leads are in their super-hyper phases, and since we know what we know about how old Hollywood fed the kids drugs to give them pep, it's not really too much fun to see them bouncing off the walls. "Who's been feeding you vitamins?" Judy jokes when Mickey approaches her with particularly intense energy. It's just not funny to hear her say that, since everyone knows they weren't really vitamins. There's just so much energy a person can put into the conga line before someone notices he's not really normal.
- HotToastyRag
- Nov 18, 2019
- Permalink
"From Adam & Eve to Scarlett & Rhett"
After the success of Babes In Arms for MGM, Arthur Freed became the hottest producer on the lot and was granted his own famous Freed Unit to produce the best of the MGM musicals for the next 20 years almost. According to Hugh Fordin's book on Arthur Freed the next scheduled property was Good News, but that got shelved for several years when Louis B. Mayer decided that a patriotic type theme was in order and after all MGM had bought the screen rights to the Gershwin musical Strike Up The Band. Freed agreed, but in the Hollywood tradition only the title and the title song were retained for the screen.
That was enough because the Mickey and Judy formula was by now established with Babes In Arms. Here the two are a pair of talented musical kids and Mickey is the drummer in his high school band. But he's got other things on his mind besides doing John Philip Sousa. Even Sousa did more than Sousa when he was leading a band. Mickey is filled with the new jive rhythms of the day and he'd like to use the other kids in the school orchestra to form a real band. He's got Garland in mind for the vocals and the object is to get an audition from Paul Whiteman.
Whiteman in his day may have appropriated for himself the title of King Of Jazz, but certainly no one did more to popularize the new American art form among white audiences. His orchestra was the training ground for many of later big band leaders. Leaders like Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller all who were sidemen with Whiteman and who kids like Mickey and Judy and the rest of the cast were listening to.
If Strike Up The Band isn't exactly let's put on a show, it still is let's put on a concert and Mickey and Judy do have some shtick to perform, their Gay Nineties spoof is quite good. Also the fantasy sequence of the 'fruit orchestra' doing Our Love Affair is also nicely done, it looks very much like Ray Harryhausen's claymation figures, but he wasn't involved with Strike Up The Band.
Strike Up The Band won one Academy Award for sound and was nominated for two others. Roger Edens and Arthur Freed wrote Our Love Affair which was nominated for Best Song, but lost to When You Wish Upon A Star. And Edens and Georgie Stoll were nominated for Best Musical Scoring.
Busby Berkeley directed the film and in the finale shows his fine hand for spectacle. Here's where the patriotism that Louis B. Mayer was seeking came out. Remember this was 1940 and a lot of people were very afraid the USA was going into another World War. The finale with the title song was the kind of rousing patriotic spectacle that Hollywood would be doing in every studio after December 7, 1941.
With Strike Up The Band Arthur Freed proved he was no flash in the pan as a producer. After 70 years the film holds up well and the talents of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland reign eternal.
That was enough because the Mickey and Judy formula was by now established with Babes In Arms. Here the two are a pair of talented musical kids and Mickey is the drummer in his high school band. But he's got other things on his mind besides doing John Philip Sousa. Even Sousa did more than Sousa when he was leading a band. Mickey is filled with the new jive rhythms of the day and he'd like to use the other kids in the school orchestra to form a real band. He's got Garland in mind for the vocals and the object is to get an audition from Paul Whiteman.
Whiteman in his day may have appropriated for himself the title of King Of Jazz, but certainly no one did more to popularize the new American art form among white audiences. His orchestra was the training ground for many of later big band leaders. Leaders like Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller all who were sidemen with Whiteman and who kids like Mickey and Judy and the rest of the cast were listening to.
If Strike Up The Band isn't exactly let's put on a show, it still is let's put on a concert and Mickey and Judy do have some shtick to perform, their Gay Nineties spoof is quite good. Also the fantasy sequence of the 'fruit orchestra' doing Our Love Affair is also nicely done, it looks very much like Ray Harryhausen's claymation figures, but he wasn't involved with Strike Up The Band.
Strike Up The Band won one Academy Award for sound and was nominated for two others. Roger Edens and Arthur Freed wrote Our Love Affair which was nominated for Best Song, but lost to When You Wish Upon A Star. And Edens and Georgie Stoll were nominated for Best Musical Scoring.
Busby Berkeley directed the film and in the finale shows his fine hand for spectacle. Here's where the patriotism that Louis B. Mayer was seeking came out. Remember this was 1940 and a lot of people were very afraid the USA was going into another World War. The finale with the title song was the kind of rousing patriotic spectacle that Hollywood would be doing in every studio after December 7, 1941.
With Strike Up The Band Arthur Freed proved he was no flash in the pan as a producer. After 70 years the film holds up well and the talents of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland reign eternal.
- bkoganbing
- Apr 21, 2010
- Permalink
THE LITTLE RASCALS DID IT BETTER IN A 1/2 HOUR...!
One of the many team-ups between Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland. The great Busby Berkeley directed this 1940 installment which finds Rooney out of sorts w/the direction the school band is trending to. He wants to engage the public w/what's new & happening but is constrained by the traditional so he decides to convince his fellow band mates to become a band for hire, playing gigs that will satisfy them artistically & maybe financially. After a few gigs, an opportunity comes up to compete in a radio contest but an injured friend who needs desperate medical care (is there any other kind?) needs airfare for the treatment. Are they going to help their friend or forego the contest's entry fee? Not to mention Rooney needing to figure out if Garland is girlfriend material or merely a friend makes this busy soup start to boil over. What is essentially an Our Gang serial expanded to feature length feels at odds w/itself by having fine musical & dance sequences crammed w/too much plot that could've easily been trimmed in the editing but darn it, those kids sure know how to put on a show so I'll forgive their excesses.
Toning down Mickey Rooney's energy would have helped...
Of all the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musicals, this one does the least to effectively showcase their musical talent. Mickey is allowed to conduct a band as if his life depended on it, even though he's shown to be an extremely talented guy with drums and other musical instruments.
And the story is strictly '40s corn about a talented youth who wants to achieve success with his own band and succeeds in attracting the attention of Paul Whiteman who wants him for a big radio show contest.
The songs are given short shrift in favor of a creaky melodramatic skit that is allowed to run far too long in the middle of the picture. Only a couple of songs are given fair treatment by Judy and Mickey.
A good script was badly needed to show these two performers at their best. This was not the case here. Too much time expended on letting Mickey's extravagant enthusiasm overshadow his more effective quieter moments.
Summing up: A disappointing and manipulative show, especially when it comes to those tear-jerker sentimental moments.
And the story is strictly '40s corn about a talented youth who wants to achieve success with his own band and succeeds in attracting the attention of Paul Whiteman who wants him for a big radio show contest.
The songs are given short shrift in favor of a creaky melodramatic skit that is allowed to run far too long in the middle of the picture. Only a couple of songs are given fair treatment by Judy and Mickey.
A good script was badly needed to show these two performers at their best. This was not the case here. Too much time expended on letting Mickey's extravagant enthusiasm overshadow his more effective quieter moments.
Summing up: A disappointing and manipulative show, especially when it comes to those tear-jerker sentimental moments.
Mickey and judy
No I don't care what anybody says Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were excellent miss film both young actors at the time and the singing and the music was superb. Yeah I mean it was a film on a 1940 remember that! But I loved Judy Garland and always will
We've got "Smash" and "Glee"----Young Adults of the 1940's had Mickey and Judy!
- mark.waltz
- Jun 7, 2012
- Permalink
Despite the excellence--cannot transcend its severe limitations
Despite the excellence of dance, music, singing, acting--though one always suspects the combination of Rooney / Garland was more being themselves than acting--the movie cannot transcend its severe limitations. The movies sound exactly what they were--high school kids putting on a performance and such acting is exactly that-high school kids putting on a performance. Despite Freed, Busby Berkeley, Paul Whitman, and the singing and dancing of Rooney & Garland-- the movie fails. I can watch "The Music Man', "My Fair Lady', "Gigi", Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers--and never get tired; while these four movies wear thin after first viewing.
- steven_torrey
- Oct 26, 2014
- Permalink
More Talent Than Results
Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of musicals, but this one seems disappointing given the level of talent involved. Visually, Garland and Rooney make a cute couple-- a match clearly made in malt shop heaven. And, even though I was disappointed, I can understand Garland's enduring appeal. She's definitely an incandescent presence, and one that doesn't come from just acting the part. On the other hand, Rooney is energetic and I can see him organizing a high school band. However, that energy too often becomes manic—for example, check out his conducting the orchestra at movie's end for sheer pointless delirium. Too often, his in- your-face high spirits comes across as more obnoxious than entertaining.
I guess my biggest disappointment is with the musical numbers. Berkeley's dancing phalanxes are eye-catching as usual, but there's not a single catchy tune to hang your hat on. The numbers are simply not up to Garland's level of show-stopping talent, whatever the reason. Then there's the overlong melodrama skit that unfortunately saps momentum by coming in the middle. On the other hand, the musical fruit sketch sounds silly but is really charming and well done. Also, professional musician Paul Whiteman turns out to be a pretty darn good actor. And for those interested in what those times were like, it's a chance to see what teens circa-1940 thought was "cool". Having your own dance band was clearly near the top. At the same time, the message seems to be that dance bands deserve respect, while playing in one is indeed a legitimate goal in life. Looks like controversies over music didn't start with rock-and-roll.
I guess my biggest disappointment is with the musical numbers. Berkeley's dancing phalanxes are eye-catching as usual, but there's not a single catchy tune to hang your hat on. The numbers are simply not up to Garland's level of show-stopping talent, whatever the reason. Then there's the overlong melodrama skit that unfortunately saps momentum by coming in the middle. On the other hand, the musical fruit sketch sounds silly but is really charming and well done. Also, professional musician Paul Whiteman turns out to be a pretty darn good actor. And for those interested in what those times were like, it's a chance to see what teens circa-1940 thought was "cool". Having your own dance band was clearly near the top. At the same time, the message seems to be that dance bands deserve respect, while playing in one is indeed a legitimate goal in life. Looks like controversies over music didn't start with rock-and-roll.
- dougdoepke
- Aug 14, 2009
- Permalink
Strike UpThe Band---Why Didn't MGM Allow June Preisser To Hear The Music?
What enables one youngster to achieve fame and stardom while a similar teenager under like circumstances fails to make the grade? The case of June Preisser is instructive.
June, born in 1920, was a very cute blond with a fresh attractive face, a pleasant screen personality and plenty of talent. She and her sister Cherry developed an acrobatic dance act while they were in their teens, and it was successful enough to get them featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 and 1936. Cherry married and then retired in 1938. June was offered an MGM contract in 1939 on the strength of her looks, fame and celebrity potential. Almost immediately, she was cast in two successful Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "Let's Put on a Show" musicals--Babes In Arms (1939) and Strike Up The Band (1940). Both were major productions directed by Busby Berkeley. In short order, June then appeared with Rooney in two Andy Hardy films, another with Jimmy Lyndon in Henry Aldrich For President (1941) and still another with Eddie Bracken In Sweater Girl (1942).
June then married, had a child and intended to resume her MGM career. But something strange happened. Notwithstanding her sharing a pattern of similar screen opportunities that made big stars of Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lana Turner, Esther Williams, etc.--MGM gave up on pretty June Preisser. While almost simultaneously Paramount Studios began to groom Betty Hutton for stardom---a similar personality in many ways but without June's good looks---MGM cancelled her contract. Her remaining years in Hollywood were with Poverty Row studio Monogram in inferior juvenile vehicles. June's movie career was essentially over. After many years of screen inactivity, she died in an auto accident (with her only child) at the age of 64.
June's two Rooney-Garland musicals were popular and provided her with positive reviews. The Andy Hardy movies were similarly well received. From the evidence of her screen appearances, June had a likable film presence and the same kind of charisma that had propelled the other young women mentioned above from starlet status to full stardom. Why was she denied their opportunity? We will never know.
June, born in 1920, was a very cute blond with a fresh attractive face, a pleasant screen personality and plenty of talent. She and her sister Cherry developed an acrobatic dance act while they were in their teens, and it was successful enough to get them featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 and 1936. Cherry married and then retired in 1938. June was offered an MGM contract in 1939 on the strength of her looks, fame and celebrity potential. Almost immediately, she was cast in two successful Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "Let's Put on a Show" musicals--Babes In Arms (1939) and Strike Up The Band (1940). Both were major productions directed by Busby Berkeley. In short order, June then appeared with Rooney in two Andy Hardy films, another with Jimmy Lyndon in Henry Aldrich For President (1941) and still another with Eddie Bracken In Sweater Girl (1942).
June then married, had a child and intended to resume her MGM career. But something strange happened. Notwithstanding her sharing a pattern of similar screen opportunities that made big stars of Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lana Turner, Esther Williams, etc.--MGM gave up on pretty June Preisser. While almost simultaneously Paramount Studios began to groom Betty Hutton for stardom---a similar personality in many ways but without June's good looks---MGM cancelled her contract. Her remaining years in Hollywood were with Poverty Row studio Monogram in inferior juvenile vehicles. June's movie career was essentially over. After many years of screen inactivity, she died in an auto accident (with her only child) at the age of 64.
June's two Rooney-Garland musicals were popular and provided her with positive reviews. The Andy Hardy movies were similarly well received. From the evidence of her screen appearances, June had a likable film presence and the same kind of charisma that had propelled the other young women mentioned above from starlet status to full stardom. Why was she denied their opportunity? We will never know.
en avant la musique!
It's my second film with mickey and Judy. Well, it's great. I saw it 2 hours ago and I want to watch it again.
Strike Up the Band Strikes Up Fun ***1/2
Fun But Terribly Dated
- cloud_nine
- Apr 7, 2016
- Permalink
Immense talents
I'm a sucker for MGM musicals. No point in outlining the plot; it doesn't matter at all. It's the song and dance numbers that one waits for. Immensely enjoyable. Maybe, just maybe, some of the big performance dance scenes went on a bit too long. That's typical Busby Berkley, but hey not a serious criticism. Judy is wonderful as always. The multi-talented Mickey Rooney is just astounding. The guy can do anything, not least of which he is a terrific drummer. The fruit and nut orchestra scene is a tour de force.
I noticed that some of the Gershwin lyrics of the title song were changed to a less martial version. The original lyric is a sort of call to arms. The version I know goes like this: "There is work to be done, to be done There's a war to be won, to be won Come you son of a son of a gun Take your stand." I guess the US wasn't ready for that in 1940.
I noticed that some of the Gershwin lyrics of the title song were changed to a less martial version. The original lyric is a sort of call to arms. The version I know goes like this: "There is work to be done, to be done There's a war to be won, to be won Come you son of a son of a gun Take your stand." I guess the US wasn't ready for that in 1940.
- donniefriedman
- May 9, 2022
- Permalink
Arthur Freed Strikes Up MGM
In the Second Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "putting on a show" musical, they want to get to Paul Whiteman's High School Band contest show in Chicago, despite obstacles like no money and a predatory June Preisser doing cartwheels to vamp Mickey.
It's also Arthur Freed's second credit as a producer of MGM musicals. My admiration for his production unit is unbounded. He would produce some of the greatest movie musicals ever. Here, however, he's still fighting against the MGM idea of a musical as a spectacular, and with Busby Berkeley directing, that's what he's got. Even so, there's a story that makes sense, Miss Garland sings a non-diagetic song ("Nobody"), and Rooney plays the drums very well and dances like a maniac. It holds together very well, and with most of the songs written by Roger Edens, it's very entertaining even today.
More than that, it was very profitable for MGM, and making a lot of money for your company is the best way to get control. Freed's unit would continue to do brilliantly, to the point where the profits for MEET ME IN SAINT LOUIS would reportedly pay all of Metro's production costs for the year. Freed would e given a free hand for a decade and a half after that, and would do well by himself, Metro, and movie lovers.
It's also Arthur Freed's second credit as a producer of MGM musicals. My admiration for his production unit is unbounded. He would produce some of the greatest movie musicals ever. Here, however, he's still fighting against the MGM idea of a musical as a spectacular, and with Busby Berkeley directing, that's what he's got. Even so, there's a story that makes sense, Miss Garland sings a non-diagetic song ("Nobody"), and Rooney plays the drums very well and dances like a maniac. It holds together very well, and with most of the songs written by Roger Edens, it's very entertaining even today.
More than that, it was very profitable for MGM, and making a lot of money for your company is the best way to get control. Freed's unit would continue to do brilliantly, to the point where the profits for MEET ME IN SAINT LOUIS would reportedly pay all of Metro's production costs for the year. Freed would e given a free hand for a decade and a half after that, and would do well by himself, Metro, and movie lovers.
The best thing about this one is George Pal's dancing fruit!
Early in this picture is a sequence directed by George Pal involving some animated fruits. Sadly, this is by far the best aspect of the movie and the rest is a dated film that pleased crowds back in 1940 but which is a much harder sell today.
Jimmy Connoors (Mickey Rooney) is the drum playing leader of a swing band made up of high school kids. They are great and so is their lead singer, Mary (Judy Garland). In fact, they inexplicably put on Broadway quality shows complete with expensive costumes and sets in a small American town. Oddly, when Jimmy wants to take them to Chicago to compete in a contest sponsored by Paul Whiteman*, they have to scrounge for money (they could have sold a few costumes for the $200!). Can Jimmy and the gang manage to get to Chicago to wow everyone or are their dreams just dreams?
For me, the problem with "Strike Up the Band" is the number of GIGANTIC production numbers....so many that the plot seemed irrelevant at times. If you love huge production numbers that make no real sense, then you're in for a treat. But I just felt as if MGM was overwhelming the audience with flash and glitz and forgetting to make a film with more fleshed out characters and story.
*While you'd never suspect it when you see Whiteman, he was the biggest bandleader of the early to mid-1930s and helped launch the career of Bing Crosby.
Jimmy Connoors (Mickey Rooney) is the drum playing leader of a swing band made up of high school kids. They are great and so is their lead singer, Mary (Judy Garland). In fact, they inexplicably put on Broadway quality shows complete with expensive costumes and sets in a small American town. Oddly, when Jimmy wants to take them to Chicago to compete in a contest sponsored by Paul Whiteman*, they have to scrounge for money (they could have sold a few costumes for the $200!). Can Jimmy and the gang manage to get to Chicago to wow everyone or are their dreams just dreams?
For me, the problem with "Strike Up the Band" is the number of GIGANTIC production numbers....so many that the plot seemed irrelevant at times. If you love huge production numbers that make no real sense, then you're in for a treat. But I just felt as if MGM was overwhelming the audience with flash and glitz and forgetting to make a film with more fleshed out characters and story.
*While you'd never suspect it when you see Whiteman, he was the biggest bandleader of the early to mid-1930s and helped launch the career of Bing Crosby.
- planktonrules
- Jun 14, 2017
- Permalink
A True Classic not to be missed.
- musicjune-957-115337
- Sep 20, 2014
- Permalink
Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, and the Oscar winning song "Our Love Affair"
- jacobs-greenwood
- Dec 10, 2016
- Permalink
Doesn't Appeal to Me
Believe it or not, this was the first Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musical I've ever seen. It's about what I expected. Movies like this are a total relic of a time before television or the Internet, where movie screens were the only place to see favorite stars. Unless you love Mickey Rooney (which I don't) or Judy Garland (which I kind of do, but she isn't showcased as much as she could have been), there's not a whole lot here to appeal to a modern audience, and the wholesome, good ol' American values propaganda is downright intolerable in historical retrospect all these years later when we know the version of America championed in this movie never existed in the first place.
A bunch of teenagers who all look like they're in their twenties need to raise money so that they can travel to Chicago and audition for a big band show. So they put on a show of their own that looks like it costs about a million dollars to stage, in order to raise $200. Why they need to audition for anything is unclear, when they're all already professional caliber musicians who are perfectly capable of putting on a Broadway show without anyone's help. Rooney tries hard to restrain himself for much of the movie, but every once in a while, usually when someone puts a pair of drumsticks in his hands, he can't help himself and lets loose, and he's terrifying when he does so. I've never seen anyone make crazy faces as much as he does. Garland is adorable and effortlessly funny as always, but she's saddled with a boring role and takes a back seat to Rooney at every turn.
"Strike Up the Band" received the Sound Recording Oscar in 1940 and was nominated for two other awards: Best Scoring and Best Original Song, for the ballad "Our Love Affair."
Grade: C+
A bunch of teenagers who all look like they're in their twenties need to raise money so that they can travel to Chicago and audition for a big band show. So they put on a show of their own that looks like it costs about a million dollars to stage, in order to raise $200. Why they need to audition for anything is unclear, when they're all already professional caliber musicians who are perfectly capable of putting on a Broadway show without anyone's help. Rooney tries hard to restrain himself for much of the movie, but every once in a while, usually when someone puts a pair of drumsticks in his hands, he can't help himself and lets loose, and he's terrifying when he does so. I've never seen anyone make crazy faces as much as he does. Garland is adorable and effortlessly funny as always, but she's saddled with a boring role and takes a back seat to Rooney at every turn.
"Strike Up the Band" received the Sound Recording Oscar in 1940 and was nominated for two other awards: Best Scoring and Best Original Song, for the ballad "Our Love Affair."
Grade: C+
- evanston_dad
- Jun 12, 2023
- Permalink