Danny Kaye played Loring “Red” Nichols, the well known cornet player who rose to his fame in 1930s and whose Jazz group “Five Pennies” was once home to Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman and more – great musicians in the 40s Swing music.
The movie was coherent, tightly woven both in the musical and emotional aspects. The duets between Danny Kaye (played by Red himself) and Louis Armstrong – the Battle Hymn of Republic and the Saints are marching – were wonderful. On the emotional side, Barbara Bel Geddes (Mrs. Ewing in Dallas) as Danny Kaye’s sweetheart was a loving wife who endured long tours in the Five Pennies group, a devoted mother and a steadfast lady who held the family together. The bonds between the Five Pennies musicians, father and daughter, husband and wife are close and personal.
Susan Gordon, as the couple’s daughter Dorothy from 6 – 8 yrs old, was a delight. She was intelligent, passionate for her father’s music and love, and would settle for nothing less. The night when father and daughter developed a closer bond over the song “Five Pennies”, a table of cards, followed by a duet in the bar was touching. Susan Gordon’s performance was subtle yet memorable. The dramatic turn when Danny Kaye threw away his cornet and work in a wartime shipyard at a meagre salary to make up for Dorothy in the subsequent years was heartbreaking. When the accomplished cornet player did make a comeback, it was not easy but gradual. The big finale was a tear jerker, but it’s worth every tear.
This is a well-balanced act between the musical and drama. Definitely worth watching it again and again.