The Glenn Miller story (film)
The Glenn Miller Story is a 1954 American biographical film about the eponymous American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second non-western collaboration. Universal-International’s first public announcements, early in 1953, employed the soon-discarded title, “Moonlight Serenade.”
The film follows big band leader Glenn Miller (1904–1944) (James Stewart) from his early days in the music business in 1929 through to his 1944 death when the airplane he was flying in was lost over the English Channel during World War II. Prominent placement in the film is given to Miller’s courtship and marriage to Helen Burger (June Allyson), and various cameos by actual musicians who were colleagues of Miller.
Several turning points in Miller’s career are depicted with varying degrees of verisimilitude, including: the success of an early jazz band arrangement; his departure from the Broadway pit and sideman work to front a band of his own; the failure of his first band on the road; and the subsequent re-forming of his successful big band and the establishment of the “Miller Sound” as typified by “Moonlight Serenade”. Also depicted is Miller’s international success touring his band in support of the Allies in World War II.
There are several anachronisms in the picture. When the military band led by Miller is playing in front of General “Hap” Arnold, a B-29 bomber is in the background. The marching troops are desegregated, which didn’t happen until 1948. Scenes ostensibly shot in England are clearly staged in the U.S., as witness the presence of RCA Type 44 microphones during a BBC broadcast. In reality, the BBC could not afford them and commissioned its own, cheaper version.
In addition, several key plot points are either highly fictionalized from actual events or were invented for the film:
Miller is shown as disliking the tune “Little Brown Jug” and only performing it in 1944 as a “special arrangement” for his wife. The song was actually first performed and recorded in 1939, became one of his most popular early hits, and was performed numerous times by both the civilian and AAF Orchestras.
The 1939 recording went on to sell over a million copies.
“Pennsylvania 6-5000” is depicted as the telephone number of a boarding house where Miller is staying. It was, and is, the telephone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, where the Glenn Miller Orchestra frequently performed in the Café Rouge.
Miller was in fact dressed down for performing jazz marches and told by a superior officer that Sousa’s marches served the military well in World War I. However, in the film his character apologizes sheepishly and is only rescued by another officer whose children are fans. Miller’s biographer George T. Simon states that his actual response was “Are you still flying the same planes you flew in the last war?”, after which the jazz marches stayed.Neither Frances Langford nor the Modernaires performed with Miller’s Army Air Force Band.
Cast
James Stewart as Glenn Miller (Trombone dubbed by Joe Yukl and Trummy Young)
June Allyson as Helen Burger Miller
Harry Morgan as Chummy MacGregor (billed as Henry Morgan)
Charles Drake as Don Haynes
George Tobias as Si Shribman
Barton MacLane as Gen. Henry H. Arnold, USAAF
Sig Ruman as W Kranz
Marion Ross as Polly Haynes
Nino Tempo as Wilbur Schwartz (Clarinet playing dubbed by Wilbur Schwartz)
Irving Bacon as Mr. Miller
Kathleen Lockhart as Mrs. Miller
James Bell as Mr. Burger
Cameo appearance
The following artists all appeared as themselves:
Louis Armstrong
Barney Bigard
Trummy Young
Gene Krupa
Ben Pollack
Johnny Best
Babe Russin
Cozy Cole
Arvell Shaw
The Modernaires
Frances Langford
Upon release in 1954, The Glenn Miller Story was massively successful at the box office. In 1954, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay (by Valentine Davies and Oscar Brodney) and Best Score (by Henry Mancini and Joseph Gershenson).
The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound Recording, by Leslie I. Carey. Its soundtrack was equally successful, reaching number one on the Billboard album charts in 1954, featuring a number of Glenn Miller’s most popular recordings. This is the second of three movies that paired Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, the others being The Stratton Story and Strategic Air Command.
Stewart took a percentage of the profits. In 1955, William Goetz estimated that Stewart had earned $2 million from the film.
Glenn Miller Orchestra pianist John “Chummy” MacGregor was a technical advisor on the movie. Composer Henry Mancini composed the musical score with Joseph Gershenson, who conducted the Universal-International studio orchestra’s recreations of Miller’s arrangements on the soundtrack. Miller’s band was portrayed by The Airmen of Note, an ensemble of the United States Air Force Band originally created in 1950 to carry on the Glenn Miller tradition.
The movie was reissued in 1985 with a stereo soundtrack. The film was originally recorded in stereo but was initially released in mono. It was screened out of competition at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.
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