Jive Junction

A young classically trained musician, Peter Crane, transfers from the Conservatory to Clinton High School, where he finds his music at odds with the high school world of Jive and Hep Cats. Claire falls in love with Peter, who is told by Grant Saunders to stay away from her. Later, afraid of hurting his hands, Peter gives up on a fight with Saunders and is considered a coward by Claire and her colleagues. He also goes home that day to find that his father has been killed in combat abroad. He turns to the jive and soon leads the school's band, which enters a national competition. On the night of the final competition, the band, through an accident, discovers they are without instruments. Peter runs to his former professor at the Conservatory, who lends him the instruments of a symphony orchestra he conducts.

PRC quickie for wartime audiences who understandably didn't care as long as they got a few minutes of escape. It's a no-name cast with forgettable musical numbers and the familiar "Let's put on a show" plot. So why watch it now after so many years. Okay, there's no compelling reason, but it does provide a pleasant hour's diversion along with a good look at youth styles and attitudes during those stressed-out war years. This is also a must-see for fans of cult director Edgar G. Ulmer, proving once again that his camera never faltered regardless of the material. Here his stamp can be clearly seen in the brief but effective montage of highschool band competition. But I'm still wondering why that cheap PRC outfit couldn't at least pop the money to cap Gerra Young's teeth for her many singing close-ups. Too bad, because this looks like her one-and-only shot at Deanna Durbin's teen-age operatic crown. Then there's Dickie Moore's eyes, the biggest, blackest, and most liquid of any on Hollywood record of that day or any day. Probably that was what got him started in the movies in the first place. Alright, so I'm no closer to a good reason for watching than I was before. But then how many times have you sat down expecting no more from the movie than pleasant entertainment. You can get that here along with a good glimpse of what youth were like before the teen sub-culture and Rock 'n Roll changed band leaders into strutting stage performers,

How does a minor production company keep costs down but still get the public's attention in the middle of the war? One way is to combine elements of major studios' successes and hire one known quantity as headliner. Here, the known quantity is the handsome former child star Dickie Moore, leading a group of largely unknown actors.

As for the end product, this one has all the elements of a wartime musical, B-picture style: a patriotic theme (without the bevy of stars of a Stage Door -- or Hollywood -- Canteen), a pseudo "let's put on a show" element (in the form of a school orchestra contest), and (thankfully) lots of music. Calling it a mishmash would be unfair, because the film does flow enjoyably, and there's just enough plot to hold it all together.

In the opera-gets-no-respect department, this film introduces a new talent, soprano Gerra Young, to draw the curious, but also delivers on the title's promise to provide plenty of the more popular jive of the day. (Hmmm, what movies today combine rap and opera?) And for whatever reason, this film turned out to be Young's only screen appearance.

In short, "Jive Junction" provides a brief break from the concerns of wartime, whether for the troops at the front or for families back on the home front.

This film was produced by Producers Releasing Corp. (PRC), among the so-called "Poverty Row" film studios of the 1930s and 40s. So you can imagine how little money was spent making it.

The music is forgettable. Cast member Gerra Young does exhibit an operatic-quality voice, but is sort of a discount Deanna Durbin. The IMDb database doesn't show any other film appearances for her, so let's hope she was able to move on to some kind of position in Grand Opera.

The opening credits for the print recently broadcast by Turner Classic Movies indicates this film has been preserved by the National Film Museum. This immediately begs the question—WHY?

Are their resources so plentiful that they can afford to preserve junk? Some low-budget or B musicals of that era have redeeming features which make them worthwhile. This film has none.

In my opinion, skip this movie. It REALLY wastes an hour of your time.

This Dickie Moore musical strikes all the appropriate notes for its mid-war audience, competently but without any real flair. The biggest potential for interest in the story, the introduction of the classically-trained star to hep jive popular music, is side-stepped at the beginning: he's picked it up on the side already. That pretty well establishes the tone: this is a simple story, without serious conflicts, passions or surprises.

The musical numbers are mostly adequate; they're passable but bland, with the notable exception of one pleasant vocal duet. The numbers were written for the movie, and appear to have been designed not to offend anyone. If you're a real fan of swing from the forties, you may be disappointed.

The dialogue is similar; while there are moments that sparkle, much is generic and predictable. The unquestioning sexism in the story is typical of the period, and is here mostly humorous now. Fortunately, it's a story made to play well to youth yet not anger the establishment. It works if used as such: enjoy it and move on.