Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"Sun Valley Serenade" is a quite a fun & pleasant movie starring one of the most famous big bands of all time: the Glenn Miller Orchestra! Glenn Miller may not have been a great actor, and jazz history informs us that he was not the greatest trombonist. But the presence of Miller and his band (as Phil Corey and the Dartmouth Troubadours), performing a fair number of old favorites, is what provides this film with a lot of its charm. The primary love interest in this movie involves the figure-skating Norwegian refugee Karen Benson (Sonja Henie) and the Troubadours' pianist/vocalist Ted Scott (John Payne), who happens to be Karen's sponsor. But Ted is pressured to make a choice between Karen and the band's female vocalist Vivian Dawn (Lynn Bari), and it is not easy for him. He is quite nervous about having a loving relationship with the cheerful young refugee for whom he is responsible. No matter how hard Ted tries to fend her off, Karen is so much in love with him and is so sure he would make a perfect husband for her that she is willing to try every trick imaginable in order to win his heart. By the end of the film, Ted realizes how stuffy Vivian is and how wonderful it would be to have Karen for a wife.My favorite highlights from "Sun Valley Serenade" include the following. Ever the prankster, Karen engages in some outrageous skiing hijinks in order to infuriate Ted, causing a lengthy chase. The band's smart-aleck, brown-nosing manager Jerome K. "Nifty" Allen (Milton Berle) tries his hand at skiing and, with a witty musical accompaniment, fails miserably ("Calling Dr. Kildare, prepare for surgery!"). While stranded inside a cabin, Karen and Ted share a tender moment as they dance together while Ted sings to her the beautiful ballad "I Know Why and So Do You." The band's rehearsing of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," featuring the great vocal stylings of Tex Beneke & the Modernaires as well as the fabulous footwork of the Nicholas Brothers, is very swinging indeed! Before Vivian joins the Dartmouth Troubadours, she does a miserable audition of "It Happened in Sun Valley" with her own band, which proves to be a fine accompaniment for her until the second chorus; she walks off the band and continues her audition with the Troubadours, and after their short rendition of the classic "Moonlight Serenade," Vivian chimes in with "I Know Why and So Do You." "Sun Valley Serenade" is a fine showcase for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, as well as for the figure-skating talent of Sonja Henie. I highly recommend this film for all admirers of big band music and love stories with mischievous twists.

Caught this one on AMC before it went commercial. What a warm, family film. While I have never seen another Sonje Henie movie, I found her to be irresistible. It was also great to see John Payne playing the light comedic leading man. Of course, the music of Glenn Miller would be the highlight of any movie. The version of I Know Why (and So Do You) contained in the film is quite different from the versions you hear on Glenn Miller compilations and in my opinion is much better. (This version is also the one used in the 90's film Memphis Belle). Add great skating sequences, musical interludes, and wonderful locations and you have a fun-filled way to spend an afternoon.

For the first time the 'Sun Valley Serenade' was shown in the USSR at the time of WW2. It was never forbidden by the Soviet censorship, so it could be watched in the following years as well. The film made formidable impression on Soviet citizens. It conjured up 'the American dream' in which the USA appeared as a country where everything is excellent, all women are beautiful, life is extremely easy and cheerful, where money lies on the streets - bend down and take!Opposite to that paradise picture they saw around them a surly Soviet reality, lack of liberty, empty shops, shabby life in overcrowded communal apartments where people had to stand in turns to get to WC, etc.Surely, Stalin made a great mistake permitting his subjects to see this film.A friend of mine watched this film 46 times. Glen Miller became the greatest composer to him. I saw it twice, and at the second time left the cinema long before the end.That dream about America continued to live in hearts and minds of many people in the Soviet Union. It had been one of the factors which gave birth to the dissident movement, and at the end, made a contribution to the fall of Communism in Russia.I'm sure that there are some people who participated in creation of the movie who are living now: do they know about their part in the History?From the point of view of pure art, the rating, I think, is 6 out of 10.

Designed to provide some enjoyable light entertainment, "Sun Valley Serenade" does just that. There's plenty of variety, with good comedy, good (sometimes excellent) musical numbers, and some winter outdoors scenes. The story is lightweight, but it's supposed to be, and it is sufficient to tie the rest together.Sonja Henie brings energy and talent to her role as a war refugee who is taken in by a band member. John Payne is good enough, though he mostly allows Henie to take the spotlight, and plays off her and the situation around him. Milton Berle adds some amusing moments as the band's agent. Glenn Miller's band and the performers in the musical sequences get lots of screen time, making good use of most of it. In particular, the 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' number is quite a show-stopper.The atmosphere is quite pleasant, the story is enough to keep things moving, and the variety of material fits together well. It's more than enough to make for an hour-and-a-half of worthwhile watching.