"Sun Valley Serenade" is a quite a fun & pleasant movie starring one of the most famous big bands of all time: the Glenn Miller Orchestra! Glenn Miller may not have been a great actor, and jazz history informs us that he was not the greatest trombonist. But the presence of Miller and his band (as Phil Corey and the Dartmouth Troubadours), performing a fair number of old favorites, is what provides this film with a lot of its charm. The primary love interest in this movie involves the figure-skating Norwegian refugee Karen Benson (Sonja Henie) and the Troubadours' pianist/vocalist Ted Scott (John Payne), who happens to be Karen's sponsor. But Ted is pressured to make a choice between Karen and the band's female vocalist Vivian Dawn (Lynn Bari), and it is not easy for him. He is quite nervous about having a loving relationship with the cheerful young refugee for whom he is responsible. No matter how hard Ted tries to fend her off, Karen is so much in love with him and is so sure he would make a perfect husband for her that she is willing to try every trick imaginable in order to win his heart. By the end of the film, Ted realizes how stuffy Vivian is and how wonderful it would be to have Karen for a wife.
My favorite highlights from "Sun Valley Serenade" include the following. Ever the prankster, Karen engages in some outrageous skiing hijinks in order to infuriate Ted, causing a lengthy chase. The band's smart-aleck, brown-nosing manager Jerome K. "Nifty" Allen (Milton Berle) tries his hand at skiing and, with a witty musical accompaniment, fails miserably ("Calling Dr. Kildare, prepare for surgery!"). While stranded inside a cabin, Karen and Ted share a tender moment as they dance together while Ted sings to her the beautiful ballad "I Know Why and So Do You." The band's rehearsing of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," featuring the great vocal stylings of Tex Beneke & the Modernaires as well as the fabulous footwork of the Nicholas Brothers, is very swinging indeed! Before Vivian joins the Dartmouth Troubadours, she does a miserable audition of "It Happened in Sun Valley" with her own band, which proves to be a fine accompaniment for her until the second chorus; she walks off the band and continues her audition with the Troubadours, and after their short rendition of the classic "Moonlight Serenade," Vivian chimes in with "I Know Why and So Do You."
"Sun Valley Serenade" is a fine showcase for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, as well as for the figure-skating talent of Sonja Henie. I highly recommend this film for all admirers of big band music and love stories with mischievous twists.
My favorite highlights from "Sun Valley Serenade" include the following. Ever the prankster, Karen engages in some outrageous skiing hijinks in order to infuriate Ted, causing a lengthy chase. The band's smart-aleck, brown-nosing manager Jerome K. "Nifty" Allen (Milton Berle) tries his hand at skiing and, with a witty musical accompaniment, fails miserably ("Calling Dr. Kildare, prepare for surgery!"). While stranded inside a cabin, Karen and Ted share a tender moment as they dance together while Ted sings to her the beautiful ballad "I Know Why and So Do You." The band's rehearsing of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," featuring the great vocal stylings of Tex Beneke & the Modernaires as well as the fabulous footwork of the Nicholas Brothers, is very swinging indeed! Before Vivian joins the Dartmouth Troubadours, she does a miserable audition of "It Happened in Sun Valley" with her own band, which proves to be a fine accompaniment for her until the second chorus; she walks off the band and continues her audition with the Troubadours, and after their short rendition of the classic "Moonlight Serenade," Vivian chimes in with "I Know Why and So Do You."
"Sun Valley Serenade" is a fine showcase for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, as well as for the figure-skating talent of Sonja Henie. I highly recommend this film for all admirers of big band music and love stories with mischievous twists.