The Glenn Miller Story

This ends where Scorsese's New York, New York begins, at the height of the big band era in the '40s; and some striking similarities end with the remorseless good nature of the Glenn Miller movie. Allyson beams and twinkles as Miller's practical wife; Stewart, looking remarkably like Miller, is disarmingly eccentric. They make an exemplary American couple, finding the road to success lined with nice friends, swirling Variety headlines, and key moments like Glenn saying to wife (long-distance), 'My number's Pennsylvania 6-5000'. But it works beautifully, especially if you like the music. Musical direction is by Henry Mancini, who abandons his own particular 'sound' for a credible homage to Miller's. Watch for Louis Armstrong leading a jam session on 'Basin Street Blues' in a speakeasy in Harlem, and Frances Langford doing 'Chattanooga Choo-Choo' in a well-boned strapless.