User reviews

You gotta hand it to GLENN MILLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA. Their leader may lack acting charisma but he's got a band that plays great tunes with that unmistakable Miller sound and some good band singers to do the tunes justice. And the producers of this movie were wise to use The Nicholas Bros., an acrobatic dance trio that do outstanding routines to "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo".

But the plot, well that's another story. It's one of those catty backstage plots about a group of orchestra wives and the jealousy that erupts when an innocent young girl (ANN RUTHERFORD) joins the group only to discover that her husband's ex-flame is still carrying the torch for him, and will stop at nothing to win him back. What happens among the group is pretty hard to swallow, but it's just a device to make way for hearing Miller and his band in their glory days.

As in SUN VALLEY SERENADE, it's the musical numbers that knock the film out of pedestrian and into the winner's circle with numbers like "Serenade in Blue", "At Last", "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo", and "People Like You and Me". It's also a pleasure to rediscover singers like Marion Hutton, Tex Benecke, Ray Eberle and The Modernaires.

Pretty ANN RUTHERFORD and handsome GEORGE MONTGOMERY do nicely in the romantic leads and it's s fun way to spend time listening to Miller and his boys. CAROLE LANDIS, MARY BETH HUGHES and LYNN BARI sharpen their claws on some sassy dialog. It's fun!

Orchestra Wives is a refreshing swingers movie. Glenn Miller is excellent and Ann Rutherford is beautiful. The music is very well done by the great one (Glenn Miller). We should embrace this type of movie for its gentle music and great acting. Movies like Orchestra Wives are coming Back.

This film, the second to feature the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and probably best of the many films to include bandleaders in the cast, does exactly what it says on the tin – present a film about orchestra wives, those long-suffering mates of band musicians. What plot there is can be summed up in a couple of lines, concerning romances, new marriages, old flames, and rivalries.

The production works better than ‘Sun Valley Serenade', as that film largely had to support a plot for Sonja Henje. This time, there's more scope for other characters to make their impact, however brief. And yes, that is Cesar Romero playing piano for Miller. I'm not sure why, but there you go.

Miller himself was no actor, but it is of great interest to see him lead his band on screen (and also to put faces to singers Tex Beneke and Ray Eberle). The unique arrangements were perfect for screen soundtracks and there are several hit numbers featured throughout ‘Orchestra Wives'.

Coming back to this after a long gap I was surprised how much I remembered of it and basically how good it was. The glue and the title refer to some of the band's spouses and their overall bitching and attempts to go better over the others. This film sums up womankind as seen by Golden Age Hollywood - after watching it I feel more in touch with my feminine side. Maybe not! But I wouldn't wanna play in the same band with Buddy either!

Ignoring the above, the key to enjoying this movie lies in the marvellous and plentiful music (although mimed to) by Glenn Miller & his Orch. Some glorious 40's standards are captured here, "At last" but especially the sublime "Kalamazoo" sung by Tex Beneke definitively, where the Nicholas Brothers wrap it up in their usual laid back and reflective style.

The atmosphere is great, not quite in the Andy Hardy vein for Ann Rutherford, but I take my impressions of what small town America might have been like in the 40's from this film (along with "Shadow of a doubt").

Glenn Miller certainly helped create a unique and unforgettable sound with his music and his band - but his acting left something to be desired!

This is a pretty entertaining movie and a nice surprise for those of us for whom Glenn Miller was "before their time" (though some of the songs are certainly familiar). Ann Rutherford is a beauty. The script, about the ins and outs of life on the road, has a few flat spots but is mostly snappy enough to carry the film between musical numbers. It's not a rah-rah script either; it's closer in spirit to a '30s gold-digger musical than a '40s family musical. We get to see how Glenn Miller and the band performed. Miller is a wooden actor (to put it mildly) but he only has a few lines so it doesn't bog things down. The musical numbers are great, and the actors assigned to band roles all do a nice job of playing "air" along with the band. Of note is the excellent camera work in the musical numbers. There's a long music-free bit in the last third of the film but the finale picks it up again at the end.

Some points of interest: Marion Hutton (Betty's older, prettier, less frantic sister) sings on the opening and closing numbers. There's an amazing athletic tap number from the Nicholas Brothers, who also sing in a jazz style. And Carole Landis (one of those young stars with a tragic end) is good in her light comic role.

I love this movie! It has the great Glen Miller band and features Tex Beneke. It also has the fabulous Nicholas Brothers in a WONDERFUL finale! In addition, the costumes that the "wives" wear should be in a time capsule; they are really great and perfectly reflect the best fashions of the day. The plot is to be tolerated as it creates a framework for music, dance and beauty that lifts the soul!!! Thumbs up!! What a treat to see Jackie Gleason playing the bass. Also, Tex Beneke was a voice I had only heard on records. It is delightful to see him try his hand at acting. Ann Rutherford is so lovely, and I just find the whole film a fluffy treat. The music is just the best and I always delight in the Nicholas Brothers.

This movie combines the excellent Big Band music of Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with a plot straight out of "Desperate Housewives." One hopes that Glenn Miller and the members of his orchestra didn't have these kinds of problems with their wives in real life when they went on tour.

The story: Connie Ward (Ann Rutherford) a naive, small-town girl, falls in love with Bill Abbott (George Montgomery), a trumpet player with The Gene Morrison Band, after hearing his trumpet-playing on a jukebox record. When the band plays a dance at a local park, Connie goes to see them, and is entranced by Bill Abbott's trumpet playing.

After the dance, Connie meets Abbott behind the bandstand. Abbott is a self-described "big bad trumpet player." Without bothering to even read her the Miranda Rights, he instantly drags Connie into a nearby car and tries to make out with her. Never mind that it's *not even his car!* It belongs to somebody else! When the car's real owner shows up and says, "Hey, what are you doing in my car?", Abbott nearly punches him out! He's such a world-class a--hole you wonder why Connie doesn't kick him in the groin and leave.

But the very next night, they are married. Abbott proposes to Connie, mostly out of lust, when she is about to get on a bus to go home. He doesn't even know her name when he proposes to her. It's a mystery why Connie accepts.

Connie joins the band's coast-to-coast tour, traveling from town to town on trains with Abbott and Gene Morrison's orchestra. But she soon discovers that the wives of the band members, who are traveling with the band, are a catty bunch who are constantly chasing each others' husbands and gossiping behind each others' backs. The band's female singer, Jaynie Stevens (Lynn Bari), still has a jones for Bill Abbott, and tries to seduce him away from Connie.

The whole plot is ridiculous. And it becomes even more ridiculous when the intrigues of the orchestra wives threaten to break up the band. Connie has to pull a few tricks to get the band back together again.

The movie is worth having on DVD for several reasons. First, there are the extraordinary Big Band numbers by Glenn Miller's Orchestra, which was *the* greatest Big Band of all time! Backed up by some great camera work by Lucien Ballard, the band blows its way through those big brash brassy numbers that rock the house! The band members don't just "play" the music. They "perform" like seasoned veterans, with precision and panache. The Big Band numbers are almost like highly-choreographed Busby Berkeley dance numbers. Miller and his trombone players use their bowler hats as trombone mutes, and flip them on and off their heads with Chaplin-like finesse. The trumpet players stand at attention and, like buglers in the King's Court, raise their horns and play their hearts out. The sax players swing their saxes together as they play, like dancers in a chorus line. And master drummer Moe Purtill gives a brilliant staccato drum solo that is as good as anything Buddy Rich or Keith Moon ever did.

There are some great songs, including short versions of Miller classics like "In the Mood" and "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and new songs like "I Got A Gal In Kalamazoo," "Serenade In Blue," and the perennial favorite, "At Last," which was introduced in this movie. (Miller, by the way, is no Jimmy Stewart, but does a fairly good acting turn as band leader Gene Morrison.) There are some good early-career performances. Cesar Romero appears as the band's piano player, who can't walk past a girl without propositioning her. Jackie Gleason appears as the band's bass player, whose wife insists on bringing her new vacuum cleaner with them on the tour. (Amazingly, Gleason and his wife seem to have the sanest marriage in the movie.) And Harry Morgan, later of "M*A*S*H" appears as a jerk of a soda jerk.

The movie closes with an amazing dance number by the slip-sliding, high-flying Nicholas Brothers. And there's a funny scene between the orchestra wives, where Connie turns the tables and exposes their secrets to each other (i.e. who is running around with whose husband behind whose back). This leads to a hilarious "Crystal vs. Alexis"-style free-for-all between two of the wives.

But mostly, this movie belongs to the band. The great musical numbers by Glenn Miller's band still have their power and sweet sound after sixty years. And it is a joy to see the band in action, recorded for all time, in "Orchestra Wives." P.S. The DVD includes a commentary track by Ann Rutherford and Fayard Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers, in which they reminisce together about making the movie, and about their days in vaudeville, radio, and the Golden Age of Hollywood. It's such a wonderful and intimate commentary track. You can almost picture the two of them sitting together in the screening room, holding hands as they recorded it.

On Australian television, this movie has always been shown as the second half of a double bill, following 'Sun Valley Serenade'. It's a neat balancing act, the upbeat nature of 'Sun Valley Serenade' being brought back to earth by the semi-documentary flavour of 'Orchestra Wives'. The latter is a compelling movie and as another reviewer pointed out, it didn't do well in the USA. At a guess I'd put this down to the non-melodramatic but seemingly realistic performances - unusual at the time. Having been a fan of Ann Rutherford since enjoying her in the 'Andy Hardy' movies, I was struck by her excellent but out of character performance. Once again the Nicholas Brothers provide the most memorable scene but all in all, it's a fine screenplay with great production values.

The only reasons to see "Orchestra Wives" is to see and hear some great musical acts. Unfortunately, this film sinks when it comes to the plot and is not especially enjoyable overall.

The film is about a fictional band led by Gene Morrison. Why they called the guy Gene Morrison is beyond me, as the guy was actually Glenn Miller. Why not just say this is Glenn Miller?! Plus, I loved being able to not only see and hear Miller and his music but also see him act. Unfortunately, despite being billed third, he was really only a supporting actor--in support of a very weak story. In addition to seeing him, I was THRILLED to see the Nicholas Brothers near the end-- and the film is worth seeing just for them. They were, perhaps, the greatest tap dancers ever--and when you see them, at first, you might not believe it. Just watch--as the routine heats up, their acrobatics become INSANE!!

As for the story,..well, it stank. One the band members (George Montgomery) meets and marries a woman (Ann Rutherford) he barely even knows. However, soon he dumps her back home with the other orchestra wives and the catty wives do their best to make the wife doubt her new husband's faithfulness--and they do a great job of it. However, she really DID have reason to suspect him, as the hubby seemed like a total jerk. Yet, after she catches him in a hotel room with another woman, HE behaves as is SHE is a nagging wife and should have trusted him. It makes absolutely no sense at all--and infuriated me. He was hopelessly unlikable and frankly the whole notion of 'love at first sight' is pretty stupid. As a retired psychotherapist, I must point out that marriages based on this are generally doomed!

All in all, a sticky story that seemed pretty unimportant and poorly written. But at least the music was very nice. And, if you do choose to see the film, look for Jackie Gleason, Caesar Romero, Harry Morgan and Dale Evans in various supporting roles.

It's Glenn Miller and his orchestra all right, even though the producers called him Gene Morris or something like that, and there is lots of music played by them. This movie seems to be almost unknown, yet it should by on the top of the list of every Glenn Miller fan. The sound is not bad for a 1942 recording.

The story line ... is not worse than those of hundred other movies, past and present, without redeeming musical numbers. It's about the few wives or girl friends traveling with the band, who do not necessarily make the musicians' hardships on the road any easier. In the style of these older movies, things are happening at a good clip and are never too melodramatic.

Glenn Miller plays "Glenn Miller" pretty well in a low-key manner and looks quite realistic. How could they make such great music with the smoking and the bad food at odd hours?

Glenn Miller's band go on tour and so we get some swing music to enjoy. For a storyline, we get naïve small-town girl Ann Rutherford (Connie) hooking up with trumpet player George Montgomery (Bill) and becoming part of the troupe of back-stabbing orchestra wives. After a simpleton start, she plays them at their own game with admirable determination and this leads on to a good slap or two or three. Everyone reunites in the end for a quality musical finale.

The story isn't much – it's contrived and has leaps of absurdity – but that's not the point. Watch it for the music. The film is encased in between two show-stopping numbers. We begin with "People Like You and Me" and end with "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" and these two pieces are the film's highlights. The last includes a dance routine from the Nicholas Brothers that shows what gymnasts they are as well as crazy dancers. Both these songs also include Tex Beneke singing along with the Modernaires. As regards the Modernaires, there is a very noticeable blonde singer who immediately reminded me of Betty Hutton. Well,……I found out after watching the film that it's her sister. Far less blustery, though, thank goodness.

In terms of acting, I don't know why people refer to Glenn Miller as being a wooden actor. Maybe he is but he's perfectly fine as himself. It's irrelevant. I did feel that there was not enough of pianist Cesar Romero (St. John) and bass player Jackie Gleason (Ben) and too much of the love interest between Montgomery and Rutherford. Neither of these two leads were particularly interesting – more like a couple of wet fishes. Montgomery is actually quite a nasty character in the beginning with his treatment of soda jerk Harry Morgan (Cully).

So, if you fancy life on the road as an orchestra wife, don't forget to pack your hoover. And be prepared for a fight. And, of course, good music.

In many ways a typical studio movie of its time: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, trouble between boy and girl, etc. Resolutions to the dramatic twist are more comic than realistic, but that's standard fare for movies of that era and fans of this genre know what to expect.

The Glenn Miller orchestra with vocals by Marion Hutton, Tex Benecke, and the excellent production values inputed by the film's producers make this movie worth seeing. Also, print out the entire cast list from the IMDb and note all the stars worth identifying as the film progresses.

A must see/have for fans of Glenn Miller and the popular music of the WWII era. If you romanticize this era, as I do, you'll love the film.

George Montgomery, Anne Rutherford, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, Lynn Barrie, Cesar Romero, Carole Landis, Mary Beth Hughes, Harry Morgan, Jackie Gleason, and the Nicholas Brothers all star in "Orchestra Wives," a 1942 musical film.

Montgomery plays Bill Abbott, and one night, he meets a fan, Connie Ward, and invites her to see the orchestra the next night. She can't get into the concert because she doesn't have an escort, but he spots her when he comes outside. Her bus is about to arrive, and to keep her from leaving so soon, he proposes. She accepts. The next day, the band goes on tour, and Connie accompanies him.

Connie's a nice, sweet young woman and isn't prepared for the other wives, who are pretty horrid. The worst isn't a wife, she's the group's singer, Jaynie (Lynn Bari), who used to date Bill and is determined to get him back. She befriends Connie. One evening, the orchestra has a concert in a nearby town, and all the wives stay back. One of the wives lets it slip that Jaynie and Bill used to date. Connie leaves in tears, and the wives call Jaynie to tell her that Connie is en route. Jaynie arranges to have Bill come to her room and lend her some money.

When Connie arrives, she sees what looks like a compromising scene. She and Bill fight, and Connie leaves. As a result of a fight Connie has with the other women, in which she reveals how they all talk behind each other's backs, the entire orchestra breaks up, and Connie goes home.

Very slight story with some wonderful music and singing. Miller's orchestra is interspersed with actors Gleason, Montgomery, and Romero. This was my parents' era and made me think of them -- the film was released in 1942 and made before Pearl Harbor, so the music and dancing has a joyous feel to it. Interesting that in those days the audience wasn't a passive one attending a concert. They got up and danced! Really delightful, with a lovely performance by the pretty Rutherford. Montgomery made mostly westerns; it's nice to see him out of the western garb. At the end of the film, the Nicholas Brothers do a spectacular number. (Once I asked my father if he'd ever heard of them and he said, "No, I couldn't afford the musicals.")

A final thought: was M*A*S*H's Harry Morgan ever really that young? Guess so.

Delightful movie but dated. The music of Glen Miller is the main star of this interesting and entertaining period piece. The cast of this movie include three performers who were to become superstars, Dale Evans, Jackie Gleason and Harry Morgan. Interesting to watch them when they were relative unknowns. I wonder what Harry Morgan would have said if he was told that 35 years later he would be a nationally known star in a television sitcom. The cast was wonderful. Ann Rutherford and George Montgomery had that special chemistry and the ladies, Mary Beth Hughes, Virginia Gilmore, Carole Landis and the beautiful Lynn Bari were beautiful, charming ... and naughty. Hey, what's a girl supposed to do when her husband musician is on the road and playing before ... women? And let's not forget the incomparable and always classy Cesar Romero and the incredible dance number performed by the Nicholas Brothers. Their act alone makes this movie worth watching. So if you are looking for some light entertainment featuring 1940s jazz numbers and snappy dialog, then this is the movie for you. Bravo to Archie Mayo.

As a fan of big band music, this is a personal favorite of mine. But, it's not just that great Glenn Miller music but, it's one of less than a handful of films featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra and one of the only places to see Tex Beneke sing. Also, you get to see "The Great One", Jackie Gleason long before Ralph Kramden; A young Harry Morgan who played on the tv hits Dragnet and M*A*S*H and Ceasar Romero long before he was battling Batman as the Joker on the original Batman series.

SUN VALLEY SERENADE was a surprise and a big success when it came to Europe, and I don't understand why ORCHESTRA WIVES did not travel well over the Atlantic (to my knowledge). The musical numbers are quite a few, and Lucien Ballard did a tremendous work at filming them. The Nicholas Brothers are even better than in the former Miller movie (and they were at their climax the year after, in STORMY WEATHER). The plot is unessential, as in most of the musicals, but the "wives" are all good looking and the players are credible too. Special mention to singer Marion Hutton, sax player Tex Benneke and drummer Moe Purtill, all uncredited.henry caraso

There are no MGM styled production numbers in this 20th Century musical. But much better than that, you can see the legendary Glen Miller and his equally legendary orchestra and the Modernaires enchanting us in this l940 treat. the story is forgettable: the trials and tribulations of a bunch of wives whose husbands are all Big Band musicians. Lynn Bari plays the bitchy star singer who has the hots for Robert Montgomery and is determined to mess things up for his naive, dewy-eyed little wife, played in sad-eyed and weepy fashion by Ann Rutherford (Careen in "Gone With the Wind"). But just wait until the music starts and you'll be swinging your foot in rhythm or maybe even jumping to your feet and dancing along to "Kalamazoo", "At Last", "Serenade in Blue" and "People like You and Me." The personality who really jumps out is the blonde-haired, electrifying Marion Hutton who sings with the Modernaires. She looks very much like her more famous sister, Betty Hutton, but Marion steals all of her scenes. Just watch her belt out "People Like You and Me" and even better, "Kalamazoo." Yet, she and her handsome co-singer, Ray Eberle, are not even listed in the credits! Tex Benedet plays that sexy sax and harmonizes with the Modernaires. Bari performs a sultry "Serenade in Blue" and like her performance in "Sun Valley Serenade" lip syncs to another singer. Never mind. This is a fun, unforgettable experience to see why Glenn Miller and his Orchestra and singers were the hottest things in music during the late 30s and early 40s. He and his musicians vanished when their plane crossed the Atlantic during World War II.

Orchestra Wives (1942)

Archie Mayo is a functional director remembered a couple of first rate movies, "Petrified Forest" and "A Night in Casablanca." Now Hollywood has slews of great movies by directors like this, getting just the right mixture of elements to succeed, but their other movies still usually have elements, moments, or qualities that rise above and make them worthwhile.

This is a war time big band lightweight romance. But it has such great music and some polished great acting (some), the contrived plot is easy to swallow. It's a fun, excellent ride, not at all shabby. Ann Rutherford is really first rate, sweet and smart when she needs to be, and touching at others.

The music? Completely Glenn Miller. The real Glenn Miller, even though he takes on the name of Gene Morrison for the role. And it's great to see them playing (or pretending to play--it's a pretty good match, but not live recording and filming). It's the great film introduction for "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo," which is enough to enshrine the movie (including a second version with a pair of African-American singers and dancers leading the way). This is Miller's second film, and is part of the home front cheerleading (in the best sense) a worried public as the U.S. entered the war. Miller of course formed a whole new band for the war effort, and died when his plane disappeared in Europe. It's part of his lore, and it adds some pathos to how we see the movie now, in retrospect.

The male lead, across from Rutherford, is the band's trumpet player, meant to be the incomparable Harry James, but played not by the real James (which would have been fun) but by George Montgomery. Cesar Romaro plays a clichéd role, and makes the most of it, endlessly cheerful. And look for a young Jackie Gleason a couple of times (he's a bass player).

The fairy tale ending is perfectly unbelievable, and a great feel-good cherry on a feel-good movie. Like many Astaire-Rogers movies, this musical drama is far far better than it should have been!

The Glenn Miller sound is unforgettable. The storyline is very good. Many musicals have lame plots. This snapshot of a band on the road is full of hardship, joy and the everyday treachery you find in many work places. This makes the movie seem all too real. The best Glenn Miller movie is of course, "The Glenn Miller Story." It has all of his number one hits. Both movies let you look back in time to view the best dance style ever, the Jitterbug. These movies along with "The Benny Goodman Story" show you good dancing backed up with the greatest big band songs ever written. This is music with class. It lifts your heart and soul, and the music leaves you on a higher plane.