Strike Up the Band
The huge success of the 1939 musical
Babes in Arms directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland led MGM to quickly look for a follow up utilizing the same three talents. At first MGM seriously considered starring Rooney and Garland in the college musical
Good News, but studio chief Louis B. Mayer changed his mind and chose
Strike Up the Band (1940) as the team's next project for no other reason than it sounded 'patriotic.' The spirit of nationalism was running high with the stirrings of World War II abroad, and
Strike Up the Band would showcase the optimism of America's youth at their apple pie best.
The title
Strike Up the Band was taken from the hit Broadway show with music by George and Ira Gershwin. Other than the title and the rousing song of the same name, however, the film's story bore no resemblance to the original text. Writers Fred Finklehoffe and John Monks, Jr. came up with a new plot that better suited the youthful co-stars. In the new script, Rooney would play Jimmy Connors, a frustrated high school band drummer who dreams of leading his own modern jazz orchestra, and Garland would appear as Mary, a girl who sings with the band but can't get Jimmy to notice her as anything more than a friend. When Jimmy and his band get the chance to audition for the famous orchestra leader Paul Whiteman in Chicago, they exceed their own expectations in raising money for the trip and the chance to live their dreams.
Strike Up the Band was really Mickey Rooney's film. He had earned his place as the top box office star of his day, a title previously held by Shirley Temple. The film showcased Rooney's many talents including acting, singing, dancing, drumming, and comedy. Though Judy Garland's role was mainly one of support, it was a nice featured part for her, and she got to sing several memorable songs including "Nobody," "La Conga" and a beautiful new number written especially for her called "Our Love Affair," which was nominated for an Academy Award. Judy turned 18 years old while making this picture and also met one of her future husbands, famed director Vincente Minnelli, though it would be another five years before they married. Minnelli was on the set one day at the request of the film's producer Arthur Freed who was having trouble with a particular scene in
Strike Up the Band. "We need a big production number here," Freed told Minnelli. "Mickey and Judy are in the house, and he's telling her he wants to be a famous band leader like Paul Whiteman. Something big has to happen." Minnelli looked around and noticed a bowl of fruit on the table. "Why don't you take that bowl of fruit and have Mickey set each piece of fruit as if it were a musical instrument," responded Minnelli as he recounts in his 1974 autobiography
I Remember it Well. 'Apples for fiddles, oranges for brass, bananas for woodwinds. Then have Mickey conduct with his hands. The pieces of fruit are now puppet characters of musicians.' Freed was thrilled with the idea and used it. The resulting highly imaginative number was one of the film's highlights, prompting Louis B. Mayer to forever call Minnelli "the genius who took a bowl of fruit and made a big production number out of it."
The combination of Busby Berkeley, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland proved to be box office magic for the second time on
Strike Up the Band. The trio worked successfully together again on
Babes on Broadway in 1941. On their fourth film together
Girl Crazy (1943), however, Berkeley was replaced as director by Norman Taurog though he retained credit as a choreographer.
Strike Up the Band remains a fine example of Busby Berkeley's unique style and creative integration of camera work with music and dance and the phenomenal talents of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.
Producer: Arthur Freed
Director: Busby Berkeley
Screenplay: Fred F. Finklehoffe, John Monks, Jr.
Art Direction: John S. Detlie, Cedric Gibbons
Cinematography: Ray June
Editing: Ben Lewis
Music: Roger Edens, George Stoll
Cast: Mickey Rooney (Jimmy Connors), Judy Garland (Mary Holden), Paul Whiteman (Paul Whiteman), June Preisser (Barbara Frances Morgan), William Tracy (Phillip Turner).
BW-121m. Closed captioning
by Andrea Passafiume
Strike Up the Band
Strike Up the Band represents Louis B. Mayer at the height of his powers at MGM and
epitomizes his vision of family entertainment. Mayer's enormously popular
Andy Hardy
series of films made Mickey Rooney one of the biggest stars of the era. It seemed natural for
Freed to pair Rooney with Judy Garland, and they became the unbeatable screen team of 1940.
Repeating the fantasy formula of
Babes in Arms, Busby Berkeley's
Strike Up the
Band shows small town America intersecting with big time show biz.
Synopsis: Sick of drumming for the boring school orchestra, senior Jimmy Connors (Mickey
Rooney) begs permission to form his own modern dance band. With Mary Holden (Judy Garland)
singing, the band is the hit of a school party. But Jimmy's ambition to compete in a 'battle of the
bands' promotion sponsored by big time bandleader Paul Whiteman (himself) is stalled by the
lack of train fare to Chicago. One possible source of revenue is new girl Barbara Frances
Morgan (June Preisser), whose father is hiring a band for a big party. Mary doesn't appreciate
Jimmy's sudden attentions to Barbara. Mary is sure that she and Jimmy are a natural couple, but
Jimmy doesn't seem to have gotten the message.
Strike Up the Band is the second of Arthur Freed's big 'teen musicals', with Mickey
Rooney and Judy Garland playing Louis B. Mayer's ideal kids next door. Both Jimmy Connors
and Mary Holden are enormous talents eager to spring up from the grass roots of America. The
simple formula worked at least three times without much variation: ambitious Jimmy wants to
be a big success and his girlfriend Mary supports him all the way. The high school hopefuls are
consummate performers and carry themselves like seasoned professionals. During practice
sessions Jimmy's 'kid' orchestra can barely keep time, but when the show goes on they become
polished crowd pleasers complete with elaborate choreographed stage business. Jimmy's drum
solos have as much pizzazz as Gene Krupa's, and a brace of harmonizing backup singers
materializes to support Mary's killer song deliveries.
Former Warner Bros. musical number specialist Busby Berkeley keeps his camera moving
around the hyperactive Rooney and slows down to appreciate Judy Garland's doe-eyed
romantic confusion. The musical numbers are integrated smoothly into the story line, beginning
with an impromptu piano duet,
Our Love Affair. An encore is 'performed' by stop-motion
animated fruit on Mary Holden's dining room table. Jimmy and Mary are as adept at putting
across a slick big band presentation, as they are at staging
Nell of New Rochelle, a
Broadway-quality spoof of quaint morality plays.
What there is of a plot fills in the gaps between musical sequences. Only one scene takes place
in a classroom, where new girl Barbara catches Jimmy's eye. Pining for romantic overtures from
Jimmy, Mary contains her frustration and gently deflects a juvenile declaration of love from little
Willie Brewster (Larry Nunn). Other 'fun' kids Phil Turner (William Tracy of
The Shop Around
the Corner) and Annie (Margaret Early) mostly cheerlead the heroes.
Sheer 'let's put on a show' enthusiasm is the key to the Mayer-MGM-Berkeley musicals. Jimmy's
personal energy overcomes all obstacles and practical limitations. The dance band suddenly
appears in matching outfits for the high school show. 'Old clothes from the attic' turn into a fully
costumed period show with expensive scenery. A giant working buzz saw appears for the
damsel-in-distress scene. Somebody tells Rooney that he has 45 minutes to get his orchestra on
a Chicago train, and the film dissolves to a sendoff complete with a large crowd, customized
banners and the town band. Jimmy Connors' organizing talent is wasted in music; he should
have been put in charge of U.S. defenses at Pearl Harbor.
Hometown dreams of show biz fame are a key American fantasy, and
Strike Up the
Band doesn't get bogged down with the problems of reality. To make his dear mother
happy, Jimmy Connors tells her that he'll give up his showbiz ambitions and become a doctor
like his dead father. Of course, after hearing Jimmy's self-serving baloney about band-leading
being as humanitarian an ideal as healing people, Mother relents and gives him her blessing to
follow his dream. This fits in with the Louis B. Mayer fantasy that MGM movies are the heart and
soul of America; like Louis himself, Jimmy Connors has no interest in personal fame or fortune,
and wants only to
make people happy!
Jimmy proves that he has 'good guy' credentials by generously using his hard-earned Chicago
money to save little Willie's arm. Nobody points out that Willie was injured performing for free
in a risky stunt in Jimmy's Temperance musical. As it turns out, being 'nice' to the flirtatious
Barbara was a very good idea -- her rich daddy has both the needed cash and the personal
connection to Paul Whiteman to make Jimmy's band a shoo-in to win the big competition.
Jimmy Connors isn't a 'user', he's an all-around swell guy who deserves to be a star!
Director Berkeley pulls out the stops for the big musical scenes.
Do the La Conga lets
Rooney and Garland go over the top on a big Latin American number. The syncopated line
dancing looks great even if the spoofy interpretation is exaggerated: Garland shakes her frilly
dress in a weirdly antiseptic manner. June Preisser's contortionist acrobatics are allowed a few
seconds' exposure, but the supporting players are pushed into the background in the rush to
favor the stars. The finale song
Strike Up the Band is yet another wave-the-flag patriotic
extravaganza. Tunneling through long lines of marching brass musicians, Berkeley's camera
emerges to elevate Jimmy and Mary to mythical heights. "This is American youth", the movie
insists, "and it can do anything."
Warner DVD's
Strike Up the Band is a beautifully transferred and polished restoration of
this old favorite. It's one film in the 5-disc
Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Collection
with
Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway and
Girl Crazy, all directed by Busby
Berkeley. This particular title includes an introduction by Mickey Rooney, a Pete Smith comedy
and the cartoon
Romeo Rhythm, plus a stereo remix of the
Do the La Conga
number. Although not recorded in stereo, MGM musical numbers were often recorded with
multiple microphones. When the original tracks were retained, modern audio techniques can
manufacture a stereo mix from the different audio perspectives. Besides a trailer, the disc also
contains three radio promos and shows, two of them with Rooney and Garland.
A fourth disc in the set has a full 1996 TCM interview show with Mickey Rooney and Robert
Osborne, a trailer gallery of Mickey and Judy films and an extensive "Judy Garland Songbook"
that collects 21 full musical numbers from 1936 to 1954.
For more information about
Strike Up the Band, visit
Warner Video. To order
Strike Up the Band
(which is included in the Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection), go to
TCM Shopping.
by Glenn Erickson
