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Birth of the Blues ()

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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... See more »
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32 photos

Cast verified as complete

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Jeff Lambert
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Betty Lou Cobb
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Memphis
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Aunt Phoebe Cobb
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Louey (as Rochester)
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Blackie
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Limpy
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Wolf (as Horace MacMahon)
Ruby Elzy ...
Ruby
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Pepper
Danny Beck ...
Deek
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Suds
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Leo (as Perry Botkin)
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Henri Lambert
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Piano Player
Donald Kerr ...
Skeeter, Barbershop Musician
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Maizie
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Granet
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Jeff as a Boy (as Ronnie Cosbey)
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Ted Lewis
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Duke Ellington
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Louis Armstrong
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Tommy Dorsey
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Jimmy Dorsey
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Benny Goodman
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Paul Whiteman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rose Allen ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
Joyce Arleen ...
Child in Theater (uncredited)
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Cab Driver (uncredited)
Kathryn Bates ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
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Dance Floor Extra (uncredited)
Mildred Boyd ...
Cake Walker (uncredited)
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Woman in Theater (uncredited)
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Cake Walker (uncredited)
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Jake - Thug (uncredited)
Pearl Early ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
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Dowager in Cafe (uncredited)
Edward Emerson ...
Mayor's Son in Cafe (uncredited)
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Woman in Theater (uncredited)
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Dude in Pool Parlor (uncredited)
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Fat Woman in Cafe (uncredited)
Patsy Hunter ...
Cake Walker (uncredited)
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Headwaiter in Cafe (uncredited)
Mae E. Johnson ...
Cake Walker (uncredited)
Payne B. Johnson ...
Boy in Theater (uncredited)
Matthew Jones ...
Cake Walker (uncredited)
Yvonne Jungquist ...
Girl in Illustrated Slides (uncredited)
Alice Keating ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
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Stage Manager (uncredited)
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Wilbur - Theater Manager (uncredited)
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Black Girl in Jail (uncredited)
Jimmie Lucas ...
Man Outside of Jail (uncredited)
James T. Mack ...
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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Black Clarinet Player (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller ...
Skinny Man in Cafe (uncredited)
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Cafe Diner (uncredited)
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Black Trumpet Player (uncredited)
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Cafe Patron (uncredited)
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Dance Extra (uncredited)
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Man in Jail (uncredited)
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Trumpet Player in Beer Garden (uncredited)
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Cake Walker (uncredited)
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Man in Illustrated Slides (uncredited)
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Cafe Patron (uncredited)
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Fat Man Sleeping in Theater (uncredited)
Baby Face Roberts ...
Cake Walker (uncredited)
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One of Blackie's Thugs (uncredited)
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Stagehand (uncredited)
Bess Wade ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
Evelyn West ...
Woman in Theater (uncredited)
Pat West ...
Proprietor of Pool Hall (uncredited)
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Fancy-Pants, Doorman (uncredited)
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Man Outside of Jail (uncredited)
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One of Blackie's Thugs (uncredited)

Directed by

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Victor Schertzinger

Written by

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Harry Tugend ... (story)
 
Harry Tugend ... () and
Walter DeLeon ... ()
 
Erwin Gelsey ... () (uncredited)
 
Wilkie C. Mahoney ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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Monta Bell ... producer
Buddy G. DeSylva ... producer (uncredited)

Music by

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Robert Emmett Dolan ... (uncredited)

Cinematography by

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William C. Mellor ... director of photography

Editing by

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Paul Weatherwax

Editorial Department

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Frank Bracht ... assistant film editor (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Hans Dreier
Ernst Fegté

Costume Design by

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Edith Head

Makeup Department

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Robert Ewing ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Mary Ann Jones ... hair stylist (uncredited)
Leonora Sabine ... hair stylist supervisor (uncredited)
Wally Westmore ... makeup supervisor (uncredited)

Production Management

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George C. Bertholon ... production manager (uncredited)
Ed Ebele ... production manager (uncredited)
Harold Schwartz ... unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Alvin Ganzer ... second assistant director (uncredited)
Harry Tugend ... assistant director (uncredited)
Hal Walker ... assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Jim Cottrell ... props (uncredited)
Roy Kreuger ... props (uncredited)
Stephen Seymour ... set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department

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John Cope ... sound recordist
Earl S. Hayman ... sound recordist (as Earl Hayman)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Neal Beckner ... second camera operator (uncredited)
Schuyler A. Sanford ... assistant to second camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Gladys Baxter ... wardrobe (uncredited)
M. Cohn ... wardrobe (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Robert Emmett Dolan ... music supervisor / musical director
Arthur Franklin ... music advisor
'Pokey' Carriere ... musician: cornet double for Brian Donlevy (uncredited)
Joe Glover ... music arranger: dixieland (uncredited)
John Leipold ... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Danny Polo ... musician: clarinet double for Bing Crosby (uncredited)
Walter Scharf ... orchestrator (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Jerry Donovan ... stand-in (uncredited)
Eda Edson ... dialogue coach (uncredited)
Eleanor Edwards ... secretary (uncredited)
Byron Fitzpatrick ... stand-in (uncredited)
Lee Frederic ... screenplay clerk (uncredited)
Bill Hurley ... livestock supervisor (uncredited)
Bert Lawrence ... comedy gags (uncredited)
Leo Lynn ... stand-in (uncredited)
Eddie Prinz ... dance director (uncredited)
James Vincent ... dialogue director (uncredited)
Dan Wyler ... stand-in (uncredited)
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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 Louey to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou. Written by Lisa Grable

Plot Keywords
Taglines Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm ! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide Add content advisory for parents »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • El nacimiento del Blues (Sabroso y Picante) (Spain)
  • Sinfonia Bárbara (Portugal)
  • Kiihoittavaa rytmiä (Finland)
  • Sinfonia Bárbara (Brazil)
  • Οι τραγουδισταί της τζαζ (Greece)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 87 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $857,283 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia Though the movie is in black and white, in one scene, when Bing Crosby is singing "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" in a movie theater, a slide show being projected behind him is in full color, though Bing is still in black and white. See more »
Movie Connections Features The Golden Princess (1925). See more »
Soundtracks The Birth of the Blues See more »
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