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August 29, 2009

Alvino Rey + Skeets Herfurt "St. Louis Blues" (Someone Please Help Me To Locate My Old 'Talking Steel Guitar' Puppet - Video from 'Jam Session' Film







Alvino Rey + Skeets Herfurt
"St. Louis Blues"
From the Movie
JAM SESSION
(
USA 13 April 1944

Featured in Head
(1968)
A clip from this movie is cut into Head

Someone Please Help Me To Locate the Video for this song,
featuring
Alvino Rey and the Talking Steel Guitar Puppet.
It was featured in Boing Boing too.
I had it up at my old Nichopouloosa YouTube Channel
It was my favorite)
and the other person who had it,
also had his channel removed from YouTube

Can't Find Anywhere!

Sprightly Ann Miller musical featuring many of the top bands and vocalists of the day. Notable too for a rather tough-minded look at the movie industry, as Kansas contest winner Miller tries to break into the big time. The studio scenes are an occasional hoot-- like the stagecoach driving in from the street to shoot an Old West scene! However, the business side gets a pretty realistic and none-to-flattering treatment (maybe the writers' revenge). Some other nice touches-- Alvino Rey's "echo-box dummy" that sings electronic lyrics (that one spooked me); Miller's under-the-staircase bedroom, about big enough for a midget if she doesn't stand up; and the big-finish "marching at ya" tribute to the boys overseas. Miller is engaging throughout, wholesomely pretty with a lot of verve and sparkle. This was perfect war-time escapism, a programmer with no pretensions that despite the years continues to entertain.
Directed by

Kansas girl Terry Baxter has won a trip to Hollywood, tries to get a job as a dancer and ends up as secretary of screenwriter Haven. She mixes up the scripts, is fired and when she tries to explain to him what happened, she tries to break in a residence - she belives it belongs Haven's boss Stuart, but she is wrong - and is arrested. But Stuart and Haven don't let her drop.
Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification

Ann Miller ... Terry Baxter
Jess Barker ... George Carter Haven
Charlie Barnet ... Himself
Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra ... Themselves

Louis Armstrong ... Himself
Louis Armstrong's Orchestra ... Themselves
Alvino Rey ... Himself
Alvino Rey's Orchestra ... Themselves
Jan Garber ... Himself
Jan Garber's Orchestra ... Themselves
Glen Gray ... Himself
Glen Gray's Orchestra ... Themselves
Teddy Powell ... Himself
Teddy Powell's Orchestra ... Themselves
Nan Wynn ... Herself
The Pied Pipers ... Themselves
Hal Hopper ... Himself (as The Pied Pipers)
Jo Stafford ... Herself (as The Pied Pipers)
Alan Storr ... Himself (as The Pied Pipers)
Clark Yocum ... Himself (as The Pied Pipers)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Doris Ake ... One of five women Louis Armstrong sings to (uncredited)
Hank Bell ... Stagecoach Driver in Movie (uncredited)
Eddie Bruce ... Tour Guide (uncredited)
Marguerite Campbell ... Girl Jitterbug (uncredited)
George M. Carleton ... Cap - Stuart's Secretary (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge ... Dance floor extra (uncredited)
Paul Conrad ... Rip (uncredited)
Vernon Dent ... The Butler (uncredited)
John Dilson ... Resident mistaken for Raymond Stuart (uncredited)
Pauline Drake ... Evelyn (uncredited)
Jay Eaton ... Designer (uncredited)
George Eldredge ... Berkeley Bell - Director (uncredited)
Margaret Fealy ... Old Lady (uncredited)
Allen Fox ... Cutter (uncredited)
Joanne Frank ... Girl (uncredited)
Louise Franklin ... One of the four women Louis Armstrong sings to (uncredited)
Terry Frost ... Assistant director (uncredited)
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher ... Raymond Stuart - Head of Studio (uncredited)
Charles Haefeli ... Second Stagecoach Hold-up Man (uncredited)

Eddie Hall ... Smart Young Man on Park Bench (uncredited)
Suzette Harbin ... One of Five women Louis Armstrong sings to (uncredited)
Marilyn Johnson ... Stenographer (uncredited)
Eddie Kane ... Lloyd Marley (uncredited)
Tom Kingston ... Sound Engineer (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw ... Jackson - Stagecaoch Hold-up Man in Movie (uncredited)
Charles La Torre ... Coletti - Makeup Man (uncredited)
Eddie Laughton ... Joe - Assistant Director (uncredited)

Nelson Leigh ... Vincent Blake - Writer (uncredited)
Ann Loos ... Neva Canendish (uncredited)
Ted Mapes ... Joe, Stagecoach Guard (uncredited)
George McKay ... Dave - Studio Guard (uncredited)
Clarence Muse ... Henry - Bootblack (uncredited)
Florence O'Brien ... One of the four women Louis Armstrong sings to (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor ... Studio Workman (uncredited)
Larry Parks ... Actor at Superba Pictures (uncredited)
Renie Riano ... Miss Tobin, Landlady (uncredited)
Dick Rush ... Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Bill Shawn ... Dancer (uncredited)
Ben Taggart ... Willie (uncredited)
J. Reilly Thompson ... Boy Jitterbug (uncredited)
Victor Travers ... Actor (uncredited)
John Tyrrell ... Director (uncredited)
Ray Walker ... Fred Wylie - Agent (uncredited)

Sprightly Ann Miller musical featuring many of the top bands and vocalists of the day.

Notable too for a rather tough-minded look at the movie industry, as Kansas contest winner Miller tries to break into the big time.

The studio scenes are an occasional hoot-- like the stagecoach driving in from the street to shoot an Old West scene!

However, the business side gets a pretty realistic and none-to-flattering treatment (maybe the writers' revenge).

Some other nice touches-- Alvino Rey's "echo-box dummy" that sings electronic lyrics (that one spooked me); Miller's under-the-staircase bedroom, about big enough for a midget if she doesn't stand up; and the big-finish "marching at ya" tribute to the boys overseas.

Miller is engaging throughout, wholesomely pretty with a lot of verve and sparkle.

This was perfect war-time escapism, a programmer with no pretensions that despite the years continues to entertain.

Copying the format used in Ann Miller's previous film, "Reveille With Beverly", once again the plot is an excuse to piece together musical performances by popular recording artists of the day.

Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to enjoy the lovely Miller, who was only in her early at the time of filming.

I read that Dorothy Parker was once quoted as saying Miller "was the most statuesque broad in Hollywood".

While she dances only once, it's a nice production number with a World War II theme.

She remarked in her autobiography that her Columbia films were intended as entertainment of the troops.

Ann Miller shines in this oft-used tale playing a small town girl trying to break into Hollywood.

This is a movie about making a movie.

Not any movie, mind you, but this movie, a movie named "Jam Session."

A writer is hired to write a plot to tie together performances by several big bands, not true jam sessions, however, or even staged ones, but rather numbers performed and filmed for the movie within the movie (making the title a bit of a misnomer).

Ann's character carries a letter of introduction to the head of the studio which just happens to be the one making Jam Session, but she can't get past the door.

Not one to give up, she attempts to get into the studio by whatever means, including posing as secretary to the movie's screenwriter.

(It's a bit of fun watching her character trying to figure out a typewriter.)

As for the musical numbers, they kick off with one by trumpet master Louis Armstrong.

A couple of throw-away novelty numbers follow, but pick up again with the Pied Pipers, a perennial favorite, and with Nan Wynn, the vocalist featured in the opening credits.

Naturally, without belaboring the plot points, everything works out in the end with a production number featuring our gal Ann.

It took me decades to finally view this film and I am glad I kept busy all those years for JAM SESSION is a bit of a miss-fire.

The fact that there is no story of consequence is moot point.

The reason to see the film is the bands, singers and Ann Miller.

I must say that I have never seen Ann Miller look lovelier and more appealing.

Sadly, she only gets one number at the end and it isn't a stunner.

The bands and the vocalists - a first rate line up of largely disappointing appearances with the emphasis on novelty tunes.

Armstrong - excellent.

Garber - much better then expected for Garber.

Rey - weird novelty number.

Powell - dreary comedy performance of a clever tune.

What a waste of a good, forgotten band.

Barnet - the great Charlie Barnet band plays their immortal hit CHEROKEE.

Well played, but no visual excitement.

Glen Gray/Casa Loma - same as above with NO NAME JIVE.

Nan Gray - OK Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers perform their old Tommy Dorsey hit, IT STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN.

Excellent!

Jo Stafford never looked better!

She was years old and looks right off the farm with a fresh face and big eyes to match her high hair do.

An exceptional performance by Jo and the Pied Pipers in an unexceptional film.

I think she hit years old this year, so God bless her!

Clean. crisp photography.

That sums it up.

Produced by
Irving Briskin .... producer
Original Music by
Jule Styne
Cinematography by
L. William O'Connell (as L.W. O'Connell)
Film Editing by
Richard Fantl
Art Direction by
Lionel Banks
Paul Murphy
Set Decoration by
William Kiernan
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Earl Bellamy .... assistant director
Sound Department
Paul Holly .... recording director
Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott .... still photographer
Music Department
Morris Stoloff .... musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)



ST LOUIS BLUES - ALVINO REY SKEETS HERFERT
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