User:Mbastemeyer/TheBennyGoodmanStory

The Benny Goodman Story (1956) is a biopic film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal Studios.

   The film is a biopic of the famed jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman and his journey to the musician that we all know and love. Like most jazz films, "The Benny Goodman Story" address many issues, such as, race, religion, class, love. and the struggle between father and son.
   The issue of race is very common in jazz films. "The Benny Goodman Story" is no different. The struggle of the protagonist who anticipates social change in attitudes towards race and religion is central in biopic. [1]
   Although the issue of religion is never directly discussed in the film, there are undertones that suggest it. There are many times in the film when the audience can assume that the Goodman family is Jewish. The film is similar to The Jazz Singer in forging the Jewish culture and mainstream American society. The film also discusses class. Benny's mother tells Benny to be careful when dating his girlfriend Alice Hammond, because she is of higher class than him.
   "The Benny Goodman Story" also tells the story of the romance between Benny Goodman and Alice Hammond. Most cinematic features include a love story to bring people in. If it was just a biography of Benny Goodman then not a lot of people would watch the film for pleasure. Being a biopic gives the director more freedom to include the love story and make it more interesting to the general public. In reality, Alica Hammond had little to do with Benny Goodmans growth as a musician. The director did a great job at centering the film about Goodman and his career.

The film itself, is a great overall picture of Benny Goodmans life as a musician. The songs featured and the artist that are included are extensive.

Lionel Hampton, Martha Tilton, Kid Ory, George Givot, Gene Krupa, and many other musicians have cameo appearances in this film. [edit] References

   * Gabbard, Krin. "[1]", Jammin' at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema, 2009-09-19. Retrieved on September 19, 2009.

List of Production/Actors/ Actresses (put in box) Director: Valentine Davies Producer: Aaron Rosenberg Studio: Universal-International Screenplay: Valentine Davies Literary Source: The Kingdom of Jazz (1939) by B. Goodman and Irving Kolodin Cinematography: William Daniels (Technicolor) Music: Joseph Gershenson, Henry Mancini, Sol Yaged, Alan Harding, Harold Brown Clarinet Coaching for Steve Allen: Sol Yaged Editor: Russell Schoengarth Costumes: Bill Thomas New York City Preview (13 Dec 1995; RKO 86th Street Theatre) Cast: Steve Allen (Benny Goodman) Donna Reed (Alice Hammond) Berta Gersten (Mom [Dora] Goodman) Herbert Anderson (John Hammond) Robert F. Simon (Pop [Dave] Goodman) Sammy Davis, Sr. (Fletcher Henderson) Dick Winslow (Gil Rodin) Barry Truex (Benny Goodman at 16) David Kasday (Benny Goodman at 10) Hy Averback (William Alexander) Wilton Graff (Mr. Hammond) Shep Menken (Harry Goodman) Fred Essler (Prof. Schoepp) George Givot (Jake Primo)

[edit] External links

   * The Benny Goodman Story at the Internet Movie Database
   * The Benny Goodman Story at Allmovie
   * The Benny Goodman Story at AllMovie