They Shall Have Music (1939)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Irma von Cube (screenplay) and
John Howard Lawson (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 August 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Music | Drama | Family

Plot:

A boy runs away from home and ends up at a music school for poor children. When the school suffers hard times, he enlists the aid of violinist Heifetz to save the day.

Plot Keywords:

Concert | Violin | Music School | Children | Violinist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jascha Heifetz	...	Himself
Joel McCrea	...	Peter McCarthy
Andrea Leeds	...	Ann Lawson
Gene Reynolds	...	Frankie
Walter Brennan	...	Professor Lawson
Terry Kilburn	...	Limey
Porter Hall	...	Mr. Flower
Walter Tetley	...	Rocks Mulligan
Chuck Stubbs	...	Fever Jones
Tommy Kelly	...	Willie
Gale Sherwood	...	Betty (as Jacqueline Nash)
Alfred Newman	...	Musical Director
Mary Ruth	...	Suzie
John St. Polis	...	Davis
Alexander Schoenberg	...	Menken (as Alexander Schonberg)

Also Known As:

Melody of Youth (UK)
Ragged Angels (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5396) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

One of the few films in which conductor Alfred Newman actually makes an on-screen appearance.

Goofs:

Continuity: The movie was spliced together from many takes, so there are numerous continuity holes, especially during the performaces.

Soundtrack:

Andante cantabile

The storyline was mundane, but the music was excellent, and the acting featured a Who's Who of character actors and bit players of that day.

The story itself is routine: A boy runs away from home and ends up in a struggling music school for kids. He convinces a famous violinist to sponsor the school. The film is a splicing of shootings over 11 weeks, and leaves many amusing holes which the observant viewer may find for him/herself.

However long the whiskers of the plot might have been, the movie is justified by its music and acting. There is plenty of music, featuring classical works played by Heifetz and by The Meremblum Orchestra, one of the leading youth symphonies of that day, and said music is excellent. By itself, it would make the picture worth viewing. The conducting and scoring duties were put in the best of hands: those of Alfred Neumann.

The acting is a study in contrasts. The kids in the orchestra, most of whom had little or no acting experience, must have driven director Archie Mayo crazy, looking into the camera, overacting the parts that they had, and overstudiously following directions given to them. But the spontaneity that results from their lack of training adds an interesting charm to the picture. The veteran actors were marvelous with the material they had to work with. Walter Brennan was perfectly cast in his role, one that he emulated in real life. Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds were ideal fits for their parts. And the supporting acting was a veritable Who's Who of character actors: Marjorie Main, Arthur Hohl, Paul Harvey, , Charles Coleman, Perry Ivins, and Porter Hall in his typical role of the heavy---all ideally cast. And the bit players: Jessie Arnold, John Hamilton, Marjorie Wood, Jimmy Flavin, Dulcie Day, the gravelly voiced Lee Phelps in his usual role as a policeman and many many more. If you're a fan of character actors, this movie will bring back a lot of memories.

Overall, the picture is very enjoyable and is recommended, even if you aren't a fan of classical music.

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