Excellent, a Must See

An action-packed slog

A Major Disappointment

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Jimmy Dorsey was one of the top band leader of the 1930's and 40's, even starring in his own movie biography. Well, not actually his own, but sharing it with his brother, Tommy. That film focused on their desires to become band leader and their brief estrangement. I found this short on a DVD collection of Bette Davis films, as part of an evening at the movies and shared with "Jezebel" and a cartoon. The three songs which fill the 9 minutes aren't standards but certainly would get the audience's toes tapping as they made their way to their seats with their popcorn or raisinettes. One of the songs sounded curiously like "Hold That Tiger". The movie audiences of the golden age of Hollywood certainly had gold and at such a low ticket price too.

This is a short from Vitaphone and it can be found on the "Warner Brothers Big Band, Jazz & Swing" DVD collection. This set consists of six DVDs and almost 11 hours of shorts! "Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra" is a very typical sort of short. It consists of Jimmy Dorsey and his band playing a few tunes. And apart from a guitarist wanting to do a number, it's all VERY conventional. It's simply music and no story or hook to excite the viewer. And, I know opinions will differ, but I found this music amazingly dull and uneventful. Now I must admit that I am not a huge fan of big band, but even for this sort the film is pretty limp. The short lacks humor and especially energy. As a result, it's a below average film compared the most of the rest of the set.Now I know that Jimmy Dorsey is quite famous and the brother of the even more famous Tommy Dorsey. This doesn't change the fact that this one just never seemed that special--just another band strutting their stuff, so to speak.

This ten minute musical short displays the instrumental and vocal talents associated with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Two years earlier the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra had split over a famous quarrel between brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey that became positively legendary in the music world.This short was introducing Jimmy and his orchestra to the swing world and two of the musical compositions that he became associated with are featured, Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps and Dusk In Upper Sandusky, featuring a drum solo by Ray McKinley.Bob Eberly whose brother Ray was debuting around the same time as the male vocalist for the Glenn Miller Orchestra sings It's The Dreamer In Me which was a hit song in 1938. Evelyn Oaks as the female vocalist got her solo with I Love You In Technicolor which did not do as well. Neither did Evelyn because she was soon replaced by the far more popular Helen O'Connell.Jimmy Dorsey after splitting with Tommy with each forming his own band did a couple of years as the studio orchestra for Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. This short was no doubt made to showcase the band as they started touring. It's a fine showcase indeed for one of the best bands of that big band era.

Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1938)*** (out of 4) Warner short has (as the title says) Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra playing five songs, which are Beebe, Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps, It's the Dreamer in Me, I Like You in Technicolor and Dusk in Upper Sandusky. If you've seen any of the Dorsey shorts then you should know what to expect and for one thing that's great music. The music style is certainly something we don't see too much today but that's one of the reasons this type of short and Turner Classic Movies are so important. Not only is it a short but it's also a look at a part of history. Dorsey is at the top of his game and really delivers on the music with It's the Dreamer in Me really stealing the show. Bob Eberly does the vocals on it and packs a nice little punch.