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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
American dreaming, 6 April 1999
10/10
Author: David Fiore (d_fiore@alcor.concordia.ca) from Verdun, Quebec

I can't help it, I love Mickey and Judy, and this is their best film together. It has fun songs ("Our Love Affair" and "Do the La Conga" especially), good Busby Berkeley productions (both the aforementioned, especially the fruit-as-orchestra dream sequence!), but more importantly, it perfectly evokes the ideal small middle-American town, complete with understanding mothers and principals, swell fellas and gals, and a comforting everything's going to be just fine feeling. I can't help yearning for this never-never land of rebellious but polite youths and understanding old-timers!

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5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Mickey does it all, 25 March 2003
Author: (jost@geh.org) from Rochester NY

A delightful high-energy romp. I think Mickey Rooney outshines Judy Garland in this one (but that might be like comparing apples to oranges, which incidentally play a not incidental role in this movie). Mickey plays the piano, the drums, sings, dances, pitches baseballs and jumps over fences and hedgerows....plus he's good to his widowed mother and turns up the "life's a gas" charm at the drop of a hat. Judy is more serious, reflective, and tender, all of which works well in the songs she performs. I could have done without the extended "Snidely Whiplash" melodrama routine, but hey, what's perfect in this world. The teenagers in this movie, however, look like miniature adults, and moreover, some of Mickey's band members look a little long in the tooth. Was there really a time when jazz was the most shocking thing a kid could be interested in?

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Entertaining, 9 November 2002
Author: jessicaf

I recently saw it and enjoyed it.Its very balanced out: no over-doing anything romantic kind of thing. The songs were great, just as they always are in old movies. I would probably give it a 8 out of 10 stars!!

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great Film!, 9 March 2006
10/10
Author: stimpy25 from United States

By Far MY FAVORITE MR movie that he's done in his Career surpassing "The Black Stallion which is an OK film i think. NOT GREAT but an OK

film. but as for MR other than this film "Mad World" & "Boys Town" this is my Favorite Rooney Film!

& As Another Reader has said this IS JG & MR BEST Film BY FAR & i think it has the BEST Soundtrack as well. & The BEST ENDING I LOVE seeing Mickey playing the Drums, i wish THAT he would have done it MORE often

than in this film & in (1951)'s B-Movie "The Strip" which isn't a bad movie in itself either. A Great Film & one can see Why MR was at this time the #1 attraction in the world surpassing Even The Great "Clark

Gable"! :) among other actors & actress's of that era. & i can't wait till MR's NEW movie that he's doing with Dick Van Dyke to come out. the two haven't done a film since (1969)'s "The Comic" WHICH i have yet to

see for myself either. :( BUT IF one wants to start with a MR movie & becoming a fan of his early work or maybe even his later work such as (1981)'s (TVM) "Bill" than They Should start with this one IF they want to start with his Early work.

My Rate of this WONDERFUL FILM 10/10

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More Talent Than Results, 15 August 2009
6/10
Author: dougdoepke from Claremont, USA

Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of musicals, but this one seems disappointing given the level of talent involved. Visually, Garland and Rooney make a cute couple-- a match clearly made in malt shop heaven. And, even though I was disappointed, I can understand Garland's enduring appeal. She's definitely an incandescent presence, and one that doesn't come from just acting the part. On the other hand, Rooney is energetic and I can see him organizing a high school band. However, that energy too often becomes manic—for example, check out his conducting the orchestra at movie's end for sheer pointless delirium. Too often, his in- your-face high spirits comes across as more obnoxious than entertaining.

I guess my biggest disappointment is with the musical numbers. Berkeley's dancing phalanxes are eye-catching as usual, but there's not a single catchy tune to hang your hat on. The numbers are simply not up to Garland's level of show-stopping talent, whatever the reason. Then there's the overlong melodrama skit that unfortunately saps momentum by coming in the middle. On the other hand, the musical fruit sketch sounds silly but is really charming and well done. Also, professional musician Paul Whiteman turns out to be a pretty darn good actor. And for those interested in what those times were like, it's a chance to see what teens circa-1940 thought was "cool". Having your own dance band was clearly near the top. At the same time, the message seems to be that dance bands deserve respect, while playing in one is indeed a legitimate goal in life. Looks like controversies over music didn't start with rock-and-roll.

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Strike Up the Band Strikes Up Fun ***1/2, 13 August 2009
8/10
Author: edwagreen from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Mickey and Judy. The combination of stars couldn't be better. In this one, they're high school teenagers who change their high school band to a dance band and then want to go to Chicago to enter a contest sponsored by Paul Whiteman.

The directing by Busby Berkeley couldn't be better. The dance routine during the Conga is memorable with Berkeley's long-line of dancers ever apparent.

Rooney steals the picture. His discussions with movie mother, Ann Shoemaker, are memorable as well as poignant as they discuss the meaning of life, what's right and all that other stuff of the times.

Garland looks and sounds like she just came out of Oz in 1940 clothing. Her whining is there and all that was needed was Toto and Auntie Em. Nevertheless, her singing is terrific.

The gentleman who portrayed the school principal sounded just like Ed Wynn.

The film is highly entertaining and an absolute joy to watch.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
worst of the three., 29 September 2007
7/10
Author: lacy_lou_92 from United States

I love the Mickey/Judy movies and this is a wonderful example of a superb one, but of the three "lets put on a show" type movies this is the worst. It's still fantastic don't get me wrong, but Babes in Arms and Babes on Broadway are much better! The songs are fantastic but not as catchy as the songs from the other movies. Judy is fantastic! It just tears your heart when she sings Nobody. It's a perfect blend of humor and music in this movie. Fantastic. If you like this one, I absolutely recommend Babes in Arms and Babes on Broadway. (Babes on Broadway is my favorite movie ever) It's great! you really should watch this movie!

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Cute Mickey-Judy musical, 21 December 2000
7/10
Author: Angie-84 from New York

The musical numbers make this film. "Our Love Affair" is delightful, as is the scene where a bowl of fruit is turned into an orchestra. The first time I saw that scene, even in the year 1999, I thought it was marvelous. Computer animation can't compare. All of the other numerous musical numbers in this film are very fun to watch. One of my favorite things about this film, though, is Judy Garland. You have to love her. I love the song "Nobody" in this movie, with Judy singing of famous pairs in history, and then singing, "but I ain't got nobody". Take this film for what it is, wonderful musical numbers with Mickey and Judy!

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