Rhapsody in Blue

Tho most notable things about this movie are the music and the guest stars. "Rhapsody in Blue," "An American in Paris," and "Swannee" are all performed in with great skill and in their entirety. Excerpts from many other pieces are heard also. Much of the music is presented in what we might call "music video style," with montages and editing that help bring out the sources and meanings of the music. Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman, and Oscar Levant all play themselves and perfom Gershwin's music on screen. George White, Hazel Scott, Anne Brown, John B. Hughes, and Tom Patricola also appear as themselves.

The performances range from the really good to the over-characterized to the kind of stiff. This being a Hollywood bio-pic of a Great American composer, everyone (except for the old stiff who ran the song publisher Gershwin quit) is noble, generous, and cool. Robert Alda (father of Alan) plays the compser, and his performance most has the stilted mannerisms of one trying not to disrespect a legend. Oscar Levant establishes his "tough guy" persona which he carried through several films. Morris Carnovsky as "Poppa" and Herbert Rudley as Ira Gershwin give two of the sronger performances.

One interesting aspect of this film is the role of Black people. There is irony in the fact that Blues and Jazz are forms of music that essentially were developed by Black musicians, and here was a White person taking it a step further, bringing it to audiences that had not appreciated it before. The irony is emphasized by seeing where black people are in this movie. There is a development of the relationship of his music to black people. At first, his "Black" songs are sung by white performers in blackface (Al Jolson is never seen without it), but later he sees a black female singer in Paris and his opera is sung by an all black cast. However, there are no other Black people in the entire movie except the obligatory maids and servants. This may be good fodder for an examination of music and social history.

If you love this music (and it IS glorious) add a star to this review. Aside from that, it is a good bio-pic that accurately covers the events of Gershwin's live and examines his motivation, his drive to push the boundaries of what could be done with music.


21 minutes, a very important piece.   August 6, 2002
Rick D. Barszcz (bristol, ct United States)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I discovered this movie back in the early 60's when i use to collect vintage 35mm movie prints. This is the only works i've ever seen of George Gershwin. A pleasant surprise for me was an actress named Alexis Smith. Little did i know that one day i would work with her in "Follies" on Broadway. Pure class Alexis was.But i digress. "Rhapsody in Blue" is one of those great Warner Brothers musicals that have countess number of production numbers in them. One of my favorites is "Blue Monday Blues." The music is beautiful and would also make my eyes tear-up. This is a wonderful classic that you can watch over and over again. With todays technology i only hope that someone will invest the time to transfer it to DVD and maybe rechannel the sound to 5.1? or is that asking for to much.If you can, get this one for your collection, i promise you won't be disappointed especially when they play "The Rhapsody in Blue." Hmmm, now that i wrote this, i think i watch it again.


Not historically accurate, but still good fun.   May 9, 2003
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

Robert Alda stars in this odd, melodramatic potboiler which looks at the rags-to-rich (and more riches) rise of one of America's greatest popular composers. The film is hampered by a few small points, one being that Gershwin's life doesn't readily lend itself to dramatic portrayal (until the very end, when he drops dead at a very young age, and your jaw just drops)... The problem is that guy was just too darn successful! He hit a groove and never stopped, moving from one huge critical success to another (with one or two flops in between)... The scriptwriters were obviously aware of this, and insert several belabored sequences wherein Gershwin anguishes over this or that, and a couple of sniffly, symbolic deathbed scenes, just for good measure. Other problems include Alda himself (yes, he's Alan's dad...) who isn't completely up to the role, as well as the weak portrayal of George's brother Ira, a super-brilliant, super-important lyricist, who is here presented as a mere hanger-on and cheerleader for his brother, the big-shot genius. Hello? Excuse me... Ira Gershwin?!? Of the Gershwin brothers? Oh, forget it. Oh, also check out Gershwin's kooky pal Oscar Levant, who plays himself, in a somewhat true-to-life portrayal as George's confidant and stand-in concertizer. Other celebrities who play themselves here include Al Jolson and bandleader Paul Whiteman... and the music, of course, can't be beat.


Best Gershwin movie ever made   March 23, 2000
Kathleen A. Smith (Plano, Il USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Gershwin's life is expertly done in the movie and Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris are played in their entirety. Oscar Levant, a personal friend of Gershwin's, plays some of the piano pieces. Robert Alda, a super hunk, is superb in his portrayal of Gershwin. Rhapsody in Blue is performed by the Paul Whiteman orchestra who actually performed the 1st performance of Rhapsody in Blue and adds to the quality of the movie.


Essential for the Music   January 2, 2005
Thomas H. Prindle (San Antonio, TX United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

As a Hollywood biopic this is only average. Too much of the film is devoted to Gershwin's supposed romantic involvement with two women, who are both entirely fictional. Far more important in reality was his friendship with Oscar Levant, who was not only the composer's best friend but also after his death was widely recognized as the most authoritative interpreter of his major works for piano, Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F. Levant's presence in the film lends it some historical authenticity. Also present are Al Jolson, a legendary figure in the history of American popular entertainment and the interpreter of Gershwin's single most popular song, "Swanee", and Paul Whiteman, the bandleader who collaborated with Gershwin in the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue. (Fred Astaire is sorely missed.) There is also a superb--I do not use the word lightly--extended three song set by singer/pianist Hazel Scott (who later married the controversial minister/politician Adam Clayton Powell Jr.) about halfway through the film. It has absolutely nothing to do with the plot but is magnificent nonetheless. Robert Alda deserves to be remembered perhaps not for his work in this film but for his origination of the role of gambler Sky Masterson in the great musical Guys and Dolls.