Swing Time (1936), Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (2007), The Glenn Miller Story (1953), Stars and Stripes Forever (1952), Mallrats (1995), Brassed Off (1996), Moonrise (1948), The Hard Way (1942) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Bandleader movies.
Storyline: Lucky is tricked into missing his wedding to Margaret by the other members of Pop's magic and dance act, and has to make $25000 to be allowed to marry her. He and Pop go to New York where they run into Penny, a dancing instructor. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted (till the end of the film at least!) by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricardo, the band leader who won't play for them to dance together.
Plot Keywords: singer, drunkenness, blizzard, ballroom dancing, vending machine, tuxedo, trousers ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: On an ordinary day, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event, only find there is no delegation to meet them, nor any arrangements to get to their destination of Petah Tiqva. When they find their own ride, they arrive instead at the remote town of Beit Hatikva. Stuck there until the next morning's bus, the band, led by the repressed Tawfiq Zacharaya, gets help from the worldly lunch owner, Dina, who offers to put them up for the night. As the band settles in as best it can, each of the members attempts to get along with the natives in their own way. What follows is a special night of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on them.
Plot Keywords: wine, misunderstanding, invitation, musician, blind date, trumpeter, singer ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The unemployed trombone player Glenn Miller is always broken, chasing his sound to form his band and hocking his instrument in the pawn house to survive. When his friend Chummy MacGregor is hired to play in the band of Ben Pollack, the band-leader listens to one Glenn's composition and invites him to join his band. While traveling to New York, Glenn visits his former girlfriend Helen Berger, in Boulder, Colorado, and asks her to wait for him. Two years later he quits the band and proposes Helen that moves to New York to marry him. After the success of "Moonlight Serenade", Glenn Miller's band becomes worldwide known and Glenn and Helen and their two children have a very comfortable life. Duting the World War II, Glenn enlists in the army and travels to Europe to increase the moral of the allied troops. In the Christmas of 1944, he travels from London to Paris for a concert to be broadcast; however his plane is never found in the tragic flight.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Plot Keywords: band, based on real events, music band, year 1944, 1930s, 1940s, u.s. air force ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In the 1890s, Sgt. Major John Philip Sousa, leader of the Marine Corps Band, meets Private Willie Little, inventor of an instrument he calls the Sousaphone...and Little's girlfriend, shapely showgirl Lily. To support his growing family, Sousa leaves the Marines and forms his own band; Willie and Lily go along. Though he'd rather write ballads, Sousa's marches bring him increasing fame; from their debut in 1892 the band is a great success. But Sousa's 'no wives' rule threatens the romance of Willie and Lily...as does the Spanish-American War.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: marching band, male female relationship, dance number, concert hall, bandleader, 1910s, 1900s ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Brodie Bruce, a Sega and comic book obsessed college student, and his best friend, TS Quint, are both dumped by their girlfriends on the same day, and to deal with their loss, they both go to the local mall. Along the way, they meet up with some friends, including Willam, a guy who stares at Magic Eye pictures, desprately trying to see the hidden image; Gwen, one of TS's ex-girlfriends; and Jay & Silent Bob, of Clerks fame. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others, and take care of their respective nemesises (TS's girlfriend's father, and a store clerk who hates the two for not having any shopping agenda).
Plot Keywords: mall, nudity, female frontal nudity, anal sex, mini skirt, masturbation, bare breasts ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In existence for a hundred years, Grimley Colliery Brass band is as old as the mine. But the miners are now deciding whether to fight to keep the pit open, and the future for town and band looks bleak. Although the arrival of flugelhorn player Gloria injects some life into the players, and bandleader Danny continues to exhort them to continue in the national competition, frictions and pressures are all too evident. And who's side is Gloria actually on?
Plot Keywords: yorkshire, female nudity, father son relationship, family relationships, fired from the job, earphones, drink ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Danny Hawkins, who lives in a psychological shadow because his father died by a hangman's noose, accidentally kills a man in a fight over a girl, Gilly Johnson, and is afraid to notify the police. He wins the love of the girl but when she tries to influence him to admit his guilt, he runs away.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: racial stereotype, grandmother grandson relationship, taunting, surrender, song, sheriff, schoolgirl ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Ambitious Helen Chernin (Ida Lupino) pushes her talented younger sister Katherine (Joan Leslie) into marriage with broken down song-and-dance man Albert Runkel (Jack Carson) so that the two women can leave the dirty steel town where they live. Runkel's partner Paul Collins (Dennis Morgan), however, sees through Helen's plan. Helen continues driving her sister's career and eventually Katherine becomes a star on Broadway, while Runkel and Collins' act flounders. Success soon goes to Katherine's head and she becomes a fast-living party girl. Time passes and Helen and Katherine run into Paul, now a successful band leader. He and Katherine soon fall in love. The two sisters eventually have a showdown on opening night of Katherine's latest show when Katherine discovers that Helen is also in love with Paul.—Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
Plot Keywords: theatrical producer, tennis, swimming, suicide, singer, show business, sailing ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In the small town of South Renford, Alice Adams comes from a working class background, although she aspires to be among the upper class. Alice's mother blames her husband for their low social standing, despite his working hard and Alice not blaming him for anything. Regardless, Alice tries to do whatever necessary to put on appearances of wealth and social standing, despite everyone in that class in town knowing who she is, and thus largely ignoring her because of her false airs. First meeting at a society ball, Alice surprisingly catches the eye of Arthur Russell, surprisingly as he purportedly is engaged to débutante Mildred Palmer. As Alice continues to hide her true social standing from Arthur as he courts her, Mrs. Adams pressures Mr. Adams into doing something he doesn't want to do in an effort truly to become part of the business class, that measure which entails sinking all his money into a business venture. Beyond the time when Arthur finds out the true nature behind Alice's facade, other issues may bring the fragile Adams society house of cards tumbling down around them, and thus the happiness Alice is seeking with Arthur.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: forgiveness, card playing, candle, cafe, butler, book, black american ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a Chicago music professor. He is advised by bandleader Kid Ory to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny begins by joining the Ben Pollack traveling band.
Plot Keywords: character name as title, bandleader, clarinet, swing, band, four word title, based on true story ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Larry Poole, in prison on a false charge, promise an inmate that when he gets out he will look up and help out a family. The family turns out to be a young girl, Patsy Smith, and her elderly grandfather who need lots of help. This delays Larry from following his dream and going to Venice and becoming a gondolier. Instead he becomes a street singer and, while singing in the street, meets a pretty welfare worker, Susan Sprague. She takes a dim view of Patsy's welfare under the guardianship of Larry and her grandfather, and starts proceedings to have Patsy placed in an orphanage.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: rowboat, 1930s, sheriff, restaurant, nurse, new york city, new jersey ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: An orphan is provisionally adopted by the manager of a hotel populated by show business people. The hotel's owner doesn't like the entertainers and wants the girl returned to the orphanage.
Plot Keywords: hotel, bandleader, boarding house, midget, niece, stage, uncle ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Ellen Hallet is in love with her playboy boss, Douglas Morrison, but is too timid to do anything about it. To help her, her roommate Chris decides to step in and devises a plan. Chris follows Morrison on his trip to Sun Valley, Idaho and plays the over-attentive female in hopes that he will send for Ellen who often plays his "fiancée" when he has a female he can't discourage otherwise. Complications arise when Chris catches the eye of band leader Dick Layn and finds herself caught in a triangle between the two men.
Plot Keywords: title spoken by character, woman wears a swimsuit, train, man wears a tuxedo, bar, overhearing a conversation, deception ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: After leaving her philandering husband, an elegant socialite takes her two sons on a road trip across America in search of a better life.
Plot Keywords: road trip, panties hit the floor, restaurant, crying, tears, friend, friendship ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Katharine Hilliard, mousy dean of a stuffy music school, meets and is insulted by swing band leader Barry Clayton on a train. To "show" him she takes a friend's advice, removes her glasses, and puts on a designer gown. Naturally, she becomes gorgeous. Soon, both Barry and crooner Jimmy Hale are after her, and she finds herself in the midst of triangles and misunderstandings.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: classical music, bartender, vindication, song in title, hotel desk clerk, cigarette smoking, musician ...
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