IMDb > Birth of the Blues (1941)

Birth of the Blues (1941) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   111 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Harry Tugend (story)
Harry Tugend (writer) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Birth of the Blues on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 November 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Music more
Tagline:
Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm !
Plot:
Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Birth of the Blues more (7 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Bing Crosby ... Jeff Lambert

Mary Martin ... Betty Lou Cobb

Brian Donlevy ... Memphis
Carolyn Lee ... Aunt Phoebe Cobb
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson ... Louey (as Rochester)
J. Carrol Naish ... Blackie
Warren Hymer ... Limpy
Horace McMahon ... Wolf (as Horace MacMahon)
Ruby Elzy ... Ruby
Jack Teagarden ... Pepper
Danny Beck ... Deek
Harry Barris ... Suds
Perry Botkin Sr. ... Leo
Minor Watson ... Henri Lambert
Harry Rosenthal ... Piano player
Donald Kerr ... Skeeter, Barbershop Musician
Barbara Pepper ... Maizie
Cecil Kellaway ... Granet
Ronnie Cosby ... Jeff, as a boy (as Ronnie Cosbey)
Ted Lewis ... Himself, Ted Lewis (archive footage)
Duke Ellington ... Himself, Duke Ellington (archive footage)

Louis Armstrong ... Himself (archive footage)
Tommy Dorsey ... Himself, Tommy Dorsey (archive footage)
Jimmy Dorsey ... Himself, Jimmy Dorsey (archive footage)
Benny Goodman ... Himself, Benny Goodman (archive footage)
Paul Whiteman ... Himself, Paul Whiteman (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rose Allen ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Roscoe Ates ... Cab driver (uncredited)
Kathryn Bates ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict ... Dance Floor Extra (uncredited)
Nell Craig ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee ... Jake (a thug) (uncredited)
Pearl Early ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Sarah Edwards ... Dowager in cafe (uncredited)
Edward Emerson ... Mayor's son in cafe (uncredited)
Betty Farrington ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
John Gallaudet ... Dude in pool parlor (uncredited)
Grace Hayle ... Fat woman in cafe (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst ... Headwaiter in cafe (uncredited)
Payne B. Johnson ... Boy in theater (uncredited)
Yvonne Jungquist ... Girl in illustrated slides (uncredited)
Alice Keating ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Richard Keene ... Stage manager (uncredited)

Charles Lane ... Wilbur, Theater Manager (uncredited)
Jeni Le Gon ... Black girl in jail (uncredited)
Jimmie Lucas ... Man outside of jail (uncredited)
James T. Mack ... Undetermined role (uncredited)
Sam McDaniel ... Black clarinet player (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller ... Skinny man in cafe (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse ... Cafe Diner (uncredited)
Mantan Moreland ... Black trumpet player (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer ... Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Joe Ploski ... Dance Extra (uncredited)
Oscar Polk ... Man in Jail (uncredited)
Victor Potel ... Trumpet player (beer garden) (uncredited)
Lillian Randolph ... Dancing Woman (uncredited)
Keith Richards ... Man in illustrated slides (uncredited)
Cyril Ring ... Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Bert Roach ... Fat man Sleeping in Theater (uncredited)
Constantine Romanoff ... One of Blackie's Thugs (uncredited)
Hayden Stevenson ... Stagehand (uncredited)
Mary Thomas ... Child in theater (uncredited)
Bess Wade ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Evelyn West ... Woman in theater (uncredited)
Pat West ... Proprietor of pool hall (uncredited)
Ernest Whitman ... Fancy-Pants, Doorman (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson ... Man outside of jail (uncredited)
Harry Wilson ... One of Blackie's Thugs (uncredited)
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Directed by
Victor Schertzinger 
 
Writing credits
Harry Tugend (story)

Harry Tugend (writer) and
Walter DeLeon (writer)

Erwin S. Gelsey  uncredited and
Wilkie C. Mahoney  uncredited

Produced by
Monta Bell .... producer
Buddy G. DeSylva .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Robert Emmett Dolan 
Kerry Mills (uncredited)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
William C. Mellor 
 
Film Editing by
Paul Weatherwax 
 
Art Direction by
Hans Dreier 
Ernst Fegté 
 
Costume Design by
Edith Head 
 
Makeup Department
Robert Ewing .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Mary Ann Jones .... hair stylist (uncredited)
Leonora Sabine .... hair stylist supervisor (uncredited)
Wally Westmore .... makeup supervisor (uncredited)
 
Production Management
George C. Bertholon .... production manager (uncredited)
Ed Ebele .... production manager (uncredited)
Harold Schwartz .... unit manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alvin Ganzer .... second assistant director (uncredited)
Harry Tugend .... assistant director (uncredited)
Hal Walker .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Jim Cottrell .... props (uncredited)
Roy Kreuger .... props (uncredited)
Stephen Seymour .... set dresser (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
John Cope .... sound recordist
Earl S. Hayman .... sound recordist (as Earl Hayman)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Neal Beckner .... second camera operator (uncredited)
Schuyler A. Sanford .... assistant to second camera operator (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gladys Baxter .... wardrobe (uncredited)
M. Cohn .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Frank Bracht .... assistant film editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Robert Emmett Dolan .... music supervisor
Robert Emmett Dolan .... musical director
Arthur Franklin .... musical advisor
'Pokey' Carriere .... musician: cornet double for Brian Donlevy (uncredited)
Joe Glover .... music arranger: dixieland (uncredited)
John Leipold .... composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Danny Polo .... musicina: clarinet double for Bing Crosby (uncredited)
Walter Scharf .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Jerry Donovan .... stand-in (uncredited)
Eda Edson .... dialogue coach (uncredited)
Eleanor Edwards .... secretary (uncredited)
Byron Fitzpatrick .... stand-in (uncredited)
Lee Frederic .... screenplay clerk (uncredited)
Bill Hurley .... livestock supervisor (uncredited)
Bert Lawrence .... comedy gags (uncredited)
Leo Lynn .... stand-in (uncredited)
Eddie Prinz .... dance director (uncredited)
James Vincent .... dialogue director (uncredited)
Dan Wyler .... stand-in (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
87 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:U | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #7330)
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Night Court: The Blues of the Birth (#7.24)" (1990) more
Soundtrack:
Tiger Rag more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
1 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Birth of the Blues, 21 September 2002
7/10
Author: (willrams@earthlink.net) from Santa Maria, CA

Another of Der Bingle favorites with Mary Martin; wow, how I loved her; her heart really sang to Daddy. I haven't seen it for some years, but I do have it on VHS which I recorded. I have over 1000 recorded VHS movies all in the garage, so now that I am retired, I have time to look at some now and then. This also has Crosby singing with Louis Armstrong.

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