Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Irving Berlin (story)
Kathryn Scola (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 August 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

An American Cavalcade!

Plot:

This send-up of ragtime song and dance begins in 1915 San Francisco when society boy Roger Grant decides to pursue popular rather than serious music.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Paris France | Audition | Singer | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Roger Grant ak Alexander
Alice Faye	...	Stella Kirby
Don Ameche	...	Charlie Dwyer
Ethel Merman	...	Jerry Allen
Jack Haley	...	Davey Lane
Jean Hersholt	...	Professor Heinrich
Helen Westley	...	Aunt Sophie
John Carradine	...	Speakeasy Doorman / Taxi Driver
Paul Hurst	...	Bill Mulligan
Wally Vernon	...	Wally Vernon
Ruth Terry	...	Ruby
Douglas Fowley	...	Snapper
Chick Chandler	...	Louie
Eddie Collins	...	Corporal Collins
Joseph Crehan	...	Stage Manager

Also Known As:

Irving Berlin's Alexander's Ragtime Band (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

106 min | Argentina:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | USA:Approved (PCA #4098) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Three deleted musical numbers survive in pristine condition: "Some Sunny Day" sung by Don Ameche, "In My Harem" sung by Jack Haley, with Wally Vernon and Chick Chandler and "Marching Along With Time" sung by Ethel Merman; all three numbers are included as special features in the DVD release.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wally Vernon comes forward to do his specialty number, he passes Alexander twice, glancing at him both times.

Quotes:

Stella Kirby: You haven't left me with a word to say.
Charlie Dwyer: That's good. People talk too much anyway.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Muppet Show: (#5.5)" (1980)

Soundtrack:

Marching Along with Time

The music is everything.

The plot is really nothing more than boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, but it's enough of a framework to present an almost non-stop catalogue of great Irving Berlin songs. The music itself is all that is needed to make this a grand entertainment; the litany of classic Berlin standards includes the title song, "Now It Can Be Told", "Everybody's Doing It Now", "Easter Parade" and many others, performed by Twentieth-Century Fox's stock musical players Tyrone Power, Alice Faye and Don Ameche, as well as Jack Haley (who does a great comic rendition of "Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning") and a young, vibrant Ethel Merman, singing, amongst others, "Blue Skies" and "My Walking Stick". All in all, a wonderful "escape" film.