New Orleans (film)
| New Orleans | |
|---|---|
| File:Neworleans.jpg
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
| Produced by | Jules Levey Herbert Biberman (associate producer) |
| Written by | Elliot Paul Dick Irving Hyland Elliot Paul (story) Herbert Biberman (story) |
| Starring | Arturo de Córdova Dorothy Patrick Marjorie Lord Billie Holiday Louis Armstrong Woody Herman |
| Cinematography | Lucien Andriot |
|
Production
company |
Majestic Productions
|
| Distributed by | United Artists |
|
Release dates
|
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
|
|
Running time
|
90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
New Orleans is a 1947 musical drama featuring Billie Holiday as a singing maid and Louis Armstrong as a bandleader; supporting players Holiday and Armstrong perform together and portray a couple becoming romantically involved. During one song, Armstrong's character introduces the members of his band, a virtual Who's Who of classic jazz greats, including trombonist Kid Ory, drummer Zutty Singleton, clarinetist Barney Bigard, guitar player Bud Scott, bassist George "Red" Callender, pianist Charlie Beal, and pianist Meade Lux Lewis. Also performing in the film is cornetist Mutt Carey and bandleader Woody Herman. The music, however, takes a back seat to a rather conventional plot. The movie stars Arturo de Cordova and Dorothy Patrick, features Marjorie Lord, and was directed by Arthur Lubin.
Production
New Orleans has its origins in an abandoned component of an unfinished RKO Pictures feature film by Orson Welles — "The Story of Jazz" segment of It's All True. A history of jazz alternatively titled "Jam Session", the section of the film was being written by Elliot Paul in 1941 under contract to Welles. The story of Louis Armstrong was to have been central to that segment of It's All True.[1]:29, 282, 325[2]:138–139
An additional connection to Welles is that several members of the film's Original New Orleans Ragtime Band — Kid Ory, Mutt Carey, Bud Scott, Barney Bigard and Zutty Singleton — had first been brought together in 1944, for his CBS Radio series, The Orson Welles Almanac.[2]:138–139
New Orleans is the only feature film made by singer Billie Holiday, and the last film in which writer-producer Herbert J. Biberman was involved before he was blacklisted.[3]
Cast
The credits for New Orleans are detailed at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.[3]
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
- Arturo de Córdova … Nick Duquesne
- Dorothy Patrick … Miralee Smith
- Marjorie Lord … Grace Voiselle
- Irene Rich … Mrs. Rutledge Smith
- John Alexander … Col. McArdle
- Richard Hageman … Henry Ferber
- Jack Lambert … Biff Lewis
- Bert Conway … Tommy Lake
- Joan Blair … Constance Vigil
- John Canady
- Louis Armstrong
- Billie Holiday … Endie
- Woody Herman and His Orchestra
- Zutty Singleton … Drums
- Barney Bigard … Clarinet
- Kid Ory … Trombone
- Bud Scott … Guitar
- Red Callender … Bass
- Charlie Beal … Piano
- Meade Lux Lewis … Piano
- Mutt Carey … Trumpet
- Shelley Winters ... Miss Holmbright (Nick's Chicago secretary; uncredited)
Home media
- 2000: Kino Lorber Home Video, Region 1 DVD, April 25, 2000[4]
Soundtrack
Although most of the music created for New Orleans was truncated in the film's release version,[5]:117 a soundtrack issued in 1983 made the full versions of the songs available, with additional music cut from the final release.[3][6] Songs include "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?"
References
- ↑ Benamou, Catherine L., It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007 ISBN 978-0-520-24247-0
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stowe, David Ware, Swing Changes: Big-Band Jazz in New Deal America. Cambridge, Mass. [u.a.]: Harvard University Press, 1998, ISBN 9780674858268
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bergan, Ronald, The United Artists Story. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1986, ISBN 0-517-56100X
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
