The Benny Goodman Story (1956)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I loved this movie. Yes, it's "inaccurate" - from all accounts Benny Goodman was a horrible man to work for and with, difficult, and conflicted - but this film IS accurate - musically! (: And what music! Big band swing at it's brashest and most beguiling! I also wish Barry Truex, who played the teenaged BG, had made more movies - he's marvelous! He is completely convincing as someone secure in his musical knowledge and know-how.Yes, it is bothersome that they don't do enough with period detail - 50's clothing and feel instead of 20's and 30's (the film ends with the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert; he was more interesting AFTER that concert!) It's also a HUGE pleasure to hear Martha Tilton sing too!

Having cleaned up with The Glenn Miller Story (a bio-pic of a trombone playing band leader) the previous year, Universal decided to cash in on what they hoped might develop into a trend with a second musical bio-pic but this time centred around a clarinet playing band leader. Accordingly they tapped the writer of the Glenn Miller Story, Valentine Davies to write the follow-up and even allowed him to direct what turned out to be his only movie. Alas, he opted for the wrong clarinet playing leader and gave us Benny Goodman instead of the far superior Artie Shaw, thus losing out on non-musical color (Shaw was a serial husband, urbane, and a polished writer whilst Goodman was a bad nowhere to a blancmange without a clarinet in his hand). Even as a musician Goodman lagged far behind Shaw, so what we are left with is one or two well-known tunes - One O'Clock Jump, Stompin' At The Savoy, Avalon, Don't Be That Way - and appearances by musicians long past their sell-by date such as Kid Ory, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and the ubiquitous Ben Pollack who'd probably been sleeping in a dark corner of the Sound Stage since The Glenn Miller Story was wrapped a few months earlier. On the other hand it could and did get worse, Drum Crazy (The Gene Krupa Story) anyone? See if for the music.

I may have seen this film more than 20 times, unfortunately it has been unavailable in the UK for 10 years and not on TV all that time so I'm missing it right now. It is such a good film whether you enjoy Benny Goodman's music or jazz for that matter or not. Benny Goodman's life was pretty interesting anyway and it's portrayal in this movie is fairly accurate. The music score covers all the best from Benny Goodman and his Orchestra and is a tribute to one of the earlier band leaders in Jazz. There were not too many bands with both black and white members at that time but this was such a band. What was great for the Benny Goodman Orchestra was the fact that many of the members were such well known and respected performers themselves. There was such talent in that group of musicians and how fortunate it was that they should all come together at that time to create and play some brilliant music.With regard to the film it is based on the life of Benny Goodman and if you know about him the presence of spoilers here would not ruin things. In short though this film shows Benny Goodman from a young boy through to after he has made a success of himself. His challenges, disappointments, love interests are all a part of the story through the film.I couldn't fault anything in this film, direction, acting, all of it is just right and it makes for a film you can enjoy over and over again.They certainly don't make movies like this anymore.9 out of 10. (I reserved 10 out of 10 for my very best 3 or 4 films, this is a top 10 of mine still).

I loved this film. Huge Donna Reed fan, and I think this is one of her best films aside from "From Here To Eternity" that she did in the 1950's. Finally a movie about someones life made in the 1950's without June Allyson. The close up's Donna has in this film make you melt, she is and always was even in her 60's breath taking! And this movie shows that. Her and Steve Allen who plays Benny Goodman have great chemistry, and I have read that Donna & Steve look very much like Mr. & Mrs. Goodman but didn't act like them. According to Steve Benny Goodman was brilliant but wasn't a very nice man. And surprisingly this film didn't do as well as the previous "Glen Miller Story". Which I found to be alittle dull. Anyways great film a recommend it to everyone!