Rhapsody in Blue (1945)

Director:

Irving Rapper

Writers:

Howard Koch (writer)
Sonya Levien (story)
(more)

Release Date:

22 September 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Musical

Tagline:

The jubilant story of George Gershwin.

Plot:

Composer George Gershwin is driven by his need to succeed. Unfortunately his drive destroys his romantic relationships with singer Julie Adams...

Plot Keywords:

Composer | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Robert Alda	...	George Gershwin
Joan Leslie	...	Julie Adams
Alexis Smith	...	Christine Gilbert
Charles Coburn	...	Max Dreyfus
Julie Bishop	...	Lee Gershwin
Albert Bassermann	...	Prof. Franck
Morris Carnovsky	...	Poppa Morris Gershwin
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Momma Rose Gershwin
Oscar Levant	...	Himself
Paul Whiteman	...	Himself
Al Jolson	...	Himself
George White	...	Himself
Hazel Scott	...	Herself
Anne Brown	...	Herself - as Bess
Herbert Rudley	...	Ira Gershwin
John B. Hughes	...	Himself
Mickey Roth	...	George Gershwin as a boy
Darryl Hickman	...	Ira Gershwin as a boy
Charles Halton	...	Mr. Kast
Andrew Tombes	...	Mr. Million
Gregory Golubeff	...	Mr. Katzman
Walter Soderling	...	Mr. Muscatel
Eddie Marr	...	Buddy De Sylva
Theodore von Eltz	...	Foley
Bill Kennedy	...	Herbert Stone
Oscar Loraine	...	Maurice Ravel
Johnny Downs	...	Dancer
Ernest Golm	...	Otto Kahn
Martin Noble	...	Jascha Heifetz
Hugo Kirchhoffer	...	Walter Damrosch
Will Wright	...	Rachmaninoff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Customer in bakery (uncredited)
Glenn Anders	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
LeRoi Antoine	...	Bootblack (uncredited)
Clarence Badger Jr.	...	Song plugger (uncredited)
Lynn Baggett	...	Guest (uncredited)
Elsa Basserman	...	Guest (uncredited)
Oliver Blake	...	Painter (uncredited)
Caroline Burke	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Henry Busse	...	Himself (bandleader) (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Armand Cortes	...	Hotel clerk (uncredited)
Bernard DeRoux	...	Porter (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	Music critic (uncredited)
Fred Dosch	...	Porter (uncredited)
Jay Eaton	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Al Gallodoro	...	Clarinetist (uncredited)
William Gillespie	...	Porgy (uncredited)
Jesse Graves	...	Coachman (uncredited)
Kate Harrington	...	Music teacher (uncredited)
Edward Harvey	...	Theatre manager (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Specialty dancer (uncredited)
Bobby Johnson	...	Sport (uncredited)
Ivan Lebedeff	...	Nightclub guest (uncredited)
Jacques Lory	...	Taxicab driver (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Ralph McColm	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Esther Michelson	...	Woman in window coming little girl's hair (uncredited)
'Big' Ben Moroz	...	Tall man (uncredited)
Buddy Morrow	...	Trombonist (uncredited)
John Morton	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Odette Myrtil	...	Madame DeBreteuil (uncredited)
Carl Neubert	...	Painter (uncredited)
Nellie V. Nichols	...	Other woman (uncredited)
Jay Novello	...	Orchestra leader (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell	...	Butler (uncredited)
Tom Patricola	...	Himself (uncredited)
Frank Pharr	...	Man in Turkish bath (uncredited)
Lillian Porter	...	Telephone operator (uncredited)
Constance Purdy	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Guest (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	Guest (uncredited)
George Riley	...	Comic (uncredited)
Christian Rub	...	Swedish janitor (uncredited)
Virginia Sale	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Sam Savitsky	...	Masseur (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Piano player (uncredited)
Robert Shayne	...	Christine's Escort (uncredited)
Mark Stevens	...	Steve (uncredited)
Joe Sullivan	...	Song plugger (uncredited)
Ray Turner	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Charles Waldron	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Walter White Jr.	...	Music teacher (uncredited)
Joan Winfield	...	Party guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Irving Rapper

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Howard Koch		writer
Sonya Levien		story
Clifford Odets		uncredited
Elliot Paul		writer

Produced by
Jesse L. Lasky	....	producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Merritt B. Gerstad		(as Merritt Berstad)
Ernest Haller
Sol Polito

Film Editing by
Folmar Blangsted

Art Direction by
Anton Grot
John Hughes

Set Decoration by
Fred M. MacLean

Costume Design by
Milo Anderson

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Vreeland	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Charles David Forrest	....	sound (as David Forrest)
Stanley Jones	....	sound

Special Effects by
Roy Davidson	....	special photographic effects
Willard Van Enger	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Chesley Bonestell	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Editorial Department
James Leicester	....	montage

Music Department
Dudley Chambers	....	vocal music arranger
Bill Days	....	singing voice: Mark Stevens
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator
Ferde Grofé Sr.	....	orchestrator
Ray Heindorf	....	orchestrator
Max Steiner	....	composer: incidental music
Paul Whiteman	....	musical director: "Rhapsody in Blue"
Sally Sweetland	....	singing voice: Joan Leslie (uncredited)

Other crew
Felix Jacoves	....	dialogue director
LeRoy Prinz	....	dance director

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Germany:16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

John Garfield expressed interest in playing George Gershwin.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In Max Dreyfus' office, Oscar Levant while looking at Georges' score of "Swanee" hums a perfect forth (D down to A) and says, "A diminished 9th." In the next scene Max Dreyfus also refers to the uniqueness of a diminished 9th. In Swanee there is no diminished 9th. There are enharmonic equivalents ie. a C# melody against a Db bass which sounds like a diminished 9th. It is acually a sharped major 7th. The interval of a diminished 9th ie. (C up to Dbb or C# up to Db)does not happen in Swanee. Both a diminished 9th and an enharmonic equivalent will sound like a perfect octave when played eight notes apart.

Quotes:

Oscar Levant: If I had your talent, I'd be a pretty obnoxious fella. What do you call yourself?
George Gershwin: George Gershwin, it's my real name.
Oscar Levant: Mine's Oscar Levant. I'm thinking of changing it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Broadway: The American Musical" (2004)

Soundtrack:

5th Symphony, 1st Movement

Less a bio-pic, more a great tribute to the great Gershwin.

Thank God the film-makers trusted in the power of Gershwin's music to allow almost complete versions of the title composition, and "An American in Paris" to be included in the film - as well as many complete songs. All the music is superbly orchestrated and the songs sung beautifully by a wide variety of artists, many of whom were really the first artists to sing them. The film is excellently directed and photographed, with musical scenes well realised visually. The montage of Gershwin wandering about Paris as we hear "An American In Paris" is excellent - and the use of lights and shadows to film the orchestra playing "Rhapsody in Blue" is magnificent - would that contemporary films of orchestras were this imaginative.

Yes I know it is largely fiction - but so what? This is a tribute, not a documentary. And Alda is fine in the lead, backed by an excellent supporting cast. I loved this film from start to finish.