Rhapsody In Blue (1945)

The story of composer George Gershwin (Robert Alda) and his rise from song plugger to one of America's most popular composers, both on the stage and films and the concert hall. Directed by Irving Rapper (NOW VOYAGER). Yet another composer movie biography of the "And then I wrote" variety. MGM did this kind of stuff with the likes of Rodgers and Hart, Jerome Kern, Kalmar and Ruby and Sigmund Romberg. But MGM had performers like Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Lena Horne, Mickey Rooney and June Allyson to do the musical bits to alleviate the tedium. This is a Warner Brothers picture and musically, they lacked the musical talents of MGM. Here the musical numbers consist of poor Joan Leslie (only an adequate singer and dancer), Oscar Levant pounding on the piano and Robert Alda miming the piano playing. The hokey story is pure fabrication including two love interests (Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith) who never existed. The whole thing feels phony. The movie runs almost three hours (no intermission but there's a 10 minute overture) and it's a slog. The only two highlights are the great Hazel Scott performing two Gershwin numbers and Anne Brown (the star of the original production of PORGY AND BESS) singing Summertime. With Charles Coburn, Al Jolson (in blackface, of course), Morris Carnovsky, Albert Bassermann, Rosemary DeCamp, Herbert Rudley, Julie Bishop and Darryl Hickman.