dfisher052-211-584975 The music in the original VHS version of this film was in true Stereo. Yes I know that the film was made long before stereo was common, but it was discovered that the music tracks were indeed recorded in stereo & in the VHS release they were included. I know because I have the tape (and also Sun Valley Serenade) & the music is really in stereo. Now, the problem with the DVD release of this film is that the music is not in true stereo but FAKE stereo. You have a choice of the 2 audio tracks, MONO or Stereo, but the stereo is fake stereo. Very disappointing. BTW, the stereo was achieved by actually recording with 2 microphones in 2 different locations recording on to 2 different discs & then played at the same time to create the stereo effect. What a wonderful revelation to hear the Miller band in real stereo.

dougdoepke Lively mix of mellow sounds and backstage back-biting. I could have used more of the band, but the signature I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo fills a lot of musical space. Wow, the title really means it. The wives and girl friends are a catty lot, scheming and conniving, especially a brunette Carol Landis (Natalie). She and her two cohorts Gilmore and Hughes should wear big black hats and stir a steaming black kettle as they plague poor, sweet Connie (Rutherford). Then there's the jealous Janie (Bari) in her drop-dead revealing gowns. No wonder Bill is having trouble with wife Connie.It's a fine cast. Note how well Rutherford acts with her big, expressive eyes-- hard not to put a protective arm around her. Surprisingly, it's a sleek and lively George Montgomery a few years before he made a sober-sided career of the six-gun and horse. Landis also scores well showing what a fine, versatile actress she was before her untimely death. And catch future TV stars Jackie Gleason and Harry Morgan in bit parts, along with a bobbie-soxer Dale Evans before her frontier team-up with Roy and Trigger.Credit director Mayo with blending things together in pleasing fashion, something of a challenge given the sometimes salty wrinkles in the plot. It's a good look at Miller the man and a sampling of his celebrated band, along with the swinging Modernaires. And, despite a conventional happy ending, the narrative appears a more revealing look at traveling bands than I, for one, expected from a big studio production.

secondtake Orchestra Wives (1942)Archie Mayo is a functional director remembered a couple of first rate movies, "Petrified Forest" and "A Night in Casablanca." Now Hollywood has slews of great movies by directors like this, getting just the right mixture of elements to succeed, but their other movies still usually have elements, moments, or qualities that rise above and make them worthwhile.This is a war time big band lightweight romance. But it has such great music and some polished great acting (some), the contrived plot is easy to swallow. It's a fun, excellent ride, not at all shabby. Ann Rutherford is really first rate, sweet and smart when she needs to be, and touching at others.The music? Completely Glenn Miller. The real Glenn Miller, even though he takes on the name of Gene Morrison for the role. And it's great to see them playing (or pretending to play--it's a pretty good match, but not live recording and filming). It's the great film introduction for "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo," which is enough to enshrine the movie (including a second version with a pair of African-American singers and dancers leading the way). This is Miller's second film, and is part of the home front cheerleading (in the best sense) a worried public as the U.S. entered the war. Miller of course formed a whole new band for the war effort, and died when his plane disappeared in Europe. It's part of his lore, and it adds some pathos to how we see the movie now, in retrospect.The male lead, across from Rutherford, is the band's trumpet player, meant to be the incomparable Harry James, but played not by the real James (which would have been fun) but by George Montgomery. Cesar Romaro plays a clichéd role, and makes the most of it, endlessly cheerful. And look for a young Jackie Gleason a couple of times (he's a bass player). The fairy tale ending is perfectly unbelievable, and a great feel-good cherry on a feel-good movie. Like many Astaire-Rogers movies, this musical drama is far far better than it should have been!

PWNYCNY Delightful movie but dated. The music of Glen Miller is the main star of this interesting and entertaining period piece. The cast of this movie include three performers who were to become superstars, Dale Evans, Jackie Gleason and Harry Morgan. Interesting to watch them when they were relative unknowns. I wonder what Harry Morgan would have said if he was told that 35 years later he would be a nationally known star in a television sitcom. The cast was wonderful. Ann Rutherford and George Montgomery had that special chemistry and the ladies, Mary Beth Hughes, Virginia Gilmore, Carole Landis and the beautiful Lynn Bari were beautiful, charming ... and naughty. Hey, what's a girl supposed to do when her husband musician is on the road and playing before ... women? And let's not forget the incomparable and always classy Cesar Romero and the incredible dance number performed by the Nicholas Brothers. Their act alone makes this movie worth watching. So if you are looking for some light entertainment featuring 1940s jazz numbers and snappy dialog, then this is the movie for you. Bravo to Archie Mayo.