Anyone interested in where the Ealing comedy 'The Ladykillers' stole the idea of a group of musos playing a gramophone record whilst ostensibly rehearsing behind a closed door and actually stealing away need look no further than this entry, produced a good ten years before Ladykillers. At best it's a mish-mosh with its heart in the right place; Crosby, ex Paul Whiteman vocalist and a friend of several early jazz musicians, notably Bix Beiderbecke, Jo Venuti, Eddy Lang and Louis Armstrong, was interested in a fictional recreation of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band with himself as leader, natch, and Brian Donlevy as Bix - at one point the script refers to him as 'the only white cornet player in the country' and Mary Martin as a completely fictional vocalist. Jack Teagarden is along for the ride and J. Carrol Naish seldom gave a bad performance; throw in several 'pop' songs of the day and a great original by Johnny Mercer and what's not to like.
Review of Birth of the Blues
