Strike Up the Band

Jimmy (Mickey Rooney) leads a high school band and has big plans. When he tells his musical partner Mary (Judy Garland), who is secretly in love with him, about his dream of conducting a large orchestra at Carnegie Hall, director Berkeley departs from reality in the best musical tradition: in an animated sequence (based on an idea by Vincente Minnelli, who later directed musicals himself), an orchestra made up of fruit plays on fruit instruments. But before Jimmy and Mary can realise their dream, they have to overcome a number of obstacles. The grand finale – a band competition with the audience voting via radio – revels in orchestral and dance sequences in the best Berkeley style: a weightless camera moves through the rows of musicians and dancers, becoming a choreographic instrument that turns the stage scenes into a cinematic event. (A.P.)