Right after the credits end, the camera moves across an obvious teen-aged band where the boys are obviously bored playing the official theme of the Air Force. All of a sudden, the drummer adds a bit of boogie woogie into his one track beat and the teacher reminds him that they are not playing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". The drummer boy is of course Mickey Rooney who even today is still drummin' out small appearances in movies. When all of a sudden Judy Garland appears, they start talking about putting together their own dance band with Judy as the vocalist and Mick as the conductor. Everything seems to be falling into place for them. It's a piece of cake. In fact, that cake, with a bunch of fruit ends up an orchestra of its own playing "Our Love Affair" in one of the most imaginative sequences on film. Its up there with Gene Kelly and Jerry the Mouse dancing in "Anchors Aweigh" as what made MGM musicals so imaginative.
But things don't go smoothly of course. They need $200 to get to Chicago to audition for Paul Whiteman, but miraculously, Whiteman shows up in town to play at flirtatious June Preisser's birthday party. Mickey, Judy and the gang take over. After earlier dancing to the "La Conga" (where some of the high school dance band members appear to be a bit older), they now perform "Drummer Boy", and knock Whiteman's socks off. Whiteman wants them on his show regardless for a contest of all the high school bands but when their pal Larry Nunn all of a sudden needs an operation for a broken arm, there goes to $200. Ann Shoemaker steps in for Mickey's "Andy Hardy" ma Fay Holden as the wise mother who guides Mickey's conscience (she's more like a female Judge Hardy), and the diminutive Francis Pierlot is the kindly principal.
This has nothing to do with the 1930 Broadway musical other than the title song. It's 1940's jitterbug all the way, and Mickey and Judy give it their all. It's easy to see why they were the hottest team on the MGM lot and the most popular teens in America. Mickey can grate on occasion with energy but when he's serious, he's at his best. In fact, those sequences are often more touching than the comic sequences are amusing. As for Judy, she gets another "plain jane" song ("I Ain't Got Nobody") which is one of the most obscure "list songs" in history, even dropping the names of Judy's bosses, MGM, within the list. Those bosses must have been blind to really see how lovely she was, funny considering that half the movie, Judy is trying to wake Mickey up to see her for who she is over the rather obnoxious Preisser. The recent TV movie about Judy Garland had director Busby Berkley demanding to see Judy's eyes, and she really shows them here.
Most famous of course is the duet of "Our Love Affair", but the over-the-top finale even outdoes the one of "Babes in Arms". Like many Broadway musicals, it even features reprises of most of the movies' songs. Even more outrageous is the cheezy melodramatic spoof, "Nell of New Rochelle" that the teens put together seemingly in hours. "Strike Up the Band!" is worth repeat viewings even if it isn't something one thinks how teenagers really were back in 1940.
But things don't go smoothly of course. They need $200 to get to Chicago to audition for Paul Whiteman, but miraculously, Whiteman shows up in town to play at flirtatious June Preisser's birthday party. Mickey, Judy and the gang take over. After earlier dancing to the "La Conga" (where some of the high school dance band members appear to be a bit older), they now perform "Drummer Boy", and knock Whiteman's socks off. Whiteman wants them on his show regardless for a contest of all the high school bands but when their pal Larry Nunn all of a sudden needs an operation for a broken arm, there goes to $200. Ann Shoemaker steps in for Mickey's "Andy Hardy" ma Fay Holden as the wise mother who guides Mickey's conscience (she's more like a female Judge Hardy), and the diminutive Francis Pierlot is the kindly principal.
This has nothing to do with the 1930 Broadway musical other than the title song. It's 1940's jitterbug all the way, and Mickey and Judy give it their all. It's easy to see why they were the hottest team on the MGM lot and the most popular teens in America. Mickey can grate on occasion with energy but when he's serious, he's at his best. In fact, those sequences are often more touching than the comic sequences are amusing. As for Judy, she gets another "plain jane" song ("I Ain't Got Nobody") which is one of the most obscure "list songs" in history, even dropping the names of Judy's bosses, MGM, within the list. Those bosses must have been blind to really see how lovely she was, funny considering that half the movie, Judy is trying to wake Mickey up to see her for who she is over the rather obnoxious Preisser. The recent TV movie about Judy Garland had director Busby Berkley demanding to see Judy's eyes, and she really shows them here.
Most famous of course is the duet of "Our Love Affair", but the over-the-top finale even outdoes the one of "Babes in Arms". Like many Broadway musicals, it even features reprises of most of the movies' songs. Even more outrageous is the cheezy melodramatic spoof, "Nell of New Rochelle" that the teens put together seemingly in hours. "Strike Up the Band!" is worth repeat viewings even if it isn't something one thinks how teenagers really were back in 1940.