Movies and TvShows featuring "big-band" theme.
In 1953, a progressive-thinking art history teacher arrives at Wellesley College and challenges the conservative norms and traditions of the all-female institution. She encourages her students to think independently and pursue their own ambitions, thereby questioning the roles assigned to women in society.
Close to the Enemy is a TV show set in post-World War II London, following a British intelligence officer who must work with captured German scientists to develop jet engine technology. The show explores themes of espionage, war crimes, and personal struggles in the aftermath of the war.
The Benny Goodman Story is a biographical film about the famous clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. It follows his rise to fame in the 1930s and his impact on the world of jazz music. The movie explores Goodman's struggles and triumphs as he navigates the music industry, discovers new talent, and breaks racial barriers. With his unique style and talent, Goodman revolutionizes the world of jazz and becomes a legendary figure in music history.
Follow the adventures of a group of young people on New Year's Eve in Russia as they navigate romance, social satire, and the antics of clowns and bureaucrats, all set to the backdrop of a big band musical.
During the London Blitz in 1940, a detective and his assistant team up to solve a string of murders, uncovering a serial killer lurking in the midst of the war. As they navigate the dangers and uncertainties of the bombing raids, they unravel a web of intrigue and cover-ups, all while trying to catch the elusive killer.
Set in 1947, Knights of Swing is a feature film that chronicles a group of young jazz musicians whose dream is to form a “really swingin’ Big Band”. Unfortunately, things prove much more complicated when the community objects to the diversity of the band. Alliances form, and lines are drawn. What follows is soul searching, uplifting, and through music, our story illuminates forgiveness, healing and unconditional love.
International House is a comedy film set in an international hotel where an inventor showcases his latest invention. However, chaos ensues with misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and hilarious misadventures involving a gold digger, a businessman, a health inspector, and various other colorful characters. The film is filled with musical numbers and slapstick humor, making it a delightful comedy from the pre-Code era of Hollywood.
Duchess of Idaho is a romantic comedy/musical set at a ski lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho. The story revolves around a bandleader who becomes entangled in a love triangle. With deception, mix-up comedy, and battle of the sexes, the film follows the bandleader's journey as he navigates through humorous and romantic situations at the lodge.
A hat-check girl at the Stork Club pretends to be wealthy in order to impress a swindler, but the plan backfires when she falls in love with a handsome marine.
The Army takes a bandleader (Kay Kyser) away from his bride (Ellen Drew) and sends him on a spy mission with a woman (Jane Wyman).
Nora and her uncle get railroaded into spending the night at a broken-down hotel in Canada. After Nora falls for the handsome owner, she convinces her uncle to invest in the inn and modernize it. After the hotel opens, Nora's uncle faces financial ruin and her romance hit a snag in the form of pretty reporter.
In Pot o' Gold, Jimmy, a man living with his uncle, pretends to be a musical talent scout to help save a struggling music store. Along the way, he falls for a talented woman and faces various challenges, including mistaken identity and a family feud.
Amos and Andy trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party.
An evening at a night club for penguins, (and a walrus or two). The stage show includes an appearance by a penguin incarnation of Bing Crosby, who sings a jazzy version of, "When my dreamboat comes home". The band's three singers do a scat version as well. This is followed by a full swing band instrumental of the song which works the band into a "Hot Jazz" frenzy, literaly melting some of the instruments.
Broadway producer Earl Carroll was a Ziegfeld-like entrepreneur who staged lavish revues featuring attractive young ladies. Carroll's annual "Vanities" provided story material for three Hollywood films: Murder at the Vanities (34), A Night at Earl Carroll's (40) and Earl Carroll Vanities (45). This last film was produced by Republic Pictures, a bread-and-butter studio specializing in Westerns and serials; Republic had made musicals before, but few of them were expensive enough to allow for lavish production numbers. Earl Carroll Vanities is likewise rather threadbare, though some of the individual musical highlights aren't bad. The plot, such as it is, concerns financially strapped nightclub owner Eve Arden, who finagles Earl Carroll into staging one of his revues at her club.
A group of people attend a radio quiz show at a spooky mansion, where they encounter strange occurrences and try to uncover the truth.
As dancer Ginny Walker performs on stage, a veiled woman in the audience stands up, accuses Ginny of stealing her husband and then fires a gun at her. After Ginny collapses and is taken to her dressing room, the woman, Julia Westcolt, a friend of Ginny's, dashes backstage, discards her veil, and then congratulates her friend on their successful publicity stunt. When Ginny's press agents, Gus Crane and his son Junior, visit their client backstage, she brags about her feat and chides them for not being more creative in promoting her. Horrified at Ginny's brashness, Junior, a conservative Harvard graduate, chastises her and leaves the room.
Bandleader Kay Kyser takes his troupe of nutty musicians, goofball comics and pretty girl singers on a tour around the world to entertain the troops during World War II.
A rising nineteen-year-old singer by the name of Billie Holiday made her screen debut in this musical landmark, which features Duke Ellington and his orchestra performing his symphonic jazz piece “A Rhapsody of Negro Life” set to scenes of everyday African American life.
The movie is a showcase for several acts that were popular at the time: band leader Paul Whiteman, a running storyline about a possible wedding and the marriage of the two-strip Technicolor process.