Review of The Benny Goodman Story

Benny Goodman is respected in jazz circles not only as the first virtuoso clarinetist in the field,but,more importantly and influentially,leading the first band to have both black and white musicians on the stage at the same time.In Ken Burns' epic TV series "Jazz" BG is one of the few white musicians to get much more than a token mention - his importance in the social history not only of jazz but of the very fabric of life in America cannot be overstated.After the success of "The Glenn Miller Story" it was inevitable that Miller's more talented contemporary would become the subject of a biopic - the major difference being BG was still alive. Although respected by his peers BG was not liked,he was not a tolerant man and was very conscious of his "star" status,if any of his sidemen got more applause than he did he would go into a sulk and cut the solo out the next night.Of necessity,the portrayal of him by Mr. Steve Allen was not very accurate,although there was a remarkable physical similarity. Mr Allen,a great jazz lover and a fine pianist,taught himself to play the clarinet for the role and made BG seem a bit like an absent-minded professor,until he picked up his horn. Miss Donna Reed,beautiful,talented and,sadly,rarely mentioned nowadays in film literature adds style and class as the future Mrs BG. The music is wonderful,as it should be with the cream of former Goodman alumni to choose from.There are featured roles for Mr Teddy Wilson,Mr Lionel Hampton and Mr Gene Krupa(soon to have his own biopic with Sal Mineo in the lead).Of the older generation Mr Ben Pollack and Mr Edward "Kid" Ory are particularly welcome. The climax to the film is the legendary Carnegie Hall concert of 1938. The movie led to a welcome resurgence of interest in BG's music and a lot of British jazzmen went into the recording studios with "hommage" Benny Goodman quartets which must have helped to pay the mortgage. With the aforementioned "Drum Crazy - The Gene Krupa Story",the jazz biopic craze fizzled out,although W.C.Handy got a look in with "St. Louis Blues - The Story of W.C.Handy",but it was dire and failed to put bums on seats. Not until Clint Eastwood's "Bird" did the genre revive,however temporarily.By then both the movies and their audience had changed irrevocably. I suspect if "The Benny Goodman Story" was to be remade today it would be less adulatory in tone.The one story that I think sums him up most accurately and not unpleasingly concerns a rehearsal conducted in an unheated room.One after the other,band members complained about the cold until BG finally looked up from his music stand and said"You're right,it is cold".He put his clarinet down and went out of the room.The musicians cheered up,thinking he had gone to arrange for some heating.Three minutes later he came back wearing a thick pullover.