Birth of the Blues 83 years old
Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm !
Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle to get their jazz music accepted by the cafe society of the city. Betty Lou joins their band as a singer and gets Louie to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou.
Credits
Birth of the Blues Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| J. Carrol Naish He was 45, 77 years old when he died | as Blackie |
| Brian Donlevy He was 40, 71 years old when he died | as Memphis |
| Roscoe Ates He was 46, 67 years old when he died | as Cab Driver (uncredited) |
| Cecil Kellaway He was 48, 79 years old when he died | as Granet |
| Barbara Pepper She was 26, 54 years old when she died | as Maizie |
| Warren Hymer He was 35, 42 years old when he died | as Limpy |
| Louis Armstrong He was 40, 69 years old when he died | as Louis Armstrong (archive footage) |
| Charles Lane He was 36, 102 years old when he died | as Wilbur - Theater Manager (uncredited) |
| Jimmy Dorsey He was 37, 53 years old when he died | as Himself, Jimmy Dorsey (archive footage) |
| Tommy Dorsey He was 35, 51 years old when he died | as Tommy Dorsey (archive footage) |
| Bing Crosby He was 38, 74 years old when he died | as Jeff Lambert |
| Harry Rosenthal He was 41, 52 years old when he died | as Piano Player |
| Horace McMahon He was 35, 65 years old when he died | as Wolf |
| Benny Goodman He was 32, 77 years old when he died | as Himself, Benny Goodman (archive footage) |
| Mantan Moreland He was 39, 71 years old when he died | as Black Trumpet Player (uncredited) |
| Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson He was 36, 71 years old when he died | as Louey |
| Mary Martin She was 27, 76 years old when she died | as Betty Lou Cobb |
| Harry Barris He was 35, 57 years old when he died | as Suds |
| Minor Watson He was 51, 75 years old when he died | as Henri Lambert |
| Ted Lewis He was 51, 81 years old when he died | as Himself, Ted Lewis (archive footage) |
| Duke Ellington He was 42, 75 years old when he died | as Himself, Duke Ellington (archive footage) |
| Ronnie Cosby He was 13, 82 years old when he died | as Jeff as a Boy |
| Donald Kerr He was 2, 37 years old when he died | as Skeeter, Barbershop Musician |
| Jack Teagarden He was 36, 58 years old when he died | as Pepper |
| Ruby Elzy She was 33, 35 years old when she died | as Ruby |
| Danny Beck He was 32, 50 years old when he died | as Deek |
Birth of the Blues Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Harry Tugend as Story. He was 44 (92) years old when He died | Writing |
| Hans Dreier as Art Direction. He was 56 (81) years old when He died | Art |
| Buddy G. DeSylva as Producer. He was 46 (55) years old when He died | Production |
| William C. Mellor as Director of Photography. He was 38 (59) years old when He died | Camera |
| Ernst Fegté as Art Direction. He was 41 (76) years old when He died | Art |
| Robert Emmett Dolan as Music. He was 35 (66) years old when He died | Sound |
| Paul Weatherwax as Editor. He was 41 (60) years old when He died | Editing |
| Victor Schertzinger as Director. He was 53 (53) years old when He died | Directing |
| Walter DeLeon as Writer. He was 57 (63) years old when He died | Writing |
| Monta Bell as Producer. He was 50 (66) years old when He died | Production |
Birth of the Blues (83 years)
Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm !
- Release day: Friday, November 07, 1941
- Runtime: 87 minutes