The fun of watching this movie is the music, of course, but other than that, it's a typical 50's whitewash kind of film. All the issues that existed at the time are glossed over. 1. No mention is made of the fact that Alice was married when they met, that they had an affair, and that her British husband divorced her for infidelity. She's portrayed (charmingly by Donna Reed) as an innocent rich girl. 2. The fact that Benny is Jewish and she's not is alluded to one time, but not even mentioned outright. 3. Race is completely ignored. There's this illusion that the black musicians were accepted everywhere, hotels, restaurants, 5th Ave. mansions. The Benny Goodman Story could be made today and tell the realities of the integration of the bands, and it would be a great story. The good parts--well, seeing Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, and Lionel Hampton portray themselves. All that talent on display! That was great. One last thing, the costumes. It was fun to see Alice's gorgeous 1950's dresses. But the movie was set in the 30s! WHY didn't they bother to put the cast in 1930's clothing? That part is just laugh out loud odd.
Review of The Benny Goodman Story
