Strike Up the Band (1940)

When I decided to get this movie from Netflix, I think this was the only one of the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musicals I had yet to watch as I remember seeing the others of theirs years ago. Yes, he's a musician and she's a singer. Yes, she's not initially his girlfriend and he gets distracted by another girl beforehand. Yes, Busby Berkeley is the one in charge. And, yes, it's corny but still very entertaining all these years later. I loved that George Pal-Puppetoon sequence involving fruit playing instruments (you really have to see this one to believe it!). I loved the "Do the La Conga" number Mickey & Judy do. I loved seeing Rooney playing the drums. I loved Ms. Garland singing of longing for love. I loved seeing Paul Whiteman and his band performing. In fact, I loved nearly everything this movie had to offer even that melodramatic spoof that this movie really didn't need. So on that note, Strike Up the Band gets a high recommendation from me.

This is a high energy film about music, talent, success, family, imagination, fun and teenagers growing up in a "typical" Midwestern town of the time. The year is 1940, and the world is on the brink of war. The recovery from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in America was in its infancy. The movie studios of Hollywood were in their heyday. MGM was leading in the battle to produce the best musicals, and it had some hot talent in two young stars. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were 20- and 18-year-old actors who had proved their talent. Rooney had been in movies since early childhood, and had made a successful transition into older boy roles. He had made "Boys Town," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and was a huge success in the Andy Hardy series. Garland's rising star was even more recent. She had some songs in a couple of small musicals and sang two numbers in the 1938 Andy Hardy film, "Love Finds Andy Hardy." Then she made the classic fantasy adventure musical, "The Wizard of Oz." To round out 1939, the two were paired as the leads of a comedy musical and they scored a smashing success in "Babes in Arms." So, MGM had all the proof it needed for future box-office success with this dynamic duo. "Strike Up the Band" had even more going for it than its two stars. Busby Berkeley had directed "Babes in Arms" and got the nod again. But in this film, he inserted some of the extravaganza of music and dance that were his forté. And Arthur Freed brought his considerable resources in music, story and sets as producer. The talent in "Strike Up the Band" isn't only in the music – the performances and numbers headed by Rooney and Garland, or in Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. Rooney and company do a splendid job with a Gay Nineties spoof, ala Vaudeville, that had me laughing out loud a number of times. And a fantasy dream sequence with pieces of fruit as men playing instruments for a dream number show some creative talent in the Freed unit and MGM studio. It's the only example of clay-animation I can think of in early movies. Some 50 years later, Will Vinton and others would make "claymation" much more popular in film and on TV. The chorus lines, great choreography, costumes, and dance and show numbers staged by Berkeley round out this talent spectacular. All-in-all, this is an excellent film that showcases some of the rising stars of the time. It has a big-name band, great imagination, and wonderful musical numbers. And, it's topped off with clever scenes, lots of laughs and tons of energy. As for Rooney's high energy that some may find over the top at times – it was as much a part of the story and movie as all the other pieces that, put together, add up to a very good comedy musical. It's first rate entertainment. Oh, yes – there are a few tender, serious moments, and those fit very nicely.

Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of musicals, but this one seems disappointing given the level of talent involved. Visually, Garland and Rooney make a cute couple-- a match clearly made in malt shop heaven. And, even though I was disappointed, I can understand Garland's enduring appeal. She's definitely an incandescent presence, and one that doesn't come from just acting the part. On the other hand, Rooney is energetic and I can see him organizing a high school band. However, that energy too often becomes manic—for example, check out his conducting the orchestra at movie's end for sheer pointless delirium. Too often, his in- your-face high spirits comes across as more obnoxious than entertaining.I guess my biggest disappointment is with the musical numbers. Berkeley's dancing phalanxes are eye-catching as usual, but there's not a single catchy tune to hang your hat on. The numbers are simply not up to Garland's level of show-stopping talent, whatever the reason. Then there's the overlong melodrama skit that unfortunately saps momentum by coming in the middle. On the other hand, the musical fruit sketch sounds silly but is really charming and well done. Also, professional musician Paul Whiteman turns out to be a pretty darn good actor. And for those interested in what those times were like, it's a chance to see what teens circa-1940 thought was "cool". Having your own dance band was clearly near the top. At the same time, the message seems to be that dance bands deserve respect, while playing in one is indeed a legitimate goal in life. Looks like controversies over music didn't start with rock-and-roll.

Mickey and Judy. The combination of stars couldn't be better. In this one, they're high school teenagers who change their high school band to a dance band and then want to go to Chicago to enter a contest sponsored by Paul Whiteman.The directing by Busby Berkeley couldn't be better. The dance routine during the Conga is memorable with Berkeley's long-line of dancers ever apparent.Rooney steals the picture. His discussions with movie mother, Ann Shoemaker, are memorable as well as poignant as they discuss the meaning of life, what's right and all that other stuff of the times.Garland looks and sounds like she just came out of Oz in 1940 clothing. Her whining is there and all that was needed was Toto and Auntie Em. Nevertheless, her singing is terrific.The gentleman who portrayed the school principal sounded just like Ed Wynn.The film is highly entertaining and an absolute joy to watch.