The Strip *** (1951, Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig, Louis Armstrong, Kay Brown, Tommy Rettig, Tom Powers) – Classic Movie Review 11,507)

Mickey Rooney (above left).

Mickey Rooney, Louis Armstrong and a film noir musical melodrama – and still it lost money.

Director László Kardos’s American crime film noir 1951 The Strip stars Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig, Kay Brown, Tommy Rettig and Tom Powers.

A war veteran, Stanley Maxton (Rooney), arrives in LA, pounds the skins as a drummer in a night club jazz band, and falls for cigarette girl Jane Taffrord (Forrest), until one day he crosses the path of a gangland boss, Sonny Johnson (Craig), a mobster with influence in the movie industry. Sad, soulful Stanley ends up accused of murder…

Rooney is on very good form as the rhythm man in this enjoyable if downbeat minor musical melodrama with an exceptional soundtrack featuring a roster of toe-tapping tunes.

Director Kardos succeeds in creating a suitably sleazy atmosphere for the drama, but the real stars of the show are the musicians: Vic Damone sings ‘Don’t Blame Me’, Monica Lewis sings ‘La Bota’ while Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines and Jack Teargarden among others provide the musical interludes. ‘A Kiss to Build a Dream On’ was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.

It helps a lot that The Strip is very atmospheric and flavourful. Much of the film was shot on location in and around the Sunset Strip, West Hollywood. Interiors were shot at popular nightclubs Mocambo and Ciro’s and at restaurants Little Hungary and Stripps. MGM ensure a well-crafted production.

Louis Armstrong’s band made up of Jack Teagarden, Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines, and Barney Bigard, appearing as themselves.

Well-known jazz arranger Pete Rugolo is credited with Leo Arnaud with the film’s orchestrations.

Sadly, the film made a loss of $284,000, costing $885,000 and taking $982,000.

The cast are Mickey Rooney as Stanley Maxton, Sally Forrest as Jane Tafford, William Demarest as Fluff, James Craig as Delwyn ‘Sonny’ Johnson, Kay Brown as Edna, Louis Armstrong as Himself, Tommy Rettig as Artie Ardrey, Tom Powers as Detective Lt. Bonnabel, Jonathan Cott as Behr, Tommy Farrell as Boynton, Myrna Dell as Paulette Ardrey, Jacqueline Fontaine as Frieda, Vic Damone as Himself, Monica Lewis as Herself, Earl Hines, Jack Teargarden, Lester Dorr, Sam Finn, Robert Foulk, Alec Frazer, Fred Graham, Don Haggerty, Frank Hyers, Samuel London, John McGuire, Tom Quinn, Carl Saxe, Jeffrey Sayre, Helen Spring, William Tannen, Russell Trent, and Wilson Wood.

The Strip is directed by László Kardos [Leslie Kardos], runs 85 minutes, is made and released by MGM, is written by Allen Rivkin, is shot in black and white by Robert Surtees, is produced by Joe Pasternak, and scored by George E Stoll.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,507

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