The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) Directed by Alfred E. Green
Biography / Music / Romance
aka: The Fighting Dorseys
Film Review
The Fabulous Dorseys
surrenders any claim to be a serious biopic right from its first scene,
which depicts an obviously phoney account of the Dorsey brothers'
childhood. Things do not improve when, ten minutes on, the adult
Dorseys appear on the screen, played, naturally, by themselves.
By no stretch of the imagination could this pass for a serious, or even
half-serious, biographic drama. It is just a somewhat contrived
excuse to get the famous Dorseys on screen and showcase their music -
great if you love jazz, not so great if you were expecting a
biopic. The only thing remotely true in this film is its
depiction of the very public split between the brothers, and in the
light of that it seems pretty remarkable that any film producer could
lure them to work together on the same set. The friction between
Jimmy and Tommy is more than evident, and Tommy's obvious lack of
acting ability makes this a very uncomfortable watch. Still, the
music is the main thing and whilst the film rates pretty low as a biopic it is still
worth watching to enjoy the music of a bygone era.
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In 1916, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey are two boys growing up in Pennsylvania
who are reluctant music students, despite the best efforts of their
father, a miner who is determined they will not follow in his
footsteps. Pa Dorsey manages to persuade a nightclub owner to
hire his improvised band consisting of himself, some friends and his
sons, and the boys impress with their ragtime improvisation.
Thirty years on, the Dorseys have a thriving band of their own,
although they find it increasingly difficult to work together.
One day, the strain becomes too much and the brothers go their separate
ways, much to the chagrin of their aged parents...
Script: Richard English, Art Arthur, Curtis Kenyon
Cinematographer: James Van Trees
Music: Louis Forbes, Leo Shuken
Cast: Tommy Dorsey (Tommy Dorsey),
Jimmy Dorsey (Jimmy Dorsey),
Janet Blair (Jane Howard),
Paul Whiteman (Bandleader),
William Lundigan (Bob Burton),
Sara Allgood (Mrs. Dorsey),
Arthur Shields (Mr. Dorsey),
Dave Willock (Foggy),
William Bakewell (Eddie),
James Flavin (Gorman),
Charlie Barnet (Bandleader),
Bob Eberly (Band Vocalist),
Henry Busse (Bandleader),
Helen O'Connell (Band Vocalist),
Mike Pingatore (Musician),
Art Tatum (Musician),
Ziggy Elman (Musician),
Stuart Foster (Musician),
Ray Bauduc (Musician),
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 88 min
Aka:The Fighting Dorseys
The very best of French film comedy
Thanks to comedy giants such as Louis de Funès, Fernandel, Bourvil and Pierre Richard, French cinema abounds with comedy classics of the first rank.
Science-fiction came into its own in B-movies of the 1950s, but it remains a respected and popular genre, bursting into the mainstream in the late 1970s.
In his letters to his friends and family, Franz Kafka gives us a rich self-portrait that is surprisingly upbeat, nor the angst-ridden soul we might expect.