Strike Up the Band

19401940
PassedPassed
2h

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Paul Whiteman in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Official Trailer

Comedy Musical Romance

Jimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their ... Read allJimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their band is good enough, so he lends them the money. But then one of ... Read allJimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their band is good enough, so he lends them the money. But then one of their friends become... Read allJimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their band is good enough, so he lends them the money. But then on... Read allJimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their band is good enough, so he lends them the money. But then one of their friends becomes seriously ill and has to be carried to a hospital by plane, and... Read all

Director
- Busby Berkeley
Writers
- John Monks Jr.(screen play)
- Fred F. Finklehoffe(screen play)
- Herbert Fields(uncredited)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 2 nominations total

Videos1

Strike Up the Band

Strike Up the Band

Judy Garland Strike Up The Band (1941)

Judy Garland Film Set Strike Up The Band (1939) MGM

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Larry Nunn in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Harry McCrillis in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Mickey Rooney in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Margaret Early, and William Tracy in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Eddie Buzard, Don Castle, Mickey Martin, and Harry McCrillis in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Sidney Miller, Larry Nunn, Dick Paxton, Leonard Sues, and William Tracy in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Mickey Rooney and Paul Whiteman in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Director
- Busby Berkeley
Writers
- John Monks Jr.(screen play)
- Fred F. Finklehoffe(screen play)
- Herbert Fields(uncredited)
All cast & crew

See production, box office, & company info

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Jimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's high-school bands contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance they meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him that their band is good enough, so he lends them the money. But then one of their friends becomes seriously ill and has to be carried to a hospital by plane, and they have to use Whiteman's money for this. —Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>

trumpet trombone tuba saxophone singing 10 more

Taglines
- IT BEATS THE BAND! (original ad - all caps)
Genres
Certificate
- Passed
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
The puppet orchestra made of fruit that comes to life playing instruments for Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland on a kitchen table, was the work of animator George Pal. He had just arrived in Hollywood from Europe via New York and this was among his first projects. Pal's work was relatively unknown by American audiences, thus he was uncredited. The idea for the sequence was that of another New York-to-Hollywood transfer: Vincente Minnelli.

Goofs
Jimmy Conners claims to have gone to Chicago for the World Series three years before. The World Series is always played at the home stadiums of the competing teams and the 1937 series was between the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. The 1938 World Series was indeed between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees, but that would have been only two years before the film was released.

Quotes
Paul Whiteman: Take that boy on the street. Teach him to blow a horn and he'll never blow a safe.

Connections
Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)

Soundtracks
Strike up the Band
(1927)
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Played during the opening credits
Sung by Judy Garland (uncredited), Mickey Rooney (uncredited), and chorus in the finale

Top review

7/10

Mickey and Judy Great but Film a Bit Too Much!

"Strike Up the Band" is another teaming of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland who are of course put in the position of putting on a show to save a band, a school program for children, a school from closing, etc. You name it. It could be any of those things. Of all the movie musicals that were made in their heyday, these were the most bizarre, meaning while enjoyable and with good music still somewhat beyond belief. They always seemed to defy the odds, getting what they want, albeit with some obstacles along the way. This outing though is not quite as good as others, due to some of the supporting actors' not so subtle acting. Less is more is not an adage used here. In fact, there's nothing subtle here. Ann Shoemaker does give good support as his mother, with a nice speech about being a great man. But the length, its feeling of self-importance, and some awkward moments of corniness hurt its effectiveness. It is very enjoyable with great musical numbers for Mickey and Judy; but there's just so much of everything here, making it two whole hours, including a over-the-top tongue-in-cheek save-the-damsel production in the middle of the movie, lasting 15 minutes itself. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for what it is, but afterwards, you'll feel like you had a workout.

helpful•5

1

JLRMovieReviews
Jul 21, 2015

Budget
- $838,661 (estimated)

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 2h
Color
- Black and White
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

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