The Glenn Miller Story

It is said that Miller could never remember precisely the moment he decided to emphasize his new reed section sound... But it was during this disheartening interim, that he realized the unique sound, produced by the clarinet holding the melodic line while the tenor sax plays the same note, and supported harmonically by three other saxophones - just might be the individual and easily recognizable style that would set his band apart from all the rest...

Photographed in color, Anthony Mann's 'The Glenn Miller Story' is purely a time trip to those years, when Glenn Miller's band ruled the record charts and anchored the airwaves... The film, beautifully captured Miller's spirit and follows his life story with reasonable fidelity... It is one of the most charming and touching musical biography...

Appearing in glasses and winning grin, Stewart kisses Allyson, holding her face lightly with his fingers, the same way he detains his trombone slide... Stewart applied his natural musical expertise, playing on the trombone... Miller's style was there. The original sound was there. The real music was there. The mix was there...

The film traces Miller's romance and marriage to his college sweetheart, Helen Burger, and his progress from a free-lance trombonist and arranger to band leader...

The pop music styles of '20s sweet and jazz bands were getting ready for the Big Band or Swing era of the '30s... About this time, Miller began writing charts that would one day to be his band's stock in fame, the clarinet "lead" sound over the saxophones... Miller's imagination, strong will, and determination kept his aspirations alive.. His music, a careful mixture of swing, jazz, and improvisation, flowed like spring with matchless string of hit records ( "Moonlight Serenade," "String of Pearls," "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Little Brown Jug," "In the Mood," & "Chattanooga Choo Choo," among others...

The constant impact of radio broadcasts, and the drawing power at dance pavilions built and sustained the momentum of Miller's popularity...

June Allyson, who regularly played the little, lip-quivering waiting wife, again she is the petite and husky-voiced woman who, once married, is supportive and inspirational.. She finances Glenn what he needs to start his own band... Her scenes with Stewart have such a natural, easy-going on the screen, that we get completely drawn into their lives... Also featuring in the film are such legendary figures as Frances Langford, Gene Krupa, and Louis Armstrong...

With its unique jazz sound, 'The Glenn Miller Story' is a competent musical heart warmer with a well-cast star and successful reproduction of the Miller sound...

Glenn Miller's rise to fame and the tragedy that took him from us at the height of his career makes for a wonderfully entertaining film.

This film is rich because of the wonderful performances of James Stewart as the band leader and June Allyson, the latter was just made for the picture. She captures the depth of a devoted wife and we all can just cry with her when her happiness was ended so suddenly.

Naturally, the supporting cast of musicians and scenes with Frances Langford, Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa are just wonderful.

We view Miller from humble beginnings to stardom, the old-fashioned Hollywood Way-he earned it by hard work and perseverance as he went through life looking for that sound.

My main flaw with this film. Just like Miller's life, it ended too suddenly. It could have gone on and on while we all danced the night away in tribute to this find musician.

Ever Harry Morgan's tear in the end tells you what this was all about.

The unemployed trombone player Glenn Miller (James Stewart) is always broken, chasing his sound to form his band and hocking his instrument in the pawn house to survive. When his friend Chummy MacGregor (Henry Morgan) is hired to play in the band of Ben Pollack, the band-leader listens to one Glenn's composition and invites him to join his band. While traveling to New York, Glenn visits his former girlfriend Helen Berger (June Allyson), in Boulder, Colorado, and asks her to wait for him. Two years later he quits the band and proposes Helen that moves to New York to marry him. After the success of "Moonlight Serenade", Glenn Miller's band becomes worldwide known and Glenn and Helen and their two children have a very comfortable life. Duting the World War II, Glenn enlists in the army and travels to Europe to increase the moral of the allied troops. In the Christmas of 1944, he travels from London to Paris for a concert to be broadcast; however his plane is never found in the tragic flight.

Glenn Miller was the great idol of my father and I recall that in my childhood, he loved the albums (long-plays) of this American musician and usually commented his tragic end. I do not know how many times I listened to hits like "Moonlight Serenade", "String of Pearls", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Little Brown Jug", "In the Mood", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and other Glenn Miller's musics when I was a kid. This is the first time that I watch "The Glenn Miller Story" and the awesome combination of the music of Glenn Miller and James Stewart. Further, the lovely June Allyson shows a wonderful chemistry with James Stewart and together with the stunning Louis Armstrong, Frances Langford, Ben Pollack, Gene Krupa, Barney Bigard, James Young, Marty Napoleon, Arvell Shaw, Cozy Cole, Babe Russin and others personalities, they make a great tribute to a magnificent American musician and composer. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Música e Lágrimas" ("Music and Tears")

The Glenn Miller Story is a biographical tribute to a man who is always ranked as one of the great swing bandleaders of the late thirties to middle forties era. It is indeed fortunate that when James Stewart puts a pair of glasses on, he does actually look like the real Glenn Miller. I don't know what Helen Miller looked like, but I'm sure she was as supportive to her husband as June Allyson was to her screen hubby.

The Miller story begins with Stewart and pal Harry Morgan on the road as musicians. Stewart plays a slide trombone and has ideas of how the orchestra should sound as a whole. He spends a lot of time writing arrangements for the entire band. When they're not done right as is graphically shown in a scene when Miller's famous Moonlight Serenade is performed, he decides to form his own band.

He's still looking for that particular sound that he wants his orchestra to have and he chances on it in one of the more interesting scenes in the film. Swing fans when they hear it will recognize it as the genuine Glenn Miller.

One glaring fault for purists though is while the instrumentals are performed nicely, the vocal part of the Miller band is left out of the film. For whatever reason singers, Ray Eberle, Marian Hutton (Betty's sister)and most of all Gordon "Tex" Beneke are not in the film. In fact Chattanooga Choo Choo, Beneke's most famous number, is performed in the film by Frances Langford as herself.

My favorite scene in the film is the nightclub scene in Harlem on the Miller wedding night. June was definitely a patient wife, but hey, if you got a chance to jam with Louis Armstrong, you drop EVERYTHING for that opportunity. Gene Krupa and other top jazz musicians are in that scene with Stewart and Satchmo, making it a real treat for jazz aficionados.

For American music we are indeed fortunate that Glenn Miller succeeded in his quest for the right sound which is so lovingly captured in this film.

This warm movie deals with Music of the Big Band Era living again thanks to the legendary and popular musician Glenn Miller : James Stewart who looks exactly every inch the trombonist. Concerning his emotive life from his poor starts as a humble trombonist and subsequently bandleader , his intimate love story , marriage to June Allyson, until his early death by a plane crash during WWII .Being one of the best and charming musical biographies ever to come out of the classic Hollywood . See it and hear it as never before !. It was a time that changed the world and one man put it to music.! . Their love made such wonderful music !.

An enjoyable and really attractive biography whose music had all of American tapping its feets. It results to be an agreeable drama with emotion, romance, well shot musical stage and packed to the gills with a clutch of successful tunes. Main and support cast are frankly wonderful . Stewart is terrific and even fakes the trombone playing well under score by Henry Mancini. While June Allyson as his beloved wife is awesome and sympathetic. Along with a nice plethora of secondaries such as : George Tobias, Harry Morgan, Charles Drake, Barton McLane, James Bell, and guest appearances from Louis Armstrong, Ben Pollack and Gene Krupa.

Of course, Glenn's music is the highlight of the movie, including the wonderful hit tunes as "Little Brown Jug" , "Chattanoga Choo Choo" , "In the Mood", "Moonlight Serenade" , "String of Pearls" , "Pennsylvania 6-5000". The picture colorfully photographed by William H Daniels was competently directed by Anthony Mann, delivering convincing portrayals of the characters. Mann was a Western expert as proved in "Bend the River, A Far Country, The Man From Laramie, The Naked Spur, Tin Star Winchester 73" . But Mann also directed other genres as wartime : "Men in War , Strategic Air Command" , Noir Film : "T-Men, Railroad" and Historical : "El Cid, Fall of the Roman Empire" , and Musical : "The Glenn Miller story", among others. Rating : 7.5/10. Notable, better than average.