STRIKE UP THE BAND [1940 / 2020] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Are the Merriest Pair in a Great New Musical Show! A Movie Musical That Will Move Your Heart!
Among cinema’s many treasures, few are as delightfully entertaining as the musical pairings of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is one of the brightest results of that talented collaboration. Brimming with youthful high spirits, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney are effervescent as high school kids who are ready and eager to climb the long ladder of success. Jimmy Connors is an energetic bandleader; Mary Holden is his lovelorn singer. Together, they sing and dance their way to the top, with a few bumps along the way! Of course, the film abounds in musical riches, from a rousing “Drummer Boy,” performed by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, to Judy Garland’s plaintive rendition of “(I Ain’t Got) Nobody.” There’s an all-out musical tribute to that forties dance craze, the conga “Do the La Conga!” and a final stirring patriotic title song “Strike Up The Band.”
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1941 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Sound Recording for Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD). Nominated: Best Music in an Original Song for George Stoll and Roger Edens for the Song "Our Love Affair." Nominated: Best Music Score for George Stoll and Roger Edens.
FILM FACT No.2: In keeping with M-G-M's practice of the time, the film soundtrack was recorded in stereophonic sound but released with conventional monaural sound. At least some of the original stereo recording has survived and been included in some home video releases, including the Mickey Rooney and the Judy Garland Collection. According to M-G-M records the film earned $2,265,000 in the USA and Canada and $1,229,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $1,539,000.
Cast: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Paul Whiteman and Orchestra, June Preisser, William Tracy, Larry Nunn, Paul Whiteman, Margaret Early, Ann Shoemaker, Francis Pierlot, Virginia Brissac, George Lessey, Enid Bennett, Howard Hickman, Sarah Edwards, Milton Kibbee, Helen Jerome Eddy, Lowden Adams (uncredited), Jack Albertson (uncredited), Richard Allen (uncredited), Eleanor Bayley (uncredited), Eddie Buzard (uncredited), Elliot Carpenter (uncredited), Don Castle (uncredited), Maxine Cook (uncredited), Vondell Darr (uncredited), Joe Devlin (uncredited), Ray Dixon (uncredited), Mary Jo Ellis (uncredited), Roland Got (uncredited), Lois James (uncredited), Louise La Planche (uncredited), Linda Leighton (uncredited), Lois Lindsay (uncredited), Margaret Marquis (uncredited), Mickey Martin (uncredited), Harry McCrillis (uncredited), Sidney Miller (uncredited), Jack Mulhall (uncredited), Wallace Musselwhite (uncredited), Sherrie Overton (uncredited), Dick Paxton (uncredited), Henry Rackin (uncredited), Naida Reynolds (uncredited), Henry Roquemore (uncredited), Virginia Sale (uncredited), Helen Seamon (uncredited), Charles Smith (uncredited), Myron Speth (uncredited), Leonard Sues (uncredited), Victoria Vinton (uncredited), Billy Wayne (uncredited), Douglas Wilson (uncredited) and Joe Yule (uncredited)
Director: Busby Berkeley
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenplay: Fred F. Finklehoffe (screenplay), John Monks Jr. (screenplay), Herbert Fields (uncredited) and Kay Van Riper (contributor to treatment and dialogue) (uncredited)
Lyrics and Music: Roger Edens
Musical Director: George Stoll and Leo Arnaud (uncredited)
Cinematography: Ray June, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 120 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ [1940] is a musical featuring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, their fifth film together. ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ follows two teenagers, Mary Holden and Jimmy Connors, who are in a high school dance band. Mary Holden wants to date Jimmy Connors and tries to get him to see they would be perfect for each other, but alas Mary Holden discovers that Jimmy Connors only sees her as a good pal and her efforts seem useless.
After ‘Babes in Arms’ [1939 rampant success M-G-M thought, “Hey, those crazy kids have something special.” The eventual follow-up, ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ and sees Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney go bigger with a larger budget and runtime. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney move out of the barn and into the world of small-town America.
Jimmy Connors [Mickey Rooney] has dreams of being a drummer and leading a band. When Jimmy Connors’s offered a chance to audition for Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra, and collect prize money, Jimmy Connors enlists the help of his best gal Mary Holden [Judy Garland] and a gaggle of other talented kids. But the group hits the skids when life lobs them some unforeseen curveballs.
The successful trio of director Busby Berkeley, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney return, along with the ultra-limber June Preisser, but this time there are added issues that need fixing before Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney can succeed. John Monks Jr. and Fred F. Finkelhoffe’s script give the children additional complications outside of just the old “getting out of our parent’s shadow” business they had in the film ‘Babes in Arms.’
Mickey Rooney once again plays a boy whom, shall we say, isn’t thinking in the right places and is easily swayed by Barbara Frances Morgan [June Preisser], a wealthy girl with absentee parents. Though Mary Holden keeps the ship upright, we’re never shown her actively succeeding in pulling anything off. No, Judy Garland’s true expansion comes through music and there are some great performances from her with songs like “Do the La Conga” and “Our Love Affair” are the true highlights.
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney knew each other as well as they did themselves by this point, and their communication boasts a natural ease. You see Judy Garland anticipate Mickey Rooney’s thoughts, free of the script, and react accordingly. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney demonstrate the appealing of the Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney chemistry. A medium shot places us right on the piano as Judy Garland’s Mary Holden croons about a love affair fraught with quarrels and true romance. Occasionally she glances at Mickey Rooney’s Jimmy Connors, hoping the music will churn up those long-boiling feelings of lust he has….right? Mary Holden rolls her eyes as Jimmy Connors looks at her, invisibly chastising her to focus on the music, foiled again. It’s a brilliant moment that owes little to Busby Berkeley’s direction, but everything to the two teen stars. They loved each other as friends and had no problem expressing their mutual appreciation and annoyance.
Mary Holden and Jimmy Connors envision scenes; one involving a concert with food items like meats, vegetables and fruits becomes the most unique sequence in the film without any of the actors. Animated by cartoonist George Pál, where the food concert has pineapple playing cellos, baby grand pianos made of chocolate cake and much more visual delights with all the magic of something akin to the Walt Disney Studios, fifteen years earlier.
The heart of the story lies in Jimmy Connors’s realization that life often defers one’s dreams. Every time he gets ahead, financially or an opportunity arises, something he can’t have foreseen derails it. The film ‘Babes in Arms’ explored the financial responsibility teens find themselves in to help their families, but the issues of high school are nothing compared to the futile attempt to change your life only to find yourself stymied by financial obligations or unforeseen tragedy.
‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ has lost none of its youthful vigour. Mickey Rooney acquits himself rather rambunctiously of the ‘Drummer Boy’ solo. And Judy Garland positively sparkles in the epic finale, a reprise of the film’s entire music score, capped off by a rousing “marching band” rendition of the title tune with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, locked in smile-beaming embrace, super-imposed over a billowing Stars and Stripes. In an era where American patriotism has taken more than its fair share of negative hits, movies like ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ harks back to a time when Hollywood was most definitely in the business of promoting ma, apple pie and old glory. Indeed, M-G-M saw this as their first shot across the bow at the Axis powers abroad, distinctly to suggest that if “the Yanks” were yet to be coming, then their hour of declaration against tyranny and for the free peoples of the world, was definitely on the foreseeable horizon.
With the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ and with director Busby Berkeley at the director's megaphone, the boys sitting behind the cameras must have had fun shooting the big spectacular numbers, because the lenses are constantly restless, moving from dancers' feet to upraised trombones or zooming down from the ceiling. And the sequences have been assembled as if the cutting-room assistants were rhythm-crazy.
Under the circumstances, most of the cast has little to do, but June Preisser does take the stage long enough to turn a neat handspring or two, and Paul Whiteman makes a brief appearance before turning over his large baton to Mickey Rooney. Despite the encumbrances of the story, most of the workmanship that went into the production is Hollywood at its smoothest. When they take the rugs off the floor and the youngsters begin moving, the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is spanking good entertainment!
STRIKE UP THE BAND MUSIC TRACK LIST
OUR LOVE AFFAIR (1939) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics Arthur Freed) [Played on piano by Mickey Rooney and sung by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney with orchestral accompaniment]
DO THE LA CONGA (1939) (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens) [Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Sidney Miller, William Tracy and chorus at the dance]
NOBODY (1939) (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens) [Sung by Judy Garland]
NELL OF NEW ROCHELLE (1939) (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens) [Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus in the Elks club show]
WHEN DAY IS DONE (1926) (uncredited) (Music by Robert Katscher) [Opening number played by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra at Barbara's party]
WONDERFUL ONE (1922) (uncredited) (Music by Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofé Sr.) [Played as dance music by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra at Barbara Frances Morgan's party]
DRUMMER BOY (1939) (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed) [Performed at Barbara Frances Morgan's party with Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney on drums and vibraphone and other band members]
STRIKE UP THE BAND (1927) (Music by George Gershwin) (Lyrics by Ira Gershwin) [Sung by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus]
DO THE LA CONGA (Reprise) (1939) (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens) [Performed by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Sidney Miller, William Tracy and chorus at the dance]
OUR LOVE AFFAIR (Reprise) (1939) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics Arthur Freed) [Sung by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney with orchestral accompaniment]
DRUMMER BOY (Reprise) (1939) (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed) [Performed at the Paul Whitman Competition with Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney on drums and vibraphone and other band members]
STRIKE UP THE BAND (Finale) (1927) (Music by George Gershwin) (Lyrics by Ira Gershwin) [Sung by Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and chorus]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us with the classic ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ musical extravaganza that has received an amazing upgrade treatment in a new 4K restoration derived from the best possible surviving elements. If this is not an original nitrate negative, it certainly gives every indication of being one. Fine details and a light smattering of fine grain looking very indigenous from its source. The film always had an intangible black-and-white beauty, but this 1080p rendering really brings out Ray June’s high quality cinematography is at its best effect, especially with the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Age-related artefacts have been completely eliminated. The film looks as good as it ever has been, and even better, and gives an authentic feel to what audiences in 1940 must have encountered, projected on the big screen.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ with a stunning 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo experience. The audio performance easily outperforms the sound on the previous inferior DVD release. Not surprisingly, the most noticeable improvement in the audio quality comes during the musical numbers, which flaunt far more fidelity, tonal depth, and dynamic range than ever before. Judy Garland's vocals sound richer and fuller than ever before. Dialogue and background effects are balanced very well with a surprisingly robust dynamic range, while all of the energetic musical performances, including those performed by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, as well as composer Roger Edens's stirring original musical score sound crystal clear and quite powerful at times. All the dialogue is very easy to comprehend, and you get no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude. It is a must in upgrading to the Blu-ray format on the strength of this brilliant audio experience, which makes ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ a really brilliant audio experience, and truly remarkable for a 1940 film release that will make you smile and die-hard fans will be extremely pleased with the results.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Introduction by Mickey Rooney [2007] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:16] The 87-year-old Mickey Rooney reminisces about the good old days at M-G-M and salutes some of the film's supporting cast in this heartfelt introduction, where Mickey Rooney talks about when Arthur Freed, Judy Garland and himself [Mickey Rooney] and director Busby Berkeley together in the film ‘Babes in Arms’ [1939] they put a new kind of M-G-M motion picture on the map, and within months the head of M-G-M the great Louis B. Mayer encouraged Arthur Freed to put Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in another picture as quickly as possible, and because this was in the era when Hollywood was at its peak, as the entertainment capital of the world, and between March and September 1940, where they were able to prepare, rehearse, film and première the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND.’ Mickey Rooney says they had quite a package, great songs to sing by George and Ira Gershwin, where they had wonderful new songs, routines, and most of them were written by M-G-M’s master musical man Roger Edens and Mickey Rooney was well pleased with the duets that that Arthur Freed created for Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, and feels it was one of the beautiful moments ever written for the film, which we actually see that moment with a clip from the film, where they are both sitting at the piano, where Judy Garland sing and Mickey Rooney actually plays the piano, doing the song “Our Love Affair.” Mickey Rooney says the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ gave them the chance to play comedy, to do old time melody shows at the began at the turn of the century, and to work once again with some of our best friends like Sidney Miller, Leonard Sues, William Tracy, Larry Nunn, Margaret Early and the very talented June Preisser. Mickey Rooney talks about his passion for drums that fit right into the script as well. Mickey Rooney talks about the legendary Paul Whitman and his great orchestra that appears in the film and he feels that there is nothing much more inspirational than that when you are making a musical, and he feels Judy Garland and himself and out pals were all just youngsters then, but they were happy and grateful for our talent and for the chance to try and share it with the audiences, for that we can thank the M-G-M Studios and all of us, so sit back and enjoy the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND,’ I hope. We get to see some rare 1940s behind-the-scene black-and-white clips at the M-G-M Studios with scenes of setting up to shoot a film. We get a nice selection of clips from the film.
Special Feature: Wedding Bills [1940] [480i] [1.37:1] [9:42] Another in the long series of a “Pete Smith Specialty” series shorts from M-G-M in which William Newell meets and falls in love with Sally Payne, and begins to budget for their plans to get married. William Newell’s budget, alas, does not include nor anticipate the plans of Sally Payne and her parents. With this enjoyable entry in this long-running one-reel short wryly chronicles the mounting expenses and unavoidable mishaps intrinsic to a couple's engagement. Oh, how little things have changed over the years! This is totally hilarious and we get some really sarcastic tongue-in-cheek humour from Pete Smith, and watch out for the cute little trained dog, which nearly steels the show. Narrated by Pete Smith.
Special Feature: Vintage M-G-M Cartoon: Romeo in Rhythm [1940] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:16] This M-G-M cartoon is by Rudy Ising, and is the last of a long line of black animal musicals done at M-G-M in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Here we get to see it is subtitled The Black Crow Light Opera Company presents “Romeo and Juliet” and we see a pair of crows presenting a vaudeville "hot jazz" rendition of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet," but constantly being interrupted by fellow black crows, like the milkman, but also two dogs that have just got married and a black crow missionary and his helpers looking for Doctor Livingston. Like other cartoon "crows" they speak in the Harlem "jive talk" that must have seemed foreign to the mostly "white" animators in Culver City. Voice Cast: Mel Blanc (Milkman Crow / Henry Morton Stanley Crow) (uncredited) and Billy Mitchell (Romeo Crow) (uncredited). Director: Rudolf Ising. Screenplay: Rudolf Ising (story) (uncredited). Composer: Scott Bradley.
Special Feature: “Do the La Conga” Stereo Version [1940] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:01] Here is another one promoting the fantastic musical number “Do the La Conga” from the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ and supposedly hearing it in a Stereo Remix Version. But to be honest, there was not in my opinion a lot of difference compared to hearing the actual audio presentation in the original final scene in the film, because you hear it exactly in the same 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo, which to me sounded exactly the same audio presentation in the same scene in the actual film, because it is much lower in volume and once again I had to crank up the volume quite considerably to hear it properly and to be honest I much preferred to hear the original 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo sound track in the actual film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND.’
Special Feature: ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ Lux Radio Theater Broadcast [1940] [1080p] [1.78:1] [59:06] The quintessential "Hey kids, let's start a band in high school and achieve fame and fortune" story. In the gymnasium at the Riverwood High School the boys have been practicing a tune for the past two hours and they are becoming a little stale. The tuba is weary, the trombone is bored and on the drums, young Jimmy Connors beats out a sad beat. Even the bandmaster, a spinster music teacher, can find no joy in her chosen work. Buy eventually at the Paul Whiteman’s Competition in Chicago Jimmy Connors, Mary Holden and the rest of the group they win the competition and are celebrated by the whole town when they get home. Contributors include: Melville Ruick [Announcer], Cecil B. DeMille [Producer], William C. DeMille [Producer], Mickey Rooney [Jimmy Connors], Judy Garland [Mary Holden], John Scott Trotter [Paul Whiteman], Larry Nunn [Willie Brewster], Charles Peck [Phillip Turner], Billie Jean Henry [Barbara Frances Morgan], Frederick Worlock [Mr. Morgan], Jane Morgan [Mrs. Connors], Rip Barnett [Mr. Judd], Byron Keen [Booper Martin], Crane Compton [Miss Hodges], Lou Merrill [Barker], Harry Humphries [Doctor], Marine McGill [Miss Pink], Seal Garland [Annie] and Budd Macalester [Dick Covert / Newsreader]. ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ was sponsored by Lux. ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ was broadcast on 28th October, 1940.
Special Feature: Leo is on the Air! Radio Promo [Audio Only] [1940] [1080p] [1.78:1] [14:15] “Leo is on the Air” is an M-G-M promotional radio programme that features selected songs from the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ as well as some Hollywood industry news. It features Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The sound is totally atrocious.
Special Feature: Millions for Defense Radio Excerpt [Audio Only] [1941] [1080p] [1.78:1] [15:15] “Millions for Defense” is an American promotional radio programme and starred Frd Allen, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in front of a live audience. It saddles Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney with a madcap script, that would of been better suited to Abbott and Costello. Judy Garland sings a rousing version of "Strike Up the Band" and Mickey Rooney resurrects his pitch-perfect Lionel Barrymore impression in this oddly amusing radio rarity. This was broadcast on the 2nd July, 1941.
Theatrical Trailer [1940] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:50] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND.’ This brilliant rousing promotional trailer that has been lovingly restored in HD.
Finally, ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is a great family-friendly Hollywood film musical, with many exciting character transformations and exceptional witty dialogue. What I personally loved about the film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is when Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and company perform a wonderful over the top musical melodrama show called “Nell of New Rochelle,” and this was very funny with over-the-top performances from all the performers. What I like most about this Hollywood film musical is that it contains a very human story. Despite the ambitions of Jimmy Connors and Mary Holden and the other young performers to form their own music band and they truly look out for each other and really care for each other. This especially happens when Willie Brewster [Larry Nunn] is very ill with a seriously broken arm and has to go to a hospital in Chicago. But Jimmy Connors and Mary Holden have to give up their $200 in order to get Willie Brewster to Chicago and it is very pretty much heart-warming stuff. ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ contains many strong morally uplifting messages about friendship, respecting your parents, honesty, and total sacrifice. You will see no of the subversive stuff with this M-G-M musical; instead, we are treated to such brilliant highlights as a George Pál animated sequence involving dancing fruit that is hilarious. The film ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is delightfully entertaining and probably more than the film ‘Babes in Arms,’ and ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ remains the archetypical “Let’s Put On A Show” Hollywood film musical. Though music and styles have changed, the youthful zest on display is timeless and ‘STRIKE UP THE BAND’ is still a total delightful and infectious wonderful Hollywood film musical. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
