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      The Benny Goodman Story

      G 1955 1h 56m Biography List
      Reviews 70% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings When a young Benny Goodman (Barry Truex) first starts taking music classes, he becomes very adept at the clarinet and gravitates towards ragtime and jazz. After playing for a few years, an older Benny (Steve Allen) gains the attention of critic John Hammond (Herbert Anderson), who champions the musician. Benny also meets John's sister, Alice (Donna Reed), and, although she initially dislikes jazz, Goodman wins her over. However, Benny's mother (Berta Gersten) does not approve of the match. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Nell Minow Movie Mom Sweet story and the music swings! Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2003 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Dull in the drama department, this hi-fi tribute to America's King of Swing is nonetheless recommended for jazz enthusiasts. TV's Steve Allen impersonates BG. Jan 8, 2020 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 7, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      steve d Forgettable bio of a despicable but talented jackass Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Universal's inevitable follow-up to their successful GLENN MILLER STORY features many famous Goodman numbers and musician cameos, but Allen's lack of charisma in the lead role and the mundane script weigh it down. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member odlicen film! ne samo sto pokazuva kako zapocnal Goodman,tuku e prikazano kako za prvpat publikata mesto da tancuva na muzikata,zapocnuva da slusa-pocetok na koncertite sto nie gi poznavame,plus moze da se vidat legendi kako Gene Krupa,Lionel Hampton,Teddy Wilson,Stan Getz,Sammy Davis Sr. itn :) vredi :) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Steve Allen, brilliant TV comic, songwriter, musician in his own right portrays the great Benny Goodman in this easy going biographical story. Many muscial greats from jazz appear in the film. REVIEWS by those like us: 100% Classic! Steve Allen does a spectacular job as Beeny Goodman, and with Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson all playing themselves ... wow. ... 30% music's the thing in this film and the only thing worthwhile. in fact i'd recommend getting the sound track and skip the movie entirely unless you wan.. [img]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRq7BJ8KjnOTD2HO-G7NvmSkpG1KYcWmsucmw-bcsXBjeoE_E6oiA[/img] NOTES: 1 The film is based on the life of famed clarinetist Benny Goodman, who recorded most of the clarinet solos used in the film. 2 The film captures several major moments in Goodman's life but it has been described as less than accurate in details. For a clip from the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgMHoQG0Fxo SEE the entire film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmaXN3gTP14 [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxF4BkcqUNLN_3Z2MrNOAFPumAyVsR1_BZkfN5kFSGF8S_ov2j[/img] Directed by Valentine Davies Produced by Aaron Rosenberg Written by Valentine Davies Starring Steve Allen Donna Reed Bertha Gersten Herbert Anderson Robert F. Simon Dick Winslow Music by Joseph Gershenson Henry Mancini Sol Yaged Alan Harding Harold Brown Cinematography William Daniels Editing by Russell Schoengarth Distributed by Universal Studios Release dates February 2, 1956 Running time 116 minutes Country United States [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/Poster_of_the_movie_The_Benny_Goodman_Story.jpg/220px-Poster_of_the_movie_The_Benny_Goodman_Story.jpg[/img] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Classic! Steve Allen does a spectacular job as Beeny Goodman, and with Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson all playing themselves ... wow. If you don't get lost in "One O'Clock Jump" by the end of the song, you just don't get quality music. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member music's the thing in this film and the only thing worthwhile. in fact i'd recommend getting the sound track and skip the movie entirely unless you want to see an example of non-acting at its finest. too bad allen lost his day, er, night job. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      The Benny Goodman Story

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis When a young Benny Goodman (Barry Truex) first starts taking music classes, he becomes very adept at the clarinet and gravitates towards ragtime and jazz. After playing for a few years, an older Benny (Steve Allen) gains the attention of critic John Hammond (Herbert Anderson), who champions the musician. Benny also meets John's sister, Alice (Donna Reed), and, although she initially dislikes jazz, Goodman wins her over. However, Benny's mother (Berta Gersten) does not approve of the match.
      Director
      Valentine Davies
      Production Co
      Universal/Universal Int
      Rating
      G
      Genre
      Biography
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Mar 4, 2003
      Runtime
      1h 56m