bkoganbing Of all our famous Tin Pan Alley composers George Gershwin alone managed to bridge that gap between the old masters of Europe and our own American musical traditions. I've always had a particular affinity for his music, maybe because he and I share the same birthday, 49 years apart though. He did so much in his life of 38 years and left so much unwritten and unsung it's impossible to comprehend all this beauty could have come from the mind of one man.Rhapsody In Blue is no better or worse than some of the other Hollywood biographies of our composers. The idea was to make a musical picture and story is always sacrificed, especially in the accuracy department. Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith play a compilation of characters of many women involved in George Gershwin's life. It is true however that Gershwin sacrificed all for his art. He wanted to attain heights that no American composer ever did and he succeeded.There is also the problem of contracts and copyrights in making these kind of films. Certain Gershwin standards you won't hear because either Warner Brothers didn't have the rights or Jack Warner was spending way too much money for the Gershwin songs to begin with. Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman, and Oscar Levant all appear as themselves in this, the story of Gershwin could not be told without them. Jolson introduced Gershwin's first hit song of Swanee, he interpolated it in one of his shows which he always did. Paul Whiteman, the King of Jazz, took that crown with his concert at Aeolian Hall of Rhapsody In Blue from whence this film gets its title. It maybe the most well known instrumental piece of music by an American composer ever.And certainly no life of Gershwin could have even been filmed without Oscar Levant whose friendship and abiding affection for George Gershwin was well known. Levant's wit was devastating, even upon himself and his friend George. But he worshiped at the altar of that music.But a real treat for me was Anne Brown, the original Bess from Porgy and Bess singing Summertime. That alone is worth seeing this film.Hazel Scott, singer, jazz pianist, and outspoken civil rights advocate plays a Josephine Baker type role and does several Gershwin numbers while he's in Paris. The film sadly makes no mention of Fred Astaire or Gertrude Lawrence both of whom are very important in George Gershwin's career. And it would have been nice to see Victor Moore playing Throttlebottom from Of Thee I Sing which got a one line mention about it winning a Pulitzer Prize and that was it.Robert Alda plays the title role and he did get good reviews and to the limited extent the script gave the character, he does capture the essence of the driven Gershwin. Stardom in Hollywood would elude Alda however, he'd have to wait for Broadway and Guys And Dolls.I was sorry to see the role of Ira Gershwin by Herbert Rudley given such a short shrift. Ira was an interesting man in his own right. He wrote lyrics with several other name composers both before and after his brother's demise. In fact he wrote with others specifically to establish his own credentials so no one would think he was just riding on brother George's coattails.Gershwin's one man who could use a new biographical film. Maybe we can get a better idea of his life, have his songs done in proper chronological order and see him from another century's perspective.Until then Rhapsody In Blue will give you a general idea.

Neil Doyle Yes, George Gershwin wrote some wonderful music and yes, Warner Bros. does use a lot of his music almost continuously throughout the background--but this has to be a musical bio even more fabricated than NIGHT AND DAY, which purported to be the bio of Cole Porter.All the standard Hollywood clichés are there--the girl friend (JOAN LESLIE--who never really existed) upset because another woman (who else, but ALEXIS SMITH) has stolen her true love's affection. There's even a melodramatic scene where Alexis nobly gives up her love for Gershwin because she knows she's only "the other woman" in his life.Then there's the best friend, played by Oscar LEVANT, who did indeed know George Gershwin well, the devoted brother Ira Gershwin, and the loving parents, including teary-eyed mother ROSEMARY DeCAMP.But while the plot is standard formula bio stuff, the kind that Warner Bros. did throughout the '40s, not much can be said for the performances which are also pretty standard, including ROBERT ALDA as Gershwin. (He's Alan's dad, you know.) Highlights are Gershwin's works performed before concert audiences, including "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Porgy and Bess". There's even a familiar face popping up now and then before stardom came--for example, MARK STEVENS (who is uncredited in the billing) as a singer.Just as NIGHT AND DAY was a complete fabrication, so is RHAPSODY IN BLUE. Music lovers will find plenty to listen to, but don't expect to learn more about Gershwin's real life as a composer.This is one case where the B&W photography looks drab. The studio should have gone all out for color--at least then the film would have been worth watching as well as listening to.

m-bristol-1 By wonderful happenstance, my teen-aged daughter--a pianist and singer--happened to be home one Saturday afternoon and this movie was on Ted Turner's old movies channel. We watched it together and were just mesmerized by Gershwin's incredible depth of talent--She had no idea that he had written so many of the old songs that she had heard of, nor that he began as a pianist. Of course it is sad because he died so young and never married Julie, but that is so often the case with the greatest artists. I am certainly going to try and find this movie on video because I am a voice teacher and my kids should know as much of this great American repertoire as possible. And yes, the movie presents many of his greatest works almost uncut.

jotix100 George Gershwin was perhaps, America's greatest composer. Judging by his output of popular songs, as well as some of the serious music he left behind. George Gershwin was a man that got his inspiration by a lot of the popular and black music he heard when he was growing up and mixed it with some of the classical music that he learned as a young piano student. The result is a body of work that is not easy equaled by any of his contemporaries.In "Rhapsody in Blue", his biographical picture, director Irving Rapper has recreated that period in the young composer's life with the help of the screen play writers, Howard Koch, Sonya Levien, and the uncredited Clifford Odets, as he takes us along to witness a account on this original music man.We get to see the ambitious George, who could play anything on the piano his parents intended for his brother Ira to study music. It was clear from the start George was a natural who had no problem composing some of the best melodies that became standards during the 20th century and continue to delight us after so many years.Along the way there is the story of the man who falls in love with the lovely and sophisticated Christine Gilbert, who he met in France. Julie Adams, the girl who was to become the star in many of his shows, loved George in silence. Of course, these two women are a product of the writers imagination, or a composite for the real women in his life.We are also shown the world in which George lived. There is Prof. Frank, who taught the young man the best of the classical piano repertoire. His parents, Morris and Rose, who adored their sons. We also meet some of the men that shaped his life like Max Dreyfus, his manager, Oscar Levant, his friend and best interpreter, along with some real figures like Paul Whiteman, George White, Al Jolson, Hazel Scott, among others.Robert Alda resembled the real George Gershwin; his take on the man rings true. Joan Leslie is Julie Adams, and Alexis Smith is Christine Gilbert, the women in George life. Charles Coburn plays Max Dreyfus. Morris Carnovsky and Rosemary DeCamp are seen as the parents.The best excuse to watch the film is the glorious music one hears in it. The movie is easy on the eye, and while it might not be accurate, it still makes for a pleasant view of this genius of some of the best American popular music of all times.