Dave Jessup
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- May 5, 2003
- Messages
- 215
This is not "The Glenn Miller Story" or any other previously released package, but a new collection of film clips sold as part of "Glenn Miller - The Centennial Collection" (BMG/Arista/Bluebird).
The DVD runs about 35 minutes, starts with a clip of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" from TCF's "Sun Valley Serenade" (and when will we see that full movie on DVD?) - sadly, edited: it fades out as the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge are about to appear.
Following are trailers for Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives - likely reissue trailers.
Home movies from the band's bassist, "Trigger" Alpert show the band in action, along with various members mugging outdoors. (This footage is silent, with studio recordings of the Miller band tracked in.)
Several minutes of a 1944 Victory Bond rally are included: essentially raw footage of General Jimmy Doolittle, Major Glenn Miller and the SHAEF Band in action. A newsreel apparently was planned to use the footage, but that never came about - luckily the raw film survived.
Other goodies are included (kinescopes of TV shows, newsreel footage of the "GM Story" premiere, etc.).
The material does look its age - there are lines and burn marks in the home movie footage, the bond rally has erratic stops and starts as the cameraman arbitrarily shot what would have been "interesting" excerpts for the eventual newsreel.
That this material is available at all is delightful. As a longtime Miller collector, the last thing I need is another "greatest hits" CD - but the enclosed DVD with footage I'd never seen before was well worth my money and time.
The DVD runs about 35 minutes, starts with a clip of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" from TCF's "Sun Valley Serenade" (and when will we see that full movie on DVD?) - sadly, edited: it fades out as the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge are about to appear.
Following are trailers for Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives - likely reissue trailers.
Home movies from the band's bassist, "Trigger" Alpert show the band in action, along with various members mugging outdoors. (This footage is silent, with studio recordings of the Miller band tracked in.)
Several minutes of a 1944 Victory Bond rally are included: essentially raw footage of General Jimmy Doolittle, Major Glenn Miller and the SHAEF Band in action. A newsreel apparently was planned to use the footage, but that never came about - luckily the raw film survived.
Other goodies are included (kinescopes of TV shows, newsreel footage of the "GM Story" premiere, etc.).
The material does look its age - there are lines and burn marks in the home movie footage, the bond rally has erratic stops and starts as the cameraman arbitrarily shot what would have been "interesting" excerpts for the eventual newsreel.
That this material is available at all is delightful. As a longtime Miller collector, the last thing I need is another "greatest hits" CD - but the enclosed DVD with footage I'd never seen before was well worth my money and time.
