Themes: Sibling Relationships, Musician's Life, Death of a Parent
Main Cast: Sara Allgood, William Bakewell, Charlie Barnet, Janet Blair
Release Year: 1947
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
Based on the lives of big-band stars Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, this biographical chronicle begins with their childhood in an industrial Pennsylvania town. Encouraged in their musical talents by their father, the Dorsey brothers' sibling rivalry proves to be a stumbling block until the their father's death gives them the momentum they need to rise to fame, and they are eventually considered to be among the best bandleaders of the swing era. Appearances by Charlie Barnet, Art Tatum, and Bob Eberly jazz up the musical numbers, featuring such songs as "Green Eyes," "Everybody's Doin' It", "Marie," and "I'll Never Say Never Again." ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Review
The Fabulous Dorseys is far from a fabulous movie, but it does have some fabulous moments. It's easy to pinpoint those fabulous moments: they happen whenever the dialogue stops and the music begins. Of course, it's natural for the numbers in a musical to be the highlights, but rarely is there such a discrepancy between the spoken and the played/sung. Also, viewers should be warned that Dorseys is not a musical in which the songs generally advance the plot; these are "numbers," interludes of beautiful music that do little to define character, progress the story or even (with some exceptions) create an emotion that is especially relevant to what is going on in the plot. Viewers should also be warned that not only is the dialogue bland (at best) and the plot contrived, but there's also a big problem with the lead actors: Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey can't act. Not even a little. And with the exceptions of Janet Blair, Sara Allgood, and Arthur Shields, there's precious little acting contributed by anyone else in the film, either. But if you're a devotee of great swing music, in Dorseys it is worth slogging through the non-musical portions just to hear the Dorseys and their instrumentalist buddies in top form, along with wonderful vocal contributions from Blair and Helen O'Connell. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Charles Baron - Choreography, Alfred E. Green - Director, George Arthur - Editor, Louis Forbes - Musical Direction/Supervision, James Van Trees - Cinematographer, Charles R. Rogers - Producer, John W. Rogers - Producer, Alfred Schmid - Special Effects, Art Arthur - Screenwriter, Richard English - Screenwriter, Curtis Kenyon - Screenwriter
The Fabulous Dorseys is a 1947 fictionalized biographical film which tells the story of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, from their boyhood in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania through their rise, their breakup, and their personal reunion.
The Jimmy Dorsey composition and theme song "Contrasts" is played in the movie. "Green Eyes", "Tangerine", "I'll Never Smile Again", "Marie", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" are also featured in the movie, along with "To Me" and "Dorsey Concerto". Paul Whiteman and the Orchestra perform "At Sundown".
