This is a pretty entertaining movie and a nice surprise for those of us for whom Glenn Miller was "before their time" (though some of the songs are certainly familiar). Ann Rutherford is a beauty. The script, about the ins and outs of life on the road, has a few flat spots but is mostly snappy enough to carry the film between musical numbers. It's not a rah-rah script either; it's closer in spirit to a '30s gold-digger musical than a '40s family musical. We get to see how Glenn Miller and the band performed. Miller is a wooden actor (to put it mildly) but he only has a few lines so it doesn't bog things down. The musical numbers are great, and the actors assigned to band roles all do a nice job of playing "air" along with the band. Of note is the excellent camera work in the musical numbers. There's a long music-free bit in the last third of the film but the finale picks it up again at the end.
Some points of interest: Marion Hutton (Betty's older, prettier, less frantic sister) sings on the opening and closing numbers. There's an amazing athletic tap number from the Nicholas Brothers, who also sing in a jazz style. And Carole Landis (one of those young stars with a tragic end) is good in her light comic role.
Some points of interest: Marion Hutton (Betty's older, prettier, less frantic sister) sings on the opening and closing numbers. There's an amazing athletic tap number from the Nicholas Brothers, who also sing in a jazz style. And Carole Landis (one of those young stars with a tragic end) is good in her light comic role.