Syncopation (1942)

Starting in 1906 New Orleans and moving through WWI and into the 1920s, the film follows the lives of three people for whom jazz music is a passion: a pianist (Bonita Granville), a white trumpet player (Jackie Cooper) and a black trumpet player (Todd Duncan). Directed by William Dieterle (LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA), the film attempts a history of the evolution of jazz music in a 90 minute running time. If this were a documentary that could be possible but the movie has a plot (sketchy as it is) as well as several musical numbers so the best it could hope for is a series of superficial highlights. To the film's credit, it doesn't whitewash that jazz was a product of the African American community like BIRTH OF THE BLUES (1941) where Bing Crosby brings jazz to the masses. The film's musical sequences are the reason to watch the movie. Clearly, the film makers love jazz and at least try to give it its due without embarrassing themselves. So you can put up with the film's traditional and predictable storyline, the intentions are good and the music is sublime. With Adolphe Menjou, George Bancroft, Jessie Grayson, Ted North and musical appearances by Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Harry James, Charlie Barnet and Connie Boswell.