Birth of the Blues (1941)

Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. ... See full summary »

Director:

Victor Schertzinger

Writers:

Harry Tugend (story), Harry Tugend,

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Brian Donlevy

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bing Crosby	...	Jeff Lambert
Mary Martin	...	Betty Lou Cobb
Brian Donlevy	...	Memphis
Carolyn Lee	...	Aunt Phoebe Cobb
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Louey (as Rochester)
J. Carrol Naish	...	Blackie
Warren Hymer	...	Limpy
Horace McMahon	...	Wolf (as Horace MacMahon)
Ruby Elzy	...	Ruby
Jack Teagarden	...	Pepper
Danny Beck	...	Deek
Harry Barris	...	Suds
Perry Botkin Sr.	...	Leo (as Perry Botkin)
Minor Watson	...	Henri Lambert
Harry Rosenthal	...	Piano Player

Storyline

Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle to get their jazz music accepted by the cafe society of the city. Betty Lou joins their band as a singer and gets Louie to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou.

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Plot Keywords:

scat singing | jazz | new orleans louisiana | musician | murder | 

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Taglines:

Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm !

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Genres:

Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sinfonia Bárbara

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$857,283 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though the movie is in black and white, in one scene, when Bing Crosby is singing "Shine On Harvest Moon" in a movie theater, a slide show being projected behind him is in full color, though Bing is still in black and white.

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Connections

Referenced in The Mothers-In-Law: The Birth of Everything But the Blues (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Memphis Blues"
(uncredited)
Music by W.C. Handy
Lyrics by George A. Norton
Performed by Bing Crosby and band

User Reviews

What a voice she had!

Mary Martin, was a real favorite and got her Hollywood start singing "Daddy" in Cole Porter's Night and Day". 1941. This film enjoyed the talents of Eddie (Rochester), Jack Teagarden (who sang with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, and my favorite male vocalist, Bing Crosby. Crosby and Martin were so good together, and make you feel like hopping dancing and singing lively with them. It's a pleasure to reminisce about these great musical films.