I was stationed in Korea for a year during the spring offensive , heartbreak ridge, etc. and they showed this movie one night. We loved it. Satchmo singing a "kiss to build a dream on" was fantastic. And would you believe we had the projectionist replay the Sally Forrest dance scene a dozen times!I gave this movie a 7 because it brought back memories after 50 years, even though ,aside from the good jazz, and Sally Forrest, the acting and story was mediocre. I only regret that it isnt on VHS.
27 Reviews
An above average 50's yarn
gary-44431 July 2006
These types off film were being hammered out weekly in the 1950's. Superficially, there is little to distinguish this from the rest. However as it progresses, there is much to admire and enjoy. I love the format of an a hour and a quarter running time. Long enough to tell a simple tale, but without any time for padding, every frame counts.
Mickey Rooney is a fine character actor. One of the minor amusements here is watching a diminutive Rooney playing the lead, being dwarfed by everyone apart from his leading lady, Sally Forrest, who is probably the only actor on screen smaller than him! The premise of the loser/little guy who stands up for himself works well with several acutely observed scenes. The tragic denouement is a genuine surprise and is well told with clever editing keeping the tale skimming along at a brisk pace.
The musical,and song and dance interludes provide pleasing pauses in the action resulting in a film that ultimately delivers because it works so conspicuously within it's boundaries, rather than trying to push them.
Mickey Rooney is a fine character actor. One of the minor amusements here is watching a diminutive Rooney playing the lead, being dwarfed by everyone apart from his leading lady, Sally Forrest, who is probably the only actor on screen smaller than him! The premise of the loser/little guy who stands up for himself works well with several acutely observed scenes. The tragic denouement is a genuine surprise and is well told with clever editing keeping the tale skimming along at a brisk pace.
The musical,and song and dance interludes provide pleasing pauses in the action resulting in a film that ultimately delivers because it works so conspicuously within it's boundaries, rather than trying to push them.
'A Kiss To Build A Dream On'
bkoganbing30 December 2010
The Strip marked Mickey Rooney's return to MGM after he had left in 1948 and the property was considerably down from what he was used to. Still The Strip is a nifty little noir film from MGM's B Picture unit that managed to earn itself one Academy Award nomination.
In The Strip Mickey finds himself a returning Korean War veteran who wants to get back into civilian life and he meets up with gangster James Craig, a rather smooth individual who 'sells insurance'. Mickey works for him in some non-violent occupations and Craig actually lets him leave to pursue his real dream of being a drummer. But Mickey finds himself falling big time for Craig's girlfriend Sally Forrest and that's where his problems begin.
The film is structured like Mildred Pierce with Mickey hauled into police headquarters because one of the cast has been found murdered and another hanging on for dear life. He relates his story to detective Tom Powers and we see the tale unfold.
The Strip is also a nice look at the jazz club life in Los Angeles of that period. Where Rooney winds up working is William Demarest's jazz club on Sunset Boulevard better known as The Strip. The film also gives us an exhibition of one of Mickey Rooney's many talents, that of a drummer. He shows that if he pursued and concentrated on that he could have been another Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa. And the chance to jam with such people as Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden must have been what sold the Mick on doing this film.
Guest starring in The Strip are singers Vic Damone and Monica Lewis, but the best thing about The Strip is the song A Kiss To Build A Dream On. That was the last song written by the celebrated Tin Pan Alley duo of Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar. It was an unfinished theme because Kalmar had died a few years earlier. To finish the lyric Ruby called on none other than Oscar Hammerstein, II and the combined talents of those three people earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for 1951. It lost however to In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman's hit from Here Comes The Groom. Louis Armstrong made a big hit record of it back in that day, you could hear it on jukeboxes for years.
I'm sure it was of some satisfaction to Rooney that he made a small B film so much better with his incredible talent for his former home studio. That and a wonderful song attached to The Strip make it fine entertainment still.
In The Strip Mickey finds himself a returning Korean War veteran who wants to get back into civilian life and he meets up with gangster James Craig, a rather smooth individual who 'sells insurance'. Mickey works for him in some non-violent occupations and Craig actually lets him leave to pursue his real dream of being a drummer. But Mickey finds himself falling big time for Craig's girlfriend Sally Forrest and that's where his problems begin.
The film is structured like Mildred Pierce with Mickey hauled into police headquarters because one of the cast has been found murdered and another hanging on for dear life. He relates his story to detective Tom Powers and we see the tale unfold.
The Strip is also a nice look at the jazz club life in Los Angeles of that period. Where Rooney winds up working is William Demarest's jazz club on Sunset Boulevard better known as The Strip. The film also gives us an exhibition of one of Mickey Rooney's many talents, that of a drummer. He shows that if he pursued and concentrated on that he could have been another Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa. And the chance to jam with such people as Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden must have been what sold the Mick on doing this film.
Guest starring in The Strip are singers Vic Damone and Monica Lewis, but the best thing about The Strip is the song A Kiss To Build A Dream On. That was the last song written by the celebrated Tin Pan Alley duo of Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar. It was an unfinished theme because Kalmar had died a few years earlier. To finish the lyric Ruby called on none other than Oscar Hammerstein, II and the combined talents of those three people earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for 1951. It lost however to In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman's hit from Here Comes The Groom. Louis Armstrong made a big hit record of it back in that day, you could hear it on jukeboxes for years.
I'm sure it was of some satisfaction to Rooney that he made a small B film so much better with his incredible talent for his former home studio. That and a wonderful song attached to The Strip make it fine entertainment still.
Drummer Noir
cutterccbaxter13 July 2005
There are things we can learn from the movies. Like in this movie we learn that if you have a girlfriend, it's probably not a good idea to introduce her to your mob buddy because he'll only steal her away from you. Besides the educational value of "The Strip", it is a true classic if only for all the drum solos it contains. I'm a big advocate of movies having lots of drum solos and Mickey Rooney's drumming is really showcased here. He's very good, and although the film suggests a downer noirish ending, ultimately Mickey's character "Stan" apparently gets to play in Louis Armstrong's band indefinitely, which strikes me as a great gig. It was fun to see William Demarest sit behind the drum kit too. Without the music interludes the story could have been told in about ten minutes, so the main reason to watch "The Strip" is for the music and dance numbers.
Film Noir Goes Musical
seymourblack-15 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
"The Strip" contains a number of seemingly incongruous components which theoretically probably shouldn't be able to work together successfully. The fact that they do is ultimately what makes this film so interesting and entertaining.
Stan Maxton (Mickey Rooney) is a character who makes numerous bad decisions, experiences consistently bad luck, gets falsely accused of two suspected murders, gets betrayed and beaten up and is finally devastated by the outcome of the story which leaves him feeling heartbroken and in a state of total despair. The fact that this grim tale is interspersed with some exhilarating dancing, upbeat jazz numbers and the romantic Oscar nominated song "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" is only surpassed in strangeness by the fact that Stan is normally such a chirpy, bright and breezy guy.
The movie's film noir credentials are clear from the typical opening shot of Sunset Strip, the voice over narration, the femme fatale, the neon lights and the very nature of the story. Additionally, there are also numerous doubles involved (e.g. two homicides, two car accidents when Stan is driving, two accidents caused by passengers, two girls romantically linked with Stan, the femme fatale's involvement with two men and two women involved with one of Stan's employers etc.).
The time taken out for the performances of the full songs, the drum solos and the dancing could reasonably be expected to be a problem and to interrupt the pace of the action in this type of movie. The fact that it doesn't is one of the strengths of this low budget offering and the presence of such great talents as Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden and Vic Damone is another.
Mickey Rooney is very energetic and especially impressive in the drumming sequences. The supporting performances by William Demarest, James Craig, Sally Forest and Kay Brown are also very good and contribute a great deal to the success of the film. Any doubts which the audience holds about the appropriateness of the musical content is effectively dispelled at the end when it becomes evident that if Stan is to find some form of salvation, it will almost certainly be achieved through his involvement with music.
Stan Maxton (Mickey Rooney) is a character who makes numerous bad decisions, experiences consistently bad luck, gets falsely accused of two suspected murders, gets betrayed and beaten up and is finally devastated by the outcome of the story which leaves him feeling heartbroken and in a state of total despair. The fact that this grim tale is interspersed with some exhilarating dancing, upbeat jazz numbers and the romantic Oscar nominated song "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" is only surpassed in strangeness by the fact that Stan is normally such a chirpy, bright and breezy guy.
The movie's film noir credentials are clear from the typical opening shot of Sunset Strip, the voice over narration, the femme fatale, the neon lights and the very nature of the story. Additionally, there are also numerous doubles involved (e.g. two homicides, two car accidents when Stan is driving, two accidents caused by passengers, two girls romantically linked with Stan, the femme fatale's involvement with two men and two women involved with one of Stan's employers etc.).
The time taken out for the performances of the full songs, the drum solos and the dancing could reasonably be expected to be a problem and to interrupt the pace of the action in this type of movie. The fact that it doesn't is one of the strengths of this low budget offering and the presence of such great talents as Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden and Vic Damone is another.
Mickey Rooney is very energetic and especially impressive in the drumming sequences. The supporting performances by William Demarest, James Craig, Sally Forest and Kay Brown are also very good and contribute a great deal to the success of the film. Any doubts which the audience holds about the appropriateness of the musical content is effectively dispelled at the end when it becomes evident that if Stan is to find some form of salvation, it will almost certainly be achieved through his involvement with music.
Dumb script. Some good music. Great L.A. period piece, though.
ChanRobt3 May 2003
Warning: Spoilers
One of the dumber scripts around. The dramatic conclusion to the story takes place off screen and is merely described in a police report. (Girl shoots gangster dead for threatening her boyfriend [Rooney] gets killed herself in the fracas.
Some good musical numbers--mainly Satchmo singing "A Kiss to Build a Dream On." Rooney and Demarest are actually both good being Rooney and Demarest.
But as an L.A. period piece (released in '51) it's fun to see the Sunset strip and other locations. Particularly if you grew up around here. There are a lot of movies from that period, made on a low budget with crummy scripts. But fun to watch for their money-saving use of locations and for their natural noir ambience.
Some good musical numbers--mainly Satchmo singing "A Kiss to Build a Dream On." Rooney and Demarest are actually both good being Rooney and Demarest.
But as an L.A. period piece (released in '51) it's fun to see the Sunset strip and other locations. Particularly if you grew up around here. There are a lot of movies from that period, made on a low budget with crummy scripts. But fun to watch for their money-saving use of locations and for their natural noir ambience.
A Song to Build a Drama On
wes-connors9 July 2010
Hollywood's finest are called to investigate two gunshot victims, which leads the police to haul jazz drummer Mickey Rooney (as Stanley "Stan" Maxton) in for questioning
In flashback, Mr. Rooney explains how he became acquainted with wounded Sally Forrest (as Jane Tafford) and dead James Craig (as Delwyn "Sonny" Johnson). After Korean War service, Rooney goes to work for the latter, a successful salesman. When one of Mr. Craig's joints is raided, Rooney escapes in an auto driven by Ms. Forrest. His pretty blonde driver tells Rooney she works as a dancer at the Dixieland nightclub "fluff's" on "The Strip" (Sunset Strip).
Rooney goes to see Forrest dance. Wearing those stockings with the eye-catching lines going up the back, Forrest dances up a storm. Then, Rooney shows off his prowess with the sticks (he impersonates a drummer very well), which prompts a job offer from club owner William Demarest (as Fluff). To get close to Forrest, Rooney takes the job. Unfortunately, Rooney winds up being third wheel to the future shooting victims...
Louis Armstrong and the musicians are terrific. Mr. Armstrong's rendition of "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was a big R&B and Pop hit during the film's release. Rooney is fun to watch behind the drum set, or breakfast table and piano with Mr. Demarest. And, he and Tommy Rettig (as Artie) have some funny scenes. "The Strip" doesn't know whether to be a musical or a crime drama, but one makes up for what the other lacks.
****** The Strip (8/31/51) Leslie Kardos ~ Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig
Rooney goes to see Forrest dance. Wearing those stockings with the eye-catching lines going up the back, Forrest dances up a storm. Then, Rooney shows off his prowess with the sticks (he impersonates a drummer very well), which prompts a job offer from club owner William Demarest (as Fluff). To get close to Forrest, Rooney takes the job. Unfortunately, Rooney winds up being third wheel to the future shooting victims...
Louis Armstrong and the musicians are terrific. Mr. Armstrong's rendition of "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was a big R&B and Pop hit during the film's release. Rooney is fun to watch behind the drum set, or breakfast table and piano with Mr. Demarest. And, he and Tommy Rettig (as Artie) have some funny scenes. "The Strip" doesn't know whether to be a musical or a crime drama, but one makes up for what the other lacks.
****** The Strip (8/31/51) Leslie Kardos ~ Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig
The many talents of Mickey Rooney
HotToastyRag19 November 2019
At first, The Strip seems like an ordinary mid-fifties mystery, and while technically it is, there are a few elements in it that make it stand out from the rest of the pack. The song "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was introduced in this movie, and you'll get to hear it sung three times. First, William Demarest and Mickey Rooney sing it at the piano, then Kay Brown uses it as an audition piece, and finally Louis Armstrong performs it at a nightclub. If you like that song, you'll be pretty happy.
Next up is Mickey Rooney, who not only gives a good acting performance, but also gets to show off his impressive drum skills. If you missed Strike Up the Band, you'll get to see him drumming himself into even more of a frenzy in this one. Mickey stars as a guy who gets pushed around and falls into a bad situation because he's chasing the wrong girl. He falls for Sally Forrest, an aspiring entertainer, but as she strings Mickey along, she also makes eyes at his boss, the powerful and dangerous James Craig. Sally gets a couple of killer dance numbers to show off her talent, appeal, and figure. If you like Lee Remick, you'll think Sally is a doll. It's no wonder she gets both Mickey and James crazy about her! Poor Mickey, Sally prefers James because she thinks he'll help her break into show business. When she breaks a date with Mickey for James, Mickey wears a wonderful expression on his face as he says, "I don't like that." You can see the defeat in his eyes, as if he already knows it's a lost cause. He's trying to come across as authoritative and possessive in a macho way, but he knows it's only coming across as pathetic and out-of-control. It's a nondescript line and a very brief scene, but he makes it memorable.
You might think this is just a thin plot stringing together a bunch of song and dance numbers, but give it a chance. If you've never seen Mickey Rooney as an adult, you'll be very pleasantly surprised at what he can do when he doesn't have manic energy. Next up, rent Killer McCoy to see him pull out all the stops! And if you watch this movie and root for James Craig to get the girl, rent Lost Angel to see him in a really cute role.
Next up is Mickey Rooney, who not only gives a good acting performance, but also gets to show off his impressive drum skills. If you missed Strike Up the Band, you'll get to see him drumming himself into even more of a frenzy in this one. Mickey stars as a guy who gets pushed around and falls into a bad situation because he's chasing the wrong girl. He falls for Sally Forrest, an aspiring entertainer, but as she strings Mickey along, she also makes eyes at his boss, the powerful and dangerous James Craig. Sally gets a couple of killer dance numbers to show off her talent, appeal, and figure. If you like Lee Remick, you'll think Sally is a doll. It's no wonder she gets both Mickey and James crazy about her! Poor Mickey, Sally prefers James because she thinks he'll help her break into show business. When she breaks a date with Mickey for James, Mickey wears a wonderful expression on his face as he says, "I don't like that." You can see the defeat in his eyes, as if he already knows it's a lost cause. He's trying to come across as authoritative and possessive in a macho way, but he knows it's only coming across as pathetic and out-of-control. It's a nondescript line and a very brief scene, but he makes it memorable.
You might think this is just a thin plot stringing together a bunch of song and dance numbers, but give it a chance. If you've never seen Mickey Rooney as an adult, you'll be very pleasantly surprised at what he can do when he doesn't have manic energy. Next up, rent Killer McCoy to see him pull out all the stops! And if you watch this movie and root for James Craig to get the girl, rent Lost Angel to see him in a really cute role.
Give me a kiss to build a dream on
sol-kay13 July 2005
Mickey Rooney as discharged Korean War veteran Stanley Maxton not only gets a chance to act as a grown up out on his own in the big city of L.A the movie "The Strip" also showcases his ability to play the drums which he's very good at.
The story in itself is more or less average with Stan getting in with the wrong crowd. later when he meets pretty Jane Tafford, Sally Forrest, as he was running from the L.A vice squad. Stan falls so madly in love with the "Fluff's" nightclub cigarette girl and part-time dancer that he quits his job working for local mobster Sonny Johnson, James Craig,to work full-time as a drummer with the Louie Armstrong band at the club.
We already know before were even introduced to Stan that Jane is badly injured and dying in the hospital and Sonny is dead from a gunshot wound as the movie started. In a "Dragnet" like introduction we see a police car pull up at Jane's apartment in L.A finding her on the floor bleeding to death. Stan later picked up at his pad is taken to the police station and quizzed about both, Jane & Sonny's, shooting. The film then goes into a long flashback to how this whole tangled and deadly affair began. Stan wasn't too bright in his falling for Jane's obvious attempt to exploit his connections with big time mobster Sonny Johnson.
Sonny promising to get Jane a screen test and a short-cut into the movies as an actress had the star-struck Jane fall for Sonny's line that he knows people in high places in Hollywood, hook line and sinker. Jane then dropped Stan who thought that she was in love with him like a hot potato. Sonny also wasn't that fond of Stan checking out on him to work for Fluff's and sent two of his goons to Stan's place to first talk him into coming back and later work him over for not being too cooperative.
Stans later warning Jane about Sonny's involvement with the mob backfired when she went to have it out with him about his stringing her along and getting her nowhere in the movies which resulted in his being shot and killed and her ending up on life-support. At the police station Stan in another one of his hair brain attempts to get Jane to come back to him confessed to killing Sonny. It's then that he's told later by L.A police Detective Let. Bonnablo, Tom Powers, that she already confessed to the killing in a typed statement and didn't survive her injuries. Even there with him wanting to take the rap for Jane Stan ended up looking like a total jerk.
What I thought was the biggest boner that Stan made in the movie, and he made a lot of them, was him not noticing how Edna, Kay Brown, another girl who worked at "Fluff's" was absolutely crazy about him and how he just shoved her off every time she tried to make the slightest attempt to talk and get friendly with him. Edna who for some reason was called "kid" by everyone in the film, I had to find out what her name was in the IMDb credits, was as pretty, if not more so, then Jane and much nicer and kinder to Stan. But as usual, like with everything else he did in the movie, Stan completely overlooked a good thing when he saw one by being blind to the feelings that she had for him. Even when she was right in front of Stan sweetly asking him for a date!
The story in itself is more or less average with Stan getting in with the wrong crowd. later when he meets pretty Jane Tafford, Sally Forrest, as he was running from the L.A vice squad. Stan falls so madly in love with the "Fluff's" nightclub cigarette girl and part-time dancer that he quits his job working for local mobster Sonny Johnson, James Craig,to work full-time as a drummer with the Louie Armstrong band at the club.
We already know before were even introduced to Stan that Jane is badly injured and dying in the hospital and Sonny is dead from a gunshot wound as the movie started. In a "Dragnet" like introduction we see a police car pull up at Jane's apartment in L.A finding her on the floor bleeding to death. Stan later picked up at his pad is taken to the police station and quizzed about both, Jane & Sonny's, shooting. The film then goes into a long flashback to how this whole tangled and deadly affair began. Stan wasn't too bright in his falling for Jane's obvious attempt to exploit his connections with big time mobster Sonny Johnson.
Sonny promising to get Jane a screen test and a short-cut into the movies as an actress had the star-struck Jane fall for Sonny's line that he knows people in high places in Hollywood, hook line and sinker. Jane then dropped Stan who thought that she was in love with him like a hot potato. Sonny also wasn't that fond of Stan checking out on him to work for Fluff's and sent two of his goons to Stan's place to first talk him into coming back and later work him over for not being too cooperative.
Stans later warning Jane about Sonny's involvement with the mob backfired when she went to have it out with him about his stringing her along and getting her nowhere in the movies which resulted in his being shot and killed and her ending up on life-support. At the police station Stan in another one of his hair brain attempts to get Jane to come back to him confessed to killing Sonny. It's then that he's told later by L.A police Detective Let. Bonnablo, Tom Powers, that she already confessed to the killing in a typed statement and didn't survive her injuries. Even there with him wanting to take the rap for Jane Stan ended up looking like a total jerk.
What I thought was the biggest boner that Stan made in the movie, and he made a lot of them, was him not noticing how Edna, Kay Brown, another girl who worked at "Fluff's" was absolutely crazy about him and how he just shoved her off every time she tried to make the slightest attempt to talk and get friendly with him. Edna who for some reason was called "kid" by everyone in the film, I had to find out what her name was in the IMDb credits, was as pretty, if not more so, then Jane and much nicer and kinder to Stan. But as usual, like with everything else he did in the movie, Stan completely overlooked a good thing when he saw one by being blind to the feelings that she had for him. Even when she was right in front of Stan sweetly asking him for a date!
A good Noir/music B-film.
lhmcm29 August 2022
Starring Mickey Rooney, the 1951 noir film 'The Strip' follows a man involved with gangsters as he falls in love and tries to save his lover and himself.
The Strip is a good movie. It has great music and an interesting story, as well as classic noir-style black and white cinematography. Louis Armstrong and his band are given multiple full music scenes That are delightful.
And, like all good noirs, there's a twist ending, too. You'll just have to watch the movie to find out what it is.
I watched this movie when it was on TCM because it had an interesting plot, as well as Mickey Rooney and Louis Armstrong. And it was the right decision, because The Strip is a good use of 85 minutes of your time.
Jazzy, stylish and fascinating, The Strip is a noir B-movie success that is worth the watch.
The Strip is a good movie. It has great music and an interesting story, as well as classic noir-style black and white cinematography. Louis Armstrong and his band are given multiple full music scenes That are delightful.
And, like all good noirs, there's a twist ending, too. You'll just have to watch the movie to find out what it is.
I watched this movie when it was on TCM because it had an interesting plot, as well as Mickey Rooney and Louis Armstrong. And it was the right decision, because The Strip is a good use of 85 minutes of your time.
Jazzy, stylish and fascinating, The Strip is a noir B-movie success that is worth the watch.
Part Noir, Part Jazz Concert, Pretty Bad
Handlinghandel25 July 2005
Mickey Rooney isn't convincing in the role of a nice guy who falls in with a bad crowd. His acting is OK. He just doesn't look the part. Sally Forrest has been better elsewhere.
The plot, told primarily in flashback, is routine: Honest boy in dishonest profession falls for cold, ambitious girl. Murder is involved. The whole nine yards. One has to like jazz to enjoy this. And was Vic Damone, for whom the plot stops while he delivers a number, considered jazz?
On the other hand, the main song, originally delivered in a bizarre duet between Rooney and William Demarest, is a great one. "A Song To Build A Dream ON": Such a gem deserved a better setting.
The plot, told primarily in flashback, is routine: Honest boy in dishonest profession falls for cold, ambitious girl. Murder is involved. The whole nine yards. One has to like jazz to enjoy this. And was Vic Damone, for whom the plot stops while he delivers a number, considered jazz?
On the other hand, the main song, originally delivered in a bizarre duet between Rooney and William Demarest, is a great one. "A Song To Build A Dream ON": Such a gem deserved a better setting.
Play faster and forget trouble !
franzgehl19 August 2000
If you like jazz, you'll like this one : there's a good part of this movie which takes place in Los Angeles' night-clubs with guest star Louis Armstrong. The story may look classical for a film noir, but the way it shows the story of a drummer penetrating in the underground world is surprising : watch it especially for the drum solos. Enjoyable !
Ancient Vegas
DKosty12327 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I am thinking when I look at the scenery here, that these clubs rolling across the screen are clubs that populated the Vegas strip in the late 1940's. The film uses the classic Hollywood flash back technique to tell it's story, film noir style.
The problem with the story is the main romance is one sided. The reason behind this is that the girl just doesn't love the drummer. This causes a major drag on the script as the viewer has trouble caring about the main characters because of this.
What I enjoy about this most is Louie Armstrong and his orchestra. William Demarest is solid in support but gets just pieces of script to deliver. The music is the best character. The actors and actresses are secondary. I think if the story were better with this cast, this movie could have been more memorable.
Instead it comes off as the B feature it surely was. The music is so good that you wind up wishing the film had more than it delivers.
The problem with the story is the main romance is one sided. The reason behind this is that the girl just doesn't love the drummer. This causes a major drag on the script as the viewer has trouble caring about the main characters because of this.
What I enjoy about this most is Louie Armstrong and his orchestra. William Demarest is solid in support but gets just pieces of script to deliver. The music is the best character. The actors and actresses are secondary. I think if the story were better with this cast, this movie could have been more memorable.
Instead it comes off as the B feature it surely was. The music is so good that you wind up wishing the film had more than it delivers.
MGM co-feature...relentlessly padded, even at 85 minutes
moonspinner553 March 2011
Ex-serviceman, posing as an insurance salesman but actually working for a racketeer, allows a pretty but romantically-aloof waitress to talk him into taking the drummer's gig at the jazz club where she works; naturally, he thinks this means she loves him, but she's got eyes for his dapper former boss. "The Strip"--as in Hollywood's famous Sunset Strip--is, if nothing else, a flashback to Los Angeles in 1951, when wealthy mobsters ruled the underworld and nightclubs were packed with patrons just waiting for a hot drum solo. If it weren't for Joe Pasternak's production and Robert Surtees' cinematography, this MGM effort would easily pass for a b-movie. The script and characters are too thin to support the framing story about a shooting, while Mickey Rooney's hyper lead performance verges on camp. Rooney, playing a musician so clean-cut he actually leaves the lucrative 'dark side' for a life of hoped-for domesticity, is unconvincingly unfettered by drugs or booze--his vice is romance! The movie has no connection with reality, though the soloists (including Louis Armstrong and Vic Damone) are enjoyable. ** from ****
Minor but interesting as "musical" noir
bmacv19 October 2000
The murder/suspense plot is little more than a convenient set of bookends to showcase the post-adolescent Mickey Rooney, Sally Forest and a gathering of jazz greats (Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Vic Damone) in the setting of a Sunset Strip nightspot. James Craig isn't bad as the mustachioed "heavy" doting on his office foliage (after Dewey's defeat in '48, mustaches became quite unAmerican). This movie is neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring, and only marginally "noir" by virtue of date, setting and plotline, but it's watchable -- the music and dance numbers are pretty good. Like a couple of other films ("The Man I Love;" "Love Me or Leave Me") it gives evidence that a new genre might have been in formation: the musical noir.
some nice music
SnoopyStyle4 August 2021
The Strip is a seedy area in Hollywood. The movie is filmed around the Sunset Strip. Jane Tafford (Sally Forrest) is found murdered and the police investigates. They interrogate Stanley Maxton (Mickey Rooney). He's a drummer in a night club where he pines for cigarette girl Jane but she's more interested in night club owner Sonny Johnson (James Craig). This has a few distinguished musicians including the legendary Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong.
This is a functional crime drama. It struggles to be noir. I don't think Rooney is able to go that dark and the style is limited. The legendary musicians give this movie an edge but it's a little sad to see it used for old style white people dancing. This is closer to a B-movie except for some A level talent.
This is a functional crime drama. It struggles to be noir. I don't think Rooney is able to go that dark and the style is limited. The legendary musicians give this movie an edge but it's a little sad to see it used for old style white people dancing. This is closer to a B-movie except for some A level talent.
Bang the drum Mickey.
st-shot9 April 2011
Orson Welles once called Mickey Rooney the most talented person in Hollywood. The multi faceted Rooney could not only sing, act and dance but also played a variety of instruments. With Andy Hardy all grown up and his career on the rocks Rooney calls on his percussionist expertise to get his career beating again in The Strip.
After being released from the hospital after the war Stanley Maxton heads for LA to get his career going again as a drummer. Getting into a car accident en-route he meets Sonny Johnson (James Craig ) a bookie who gives him a job taking bets. His desire is to drum though bring's him to Fluff's where he meets dancer/cigarette girl Jane (Sally Forrest) and takes on the job of the house drummer. Sonny visits the club and falls for Jane who in turn gravitates towards him and his abilities to further her career. When Sonny turns up dead Stanley is the prime suspect.
Rooney looks amazingly adept and quite convincing behind the drum kit but his performance and the production itself isn't even worth a rim shot never mind a drum roll. Rooney is little more than Andy visits the land of vice with a handful of Louis Stone surrogates to guide him along the way. Rooney lacks the depth as an actor to bring any substance to Maxton. He is still the pining teen from the series. As fatale Sally Forrest is limber but her performance is timber.
The film itself is a pasty noir where the technicians seemed to have forgotten to turn off some of the lights to exact mood and intent. It's more Dragnet than expressionist with the most interesting twists and dynamic, the relationship between Sonny and Jane ignored in favor of Mickey's brooding.
The film's highlight albeit brief and truncated is the performing of Louis Armstrong's band at Fluff's with precious moments from trombonist Jack Teargarden and pianist Earl Fatha Hines giving excuse enough to avoid this stretch of bad road and turn on the Victrola to listen to these diamonds in the rough instead.
After being released from the hospital after the war Stanley Maxton heads for LA to get his career going again as a drummer. Getting into a car accident en-route he meets Sonny Johnson (James Craig ) a bookie who gives him a job taking bets. His desire is to drum though bring's him to Fluff's where he meets dancer/cigarette girl Jane (Sally Forrest) and takes on the job of the house drummer. Sonny visits the club and falls for Jane who in turn gravitates towards him and his abilities to further her career. When Sonny turns up dead Stanley is the prime suspect.
Rooney looks amazingly adept and quite convincing behind the drum kit but his performance and the production itself isn't even worth a rim shot never mind a drum roll. Rooney is little more than Andy visits the land of vice with a handful of Louis Stone surrogates to guide him along the way. Rooney lacks the depth as an actor to bring any substance to Maxton. He is still the pining teen from the series. As fatale Sally Forrest is limber but her performance is timber.
The film itself is a pasty noir where the technicians seemed to have forgotten to turn off some of the lights to exact mood and intent. It's more Dragnet than expressionist with the most interesting twists and dynamic, the relationship between Sonny and Jane ignored in favor of Mickey's brooding.
The film's highlight albeit brief and truncated is the performing of Louis Armstrong's band at Fluff's with precious moments from trombonist Jack Teargarden and pianist Earl Fatha Hines giving excuse enough to avoid this stretch of bad road and turn on the Victrola to listen to these diamonds in the rough instead.
Mickey Rooney and film-noir...yeah right!
Boba_Fett113828 September 2008
This movie is a rather odd mix of musical, romance, drama and crime with a sniff of film-noir to it. It's basically one messy heap of different genres, of which none really works out like it was supposed to.
This movie is an attempt by Mickey Rooney to be taken more serious as an actor. He's a former child-star who always used to star in in happy comical- and musical productions at the start of his career. In this movie he picks a different approach (although the musical aspects are still present in the movie). But his role is actually quite laughable within the movie. I mean Mickey Rooney as a tough player? He's an extremely small boyish looking man. He actually was in his 30's already at the time of this movie but he seriously looks more like a 16 year old. Hearing him say babe to women and hearing talking tough to gangsters who are about 3 times bigger than he is just doesn't look and feel right. He simply isn't convincing in his role.
Because the movie mixes so many different genres, the story also really feels as a messy one. Somewhere in it there is a crime plot and somewhere in it is a romantic plot-line and one about living your dream but none of it works out really due to the messy approach and handling of it all. It just isn't an interesting or compelling movie to watch. László Kardos is also a director who has done only 10 movies in his lifetime, despite the fact that his career span from 1935 till 1957. He must have been a struggling director who had a hard time getting work into the industry and instead once in a while was given a lesser script to work with. His movies are all unknown ones and normally also not of too high quality.
Let's also not forget that this is a '50's movie but yet it more feels like a '40's one or perhaps even as one from the '30's. This is of course mostly due to the fact that this movie got shot in black & white. Generally speaking black & white movies from the '50's often have a cheap looking feeling over it and this movie forms no exception.
It's a rather strange sight seeing Mickey Rooney and Louis Armstrong and his band as themselves performing together in a sequence. It wasn't the only movie Armstrong appeared in though and he would often pop up in these type of movies, often simply as himself. I guess jazz lovers can still somewhat enjoy watching this movie due to its music, since there is quite an amount of it present in this movie. The movie actually received an Oscar nomination for best original song.
An awkward little movie and outing from Mickey Rooney.
4/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
This movie is an attempt by Mickey Rooney to be taken more serious as an actor. He's a former child-star who always used to star in in happy comical- and musical productions at the start of his career. In this movie he picks a different approach (although the musical aspects are still present in the movie). But his role is actually quite laughable within the movie. I mean Mickey Rooney as a tough player? He's an extremely small boyish looking man. He actually was in his 30's already at the time of this movie but he seriously looks more like a 16 year old. Hearing him say babe to women and hearing talking tough to gangsters who are about 3 times bigger than he is just doesn't look and feel right. He simply isn't convincing in his role.
Because the movie mixes so many different genres, the story also really feels as a messy one. Somewhere in it there is a crime plot and somewhere in it is a romantic plot-line and one about living your dream but none of it works out really due to the messy approach and handling of it all. It just isn't an interesting or compelling movie to watch. László Kardos is also a director who has done only 10 movies in his lifetime, despite the fact that his career span from 1935 till 1957. He must have been a struggling director who had a hard time getting work into the industry and instead once in a while was given a lesser script to work with. His movies are all unknown ones and normally also not of too high quality.
Let's also not forget that this is a '50's movie but yet it more feels like a '40's one or perhaps even as one from the '30's. This is of course mostly due to the fact that this movie got shot in black & white. Generally speaking black & white movies from the '50's often have a cheap looking feeling over it and this movie forms no exception.
It's a rather strange sight seeing Mickey Rooney and Louis Armstrong and his band as themselves performing together in a sequence. It wasn't the only movie Armstrong appeared in though and he would often pop up in these type of movies, often simply as himself. I guess jazz lovers can still somewhat enjoy watching this movie due to its music, since there is quite an amount of it present in this movie. The movie actually received an Oscar nomination for best original song.
An awkward little movie and outing from Mickey Rooney.
4/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Sally Forrest the dancer AND the film noir queen.
SanDiego23 October 1999
Dull, barely-film-noir story with Mickey Rooney as a nightclub drummer mixed up with some bad folks. Highlight of this film are the dance numbers featuring Sally Forrest (who plays the cigarette girl/Mickey's girl/featured nightclub dancer.) Sally very rarely got to dance on film so it's nice to see her though the numbers tend to play like auditions. Not as sexy as her dance segments in the colorful "Son of Sinbad" and "Excuse My Dust" films, but her performance is more in tune to her great film noir roles with Ida Lupino. Interesting hybrid of her dance talents and her film noir fame.
the strip
mossgrymk5 October 2022
Other than some Satchmo numbers and a couple jazz instrumentals this movie is the veritable sine qua non of mediocrity. Let's go down the list, shall we? Cinematography: Undistinguished to the point of blandness. At no time does the viewer get a strong visual sense of Sunset Blvd. In the early 50s. Much of the movie, in fact, consists of interiors and car scenes with phony backdrops. Direction: Strictly glorified traffic cop with scenes that should be dramatic and suspenseful consistently falling flat. Dialogue: Let's just say there is not one line that sticks in the mind after watching. Acting: Merely okay, with Rooney actually managing to be less annoying than usual because he's relatively (and I use the word advisedly) restrained. My favorite performance came from Sturges stock company veteran Bill Demarest as a protective night club owner. Give it what most solidly mediocre movies get, a solid C.
PS...The first time I was ever in a night club was in 1961 when I was twelve. My parents took me to the Coconut Grove to see Vic Damone. I remember being awed by the locale and bored by the singer. Sixty one years later not much has changed.
PS...The first time I was ever in a night club was in 1961 when I was twelve. My parents took me to the Coconut Grove to see Vic Damone. I remember being awed by the locale and bored by the singer. Sixty one years later not much has changed.
Noir Without the Lighting
dougdoepke13 July 2010
Rootless kid (Rooney) goes to LA, hooks up with a smooth-talking mobster (Craig) and an ambitious nightclub dancer (Forrest), and gets into trouble as a result.
Despite its odd parts, this little b&w adds up to a pretty entertaining whole. The numbers from jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden should please even those who don't much care for that style. Rooney of course is Rooney, a little man in a big man's world. No longer Andy Hardy, he was increasingly difficult to cast despite continuing popularity. Here his connection to mobster Craig is quite a stretch. Too bad the screenplay couldn't work out something more plausible. Nonetheless, his performances are never boring, plus he's a real firecracker on the drums.
And who's expert inspiration was it to stick roughneck William Demarist with the impossible name "Fluff". In my book, his avuncular nightclub owner walks off with the film. Sally Forrest makes for a convincingly ambitious Hollywood wannabe and romantic foil for Rooney. Looks like her movie misfortune was to be short and bouncy at a time when Debbie Reynolds was getting a hammerlock on spunk. Speaking of cute, did they have to make the wholesome girl (Kay Brown, I think) quite so achingly sweet and vulnerable.
Film is also a promo for nightspots along the Sunset Strip, where Vic Damone, for one, performs. And that's a few years before the big TV hit 77 Sunset Strip, which also exploited Hollywood nightlife. Location filming here adds atmosphere and a good glimpse of tinsel town, circa 1950 , along with the tuneful theme A Kiss to Build a Dream On. Anyway, in spite of real flaws, it's still an entertaining little film with a very appropriate ending.
Despite its odd parts, this little b&w adds up to a pretty entertaining whole. The numbers from jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden should please even those who don't much care for that style. Rooney of course is Rooney, a little man in a big man's world. No longer Andy Hardy, he was increasingly difficult to cast despite continuing popularity. Here his connection to mobster Craig is quite a stretch. Too bad the screenplay couldn't work out something more plausible. Nonetheless, his performances are never boring, plus he's a real firecracker on the drums.
And who's expert inspiration was it to stick roughneck William Demarist with the impossible name "Fluff". In my book, his avuncular nightclub owner walks off with the film. Sally Forrest makes for a convincingly ambitious Hollywood wannabe and romantic foil for Rooney. Looks like her movie misfortune was to be short and bouncy at a time when Debbie Reynolds was getting a hammerlock on spunk. Speaking of cute, did they have to make the wholesome girl (Kay Brown, I think) quite so achingly sweet and vulnerable.
Film is also a promo for nightspots along the Sunset Strip, where Vic Damone, for one, performs. And that's a few years before the big TV hit 77 Sunset Strip, which also exploited Hollywood nightlife. Location filming here adds atmosphere and a good glimpse of tinsel town, circa 1950 , along with the tuneful theme A Kiss to Build a Dream On. Anyway, in spite of real flaws, it's still an entertaining little film with a very appropriate ending.
A successful noir musical hybrid
XhcnoirX13 September 2016
Korea vet and aspiring drummer Mickey Rooney ('Quicksand') gets driven off the road by suave racketeer James Craig ('While The City Sleeps'). To compensate, Craig gives Rooney a job in his bookmaker's room. When the police bust in to the business, Rooney manages to escape and hitches a ride with Sally Forrest ('Mystery Street'), who works at a nightclub owned by William Demarest ('Night Has A Thousand Eyes'). Rooney pays the nightclub a visit and before he knows it, he's switched jobs from the bookie room to the drum kit and has fallen hard for Forrest. Forrest wants a movie career however, so Rooney introduces her to Craig, who has some contacts. But Craig isn't interested in helping Forrest, he just sees another pretty girl to add to his list of conquests. When Rooney confronts Craig about this things quickly fall apart, leading to Craig getting killed, and Forrest nearly dead, and Rooney as the prime suspect...
Told in flashback, the movie starts with the discovery of Forrest barely alive on her apartment floor, and during the investigation, the discovery of Craig's body and a gun. Rooney is brought in for interrogation, and he tells his side of the story in flashback. It all sounds like pure noir, until you see the movie, which is also in many ways a musical. Artists and musicians like Louis Armstrong, Vic Damone and Jack Teagarden are given plenty of time to play their music and sing their songs, as a large part of the movie plays out in nightclubs. In fact, one of the songs (sung by hatcheck girl Kay Brown) got the movie an Oscar nomination. Thankfully, unlike some noirs where musical interludes slow down the story, it works rather well here. And seeing Rooney and Forrest showing off their drumming and dancing skills respectively was way more fun than I expected, impressive stuff.
But a noir it still is, trust me. People use people and through the flashback structure, there is always tension under the surface as (part of) the outcome is already known to the viewer. And it has a bleak, downbeat, even ironic, ending that firmly establishes this as a noir. Performances are great across the board, helped by the well- written characters and dialogue. The main negative is that the directing by Laszlo Kardos ('The Tijuana Story') and cinematography by Robert Surtees ('Act Of Violence') is good but not very noir or imaginative. Still, that's only a minor quibble, this movie impressed me with its successful blending of noir and musical, the performances and the story. Recommended! 8/10
Told in flashback, the movie starts with the discovery of Forrest barely alive on her apartment floor, and during the investigation, the discovery of Craig's body and a gun. Rooney is brought in for interrogation, and he tells his side of the story in flashback. It all sounds like pure noir, until you see the movie, which is also in many ways a musical. Artists and musicians like Louis Armstrong, Vic Damone and Jack Teagarden are given plenty of time to play their music and sing their songs, as a large part of the movie plays out in nightclubs. In fact, one of the songs (sung by hatcheck girl Kay Brown) got the movie an Oscar nomination. Thankfully, unlike some noirs where musical interludes slow down the story, it works rather well here. And seeing Rooney and Forrest showing off their drumming and dancing skills respectively was way more fun than I expected, impressive stuff.
But a noir it still is, trust me. People use people and through the flashback structure, there is always tension under the surface as (part of) the outcome is already known to the viewer. And it has a bleak, downbeat, even ironic, ending that firmly establishes this as a noir. Performances are great across the board, helped by the well- written characters and dialogue. The main negative is that the directing by Laszlo Kardos ('The Tijuana Story') and cinematography by Robert Surtees ('Act Of Violence') is good but not very noir or imaginative. Still, that's only a minor quibble, this movie impressed me with its successful blending of noir and musical, the performances and the story. Recommended! 8/10
Simple yet not "simplistic"
santosh-mohapatra7 May 2006
I must say i am a big fan of TCM but this one was one of those movies which won't ever belong to the category of Roman Holiday or Affair to Remember and yet it has a charm and passion that leaves an indelible memory of sorts for people who love the 50s or to be more generic..... 1930s to 1960s movies. Personally, the semblance of the era in both Hollywood & bollywood movies in terms of the simple, low-cost, high impact movies is what is so nice about them.
"Give me a kiss to build a dream on" -: the refrain of the movie as catches the passion of the theme well and is the best thing of the movie. Even though most of the movie is supposed to be predictable, the passion yet makes it a gr8 watch. A recent Hindi movie(bollywood) lifted the tunes to give "Kaisi paheli hai kaisi paheli zindagani" which won the national awards for best song. That movie"Parineeta" too is a period based movie that makes a 1930s story into a 1960s movie made in 2005 and what better than this tune being woven into the movie.
"Give me a kiss to build a dream on" -: the refrain of the movie as catches the passion of the theme well and is the best thing of the movie. Even though most of the movie is supposed to be predictable, the passion yet makes it a gr8 watch. A recent Hindi movie(bollywood) lifted the tunes to give "Kaisi paheli hai kaisi paheli zindagani" which won the national awards for best song. That movie"Parineeta" too is a period based movie that makes a 1930s story into a 1960s movie made in 2005 and what better than this tune being woven into the movie.
Mickey Rooney-great drum playing
madformickey0524 October 2005
OK-let's give credit where credit is due here OK? Mickey Rooney simply steals the show and is great on the drums. Not only that, he's great in this movie. The story, the acting, the music are all tops here. Give Me A Kiss To Build A Dream on was a Oscar nominated song. This is one of the most entertaining musicals I have ever seen. Mickey Rooney was in his 30's here and no longer a child. The man kept right on working when other child stars faded into obscurity. It's no wonder why. The man had talent that no other star in history could match. He could do anything, anytime, anyplace and succeeded at it all. I met Mr. Rooney while he was doing his show Sugar Babies and he also is a super nice guy. So, let's no under estimate the talent of this man, OK?
Plenty of Action on this Strip-The Strip ***
edwagreen24 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Mickey Rooney as a drummer gets involved with a gangster and a girl, Sally Forrest, whose entire life depends upon making it big in Hollywood.
Meeting Forrest is unusual here and he introduces her to his "boss" James Craig, the latter playing the heavy in this 1951 film.
The band is made up of the likes of Louis Armstrong, and there are great musical numbers. Even Vic Damone sings in a nightclub as well.
William Demarest is in fine form as the owner of the nightclub and tragedy results when Rooney introduces Forrest, his girl, to Sonny Johnson,whom the both sadly feel can move her career.
The ending where Rooney drowns himself on the drums to control his grief is fitting.
Meeting Forrest is unusual here and he introduces her to his "boss" James Craig, the latter playing the heavy in this 1951 film.
The band is made up of the likes of Louis Armstrong, and there are great musical numbers. Even Vic Damone sings in a nightclub as well.
William Demarest is in fine form as the owner of the nightclub and tragedy results when Rooney introduces Forrest, his girl, to Sonny Johnson,whom the both sadly feel can move her career.
The ending where Rooney drowns himself on the drums to control his grief is fitting.
See also
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