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Ghost Canyon

The Fabulous Dorseys: Special Edition [Blu-ray]
(Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Janet Blair, Paul Whiteman, William Lundigan, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1947) 2021 / Film Detective – MVD Visual)

Overview: The Fabulous Dorseys (actually played by the brothers themselves) follows Tommy and Jimmy from their upbringing in Pennsylvania to their great successes in the music business.

Director Alfred E. Green (The Jolson Story) uses the film as a showcase for the tunes that charmed a generation, including I’m Getting Sentimental Over You and Tangerine.

Janet Blair (My Sister Eileen) appears with the Dorseys, while jazz buffs will enjoy cameos by Paul Whiteman, Helen O’Connell, and other stars of the day.

The film’s undeniable highlight is a jam session featuring the Dorseys and piano legend Art Tatum, guaranteed to get your foot tapping!

Blu-ray Verdict: Tommy and Jimmy were never actors, nor close brotherly musicians for that matter. Indeed, they were renowned more for fighting and feuding, as were their credentials in real life.

They even broke up their joint band in 1935 over an argument on stage about the tempo of a tune entitled I’ll Never Say Never Again. Hot of trombone, hot of temper the domineering, take charge Tommy walked off and formed his own Band.

Jimmy, the older of the two, who adopted the role in their joint band as the lay back clarinet and alto saxophonist was left with the original orchestra.

Both brothers vowed never to play with one another again and the rift lasted twelve years, till the death of their father, where they made it up in consolation to their grieving mother.

Now that the backstory is written, I shall turn my attention to this movie, which has been loving restored and transferred in 4K from archival film elements by those simply wonderful people over there at The Film Detective.

In truth, The Fabulous Dorseys is a relatively good portrayal of their respective lives, featuring their doting parents, who tried to reconcile their indifference’s but to no avail, of course.

The real substance of this movie, however, is the superb music not only of the Dorsey Brothers, whose individual careers flourished anyway regardless of the breakup, but the contribution of many other original performers such as Bandleader Paul Whiteman, and solo instrumental performances by Charlie Barnet, Art Tatum, Henry Busse, Ziggy Elman and Ray Bauduc.

There are also some wonderful vocals from Bob Eberly and Helen O’Connell singing Green Eyes (both of which were actual performers in Jimmy’s band), but the real stunner is a very lovely, talented Janet Blair with a heavenly voice, effortless phrasing and natural style giving superb renditions in Tommy’s band of Marie and The Object of My Affection, and separately with a trio featuring William Lundigan as the pianist, plus bass and guitar on the simply unforgettable number To Me (on which she shines magnificently).

Tommy died on November 26th, 1956 followed by Jimmy 7 months later and despite everything about their eruptive and stormy past, they both left a legacy of great music which is still played by swing band enthusiasts to this very day.

So my advice, for what it is worth, is to have a drink, sit back, relax into a comfy chair, and watch the movie and enjoy the music. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.37:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Original Essay by Don Stradley, The Dorseys in Film
Full Commentary track by author, Jennifer Churchill
The Fabulous Forties: Big Bands on Screen, an original production by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures

www.TheFilmDetective.com

www.MVDvisual.com





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