The Glenn Miller Story

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.

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.

"The Glenn Miller Story" appears on cable-TV from time to time. It is an historically accurate piece about a beloved man whose music defined an era.

Miller is portrayed as a gracious and kind man -- an officer and a gentleman. We see Jimmy Stewart's affectionate portrayal of this simple man who spent his short musical career searching for a particular sound. The results got the whole world dancing to his new beat: Swing! The music in this movie will surely get you on your feet!

The driving force in Glenn Miller's life was his love for his wife, Helen, amicably played by June Allyson.

A "must-see", movie classic. Be sure to bring a hanky!

Not their best collaboration, my personal favourite is 'Winchester 73', but of the ones personally seen (not all but most) 'The Glenn Miller Story' is up there among their better ones. While there's more to see of their collaborations, none of the ones seen are less than good.

Biopics are very difficult to get right, especially ones of famous people in entertainment (i.e. film) and music (composing, singing, playing instruments). For example often coming to life when in action (whether acting, singing, composing or playing), but some suffer from the biographical elements not faring as good, with a tendency to play fast and loose with the facts. There are some great ones, some good ones, some uneven ones and some hugely problematic ones.

Luckily, 'The Glenn Miller Story' is one of the near-great ones. On a musical front it is nothing short of exceptional, no complaints there, but it was thoroughly enjoyable as a biopic too regardless of it not being a true account and very scratch surface because of not suffering from pacing or tone problems. Stewart is note-perfect in a role that plays to his strengths, despite him portraying a big band icon Stewart not only plays Miller with utter conviction but the performance also epitomises everything that Stewart himself is about and what made him such a great actor.

'The Glenn Miller Story', when it comes to Mann is very much removed from his darker and more psychological westerns that also star Stewart (the films that he's perhaps chiefly famous for), but there is not once a sense that he is beyond his comfort zone in an atypical genre for him, far from it. To me, actually, even with a lighter touch (much needed), without it ever feeling too much, it is one of Mann's stronger overall directorial efforts when it comes to his collaborations with Stewart.

As said to be expected, the music is exceptionally bewitching, with all the hits included and it was so wonderful to hear so many classics in one film. This said, 'The Glenn Miller Story' does have much more than a great performance and music. As well as June Allyson personifying charm and spunk, the supporting cast are just as good, with a superb Harry Morgan and cracking appearances from Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, The Modernaires and Frances Langford. The chemistry between Stewart and Allyson is irresistible, and 'The Glenn Miller Story' is handsomely mounted and beautifully filmed with lavish use of colour.

Script-wise, 'The Glenn Miller Story' a vast majority of the time succeeds, with a nice and well balanced dose of humour that makes one feel good and tender sentiment, while the story's warm heart and bags of charm more than makes up for any misgivings of it being inaccurate and only scratching the surface. Really liked the characters and felt myself caring for them.

My only complaints really are the rather too sudden ending that should have been more sombre and the central relationship being portrayed somewhat too perfectly and sugar coated, which does despite the irresistible chemistry mean that parts do fall into saccharine-overboard camp occasionally.

In conclusion, a near-great film and it is easy to see why of all Stewart and Mann's collaborations 'The Glenn Miller Story' is generally one of the more fondly remembered ones. 8/10 Bethany Cox

James Stewart in one of his best roles of the 1950s playing the late bandleader in the embellished story of his life; June Allyson plays his wife – one of her best roles and I believe one of her personal favourites.

Watching the real Miller in ‘Orchestra Wives' and then watching this, Stewart is really a revelation in this role. All the hits of the band are represented – Moonlight Serenade, In The Mood, Tuxedo Junction, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Pennsylvania 65000. Some artistic licence has been taken but the whole is funny, celebratory, and at the end fairly touching. One of the best Hollywood biopics, right in the middle of a glut of them (Love Me or Leave Me, With a Song In My Heart, The Eddy Duchin Story, Night and Day, Words and Music, Three Little Words …).