Strike Up the Band (1940)

My Review

“Strike Up the Band” is a musical film about a high school musician and his gal pal who work together staging big band shows in hopes of making it big as professional musicians. Director Busby Berkeley (“Babes in Arms” 1939) once again works with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in putting together this musical extravaganza with high production values, great songs (Roger Edens, George Stoll), and good writing by John Monks Jr. and Fred Finklehoff.

The supporting cast behind Judy and Mickey include Paul Whiteman and Orchestra, Virginia Brissac, June Preisser, William Tracy, and Jack Albertson as a barker at the fair. This was Albertson’s second film appearance. The tuneful “Strike Up the Band” was the fifth highest grossing film of 1940 for producer Arthur Freed and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was filmed at MGM Studios in Culver City and at Los Angeles High School in Los Angeles, and received three Oscar nods – Best Sound, Best Original Score (George Stoll and Roger Edens), and Best Original Song (“Our Love Affair,” written by Stoll and Edens, performed by Rooney and Garland).