The Fabulous Dorseys Details

Warring bandleaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were stolid and ageing when they played themselves in this rather lacklustre biopic, which is best enjoyed simply as a visual record of their music. The hits include Green Eyes and Marie, and there's a solid jam session involving Art Tatum and Charlie Barnet, but the storytelling is perfunctory and the Dorsey Brothers themselves are no actors. Perhaps the most telling fact about the Dorseys is that they were prepared to portray themselves on screen constantly battling with each other, and that it took the death of their father to bring them together. These days we would probably call their relationship dysfunctional.