The New Old Movie Review: ‘The Glenn Miller Story’ (1954)

Glenn Miller and my dad taught me a lesson: It’s not simply expertise that produces inspirational music — it’s love.

Lots of Jimmy Stewart’s motion pictures are broadly recognized and liked for loads of good causes. For hundreds of thousands of individuals, It’s A Fantastic Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Harvey are favourite viewing. However there’s one other Jimmy Stewart film you’ll have missed. It’s a rags-to-riches musical known as The Glenn Miller Story.

When the film opens, we see Glenn shopping for again his trombone from a pawn store, and we get the concept that he has hocked it a number of occasions earlier than. Glenn is a trombonist by occupation, however he aspires to turn out to be a profitable musical arranger. The issue is, nobody else — not even his closest good friend — appears to imagine in his dream.

We additionally study that Glenn has a love curiosity in Denver named Helen Burger. On their first date in two years, Glenn explains to Helen his want of discovering the “proper sound” for his preparations. Helen is a believer in a world of doubters: she is assured he’ll discover the sound.

One other two years go by, throughout which Glenn struggles — engaged on preparations by day, and enjoying the trombone at evening to pay the payments. Glenn calls Helen, they usually shortly determine to marry. However along with his new duties as a husband, Glenn settles into his trombone profession, choosing a gradual earnings over pursuing his higher ambitions. He doesn’t even discuss his dream any longer.

However Helen takes be aware of this. She challenges him, “Are you aware that in on a regular basis we’ve been married you’ve by no means as soon as talked about that sound? Inform you the reality, Glenn, I’ve form of been upset. … I simply need you to maintain on making an attempt.”

Glenn reminds her that pursuing that sound can be pricey — financially and in any other case. However she believes in him and urges him to proceed. To her, that’s way more vital than cash or belongings. Glenn agrees and returns to work as an arranger, finally beginning his personal band.

Although extra difficulties, tragedy and obstacles come alongside, Glenn finds that “sound,” nearly unintentionally. And Helen is aware of he’s found it: “There’s no perhaps about it,” she assures her good friend, “That’s the sound!” All of a sudden, all of America is listening and dancing, and {couples} are falling in like to Moonlight Serenade.

After Glenn’s band achieves fame, World Battle II comes alongside, and Glenn notes that the younger males who liked his music have been now distant from house preventing a warfare. However when the troopers couldn’t come house, Miller introduced house to the troopers. Miller enlists within the navy and performs for America’s heroes abroad.

I don’t need to give away extra of the story, particularly if readers are unfamiliar with Miller’s biography. Suffice it to say that this can be a story of perseverance, friendship and valor.

Helen Miller illustrates that perseverance is the form of advantage that may be lent, and might be borrowed. Generally, you need to imagine in somebody till he’s able to imagine in himself. It has been noticed that “a good friend is somebody who is aware of the music in your coronary heart, and might sing it again to you when you might have forgotten the phrases.” When that man’s good friend is his spouse … properly, some fairly fantastic issues can occur.

Rising up, I watched this film quite a few occasions with my father, who was a trombone participant, music composer and veteran himself. On nights when he performed the piano for his household — which was usually — he loved singing a music he had composed for his bride throughout their engagement. He had organized it a long time earlier than, but he sang it as if he had written it that morning. 

Glenn Miller and my dad taught me a lesson: It’s not simply expertise that produces inspirational music — it’s love.

As Thanksgiving and Christmas method, many households will seek for movies to take pleasure in collectively. Contemplate this Jimmy Stewart basic. It’s going to convey again some fond reminiscences for the grandparents and create new ones for the youngsters. As Boethius noticed, “No age in any respect is excluded from the allure of a candy music.”