MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 2,475 this week

The Benny Goodman Story (1956)

 -  Biography | Drama | Music  -  1956 (Japan)
6.4
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.4/10 from 665 users  
Reviews: 23 user | 3 critic

Bio of swing band leader 'Benny Goodman' from age 10 (1919) to his landmark Carnegie Hall band concert in 1938. Not exactly historically accurate, but great music. Also, guest appearances ... See full summary »

Director:

0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 5779 titles created 5 months ago
 
a list of 1015 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 15 titles created 20 Oct 2011
 
a list of 84 titles created 20 Mar 2011
 
a list of 352 titles created 28 Dec 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Benny Goodman Story (1956)

The Benny Goodman Story (1956) on IMDb 6.4/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Benny Goodman Story.

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Alice Hammond
Berta Gersten ...
Mama Goodman
Barry Truex ...
Herbert Anderson ...
John Hammond Jr.
Robert F. Simon ...
Papa Dave Goodman
Hy Averback ...
Willard Alexander
...
Fletcher Henderson
Dick Winslow ...
Gil Rodin
Shepard Menken ...
Harry Goodman (as Shep Menken)
...
Murph Podolsky
Wilton Graff ...
John Hammond Sr.
Fred Essler ...
Prof Schoepp
David Kasday ...
John Erman ...
Harry Goodman (at 16) (as John M. Erman)
Edit

Storyline

Bio of swing band leader 'Benny Goodman' from age 10 (1919) to his landmark Carnegie Hall band concert in 1938. Not exactly historically accurate, but great music. Also, guest appearances by many great musicians of the time. Written by Don Femia <donfemia@csn.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1956 (Japan)  »

Also Known As:

Die Benny Goodman Story  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Benny Goodman played all the clarinet music heard on the soundtrack himself, with the exception of the scene where the young Goodman first tried to play the clarinet - the squeaky notes were actually played by Steve Allen. See more »

Goofs

Trumpeter Buck Clayton never appeared with Goodman's 1937 band; he was a mainstay of Count Basie's. Clayton did, however, perform as a guest artist with Basie and fellow band members Lester Young, Freddie Green and Walter Page at Goodman's legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. See more »

Crazy Credits

Benny Goodman's theme song is played over the appearance of the "Universal International" globe. See more »

Soundtracks

"Original Dixieland One Step"
Written by Nick La Rocca
Performed by Steve Allen and Kid Ory
Allen's clarinet playing dubbed by Benny Goodman
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
A great film
19 May 2004 | by (Luxembourg City, Luxembourg) – See all my reviews

This film is considered by many as being a pretty mediocre film, but I think this film is truly great. Maybe it's just a jazz-lover's point of view; Benny Goodman is my favourite artist, and is the man who inspired me to take up the clarinet. Steve Allen comes across as a likable Goodman, and manages to look the part. Donna Reed also does her job pretty well but the people in the film who will really catch your attention are the jazz musicians that are in the film, playing themselves. These musicians include: the very enthusiastic drummer Gene Krupa, the trombone player Edward "Kid" Ory, the vibraphone player Lionel Hampton and the famous band leader and drummer of the '20s Ben Pollack. Whether you like the film or not, you have got to like the music which includes such Goodman classics as "Don't be that way", "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Let's Dance" and "One o'clock jump". All in all, a highly enjoyable film which, as far as I am concerned, is better than the much acclaimed film "The Glenn Miller Story" starring James Stewart in the part of Miller. "The Benny Goodman Story" is a must-see for all jazz fanatics and all clarinet players. The film also features a very impressive rendition of Mozart's clarinet concerto (Goodman also gave classical music a try, as you can see, to great effect). I'd say that it is decidedly worth seeing. Enjoy!


15 of 16 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Last song? nitestar95
Song Help bluesquest
Hillevi Rombin eguirald-2
Discuss The Benny Goodman Story (1956) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?