Al Westerfield I recorded this film on spec because I was interested to see Richard Whorf in a starring role. I thought he did an excellent job but wasn't quite special enough in looks or personality to become a star. Top billed was Pricilla Lane who, by the importance of her role should have been billed about sixth. That's only the beginning of what I thought was one of the famous write it as you go WB films, like when They Drive by Night (1940) takes an unexpected turn into Bordertown (1935). It starts out as a few friends trying to form a band. Billy Hallop has a coughing fit in jail and we just know he's going to be their inspiration when he dies. Nope, he never coughs again. A brash Jack Carson shows up with his overwhelmed wife Lane. He treats here like dirt and chases after every skirt. We just know she and Whorf will get together. Nope, he falls for the dame Carson should have gotten, a no-good twist, play brilliantly by Betty Field. The band is bumming a ride in a box car when Lloyd Nolan, obviously a gangster on the run, hops aboard. The band shares their food with him. He's obviously going to do them a good turn. Nope. He robs them. But eventually Nolan sets up a nightclub and hires them. Field was his girl but Nolan is smart enough to have done with her. Here weak husband (?), Wallace Ford, fawns on her, totally dependent. He's a drunk and a gambler. We know Nolan will eventually kill him. Nope, he turns out to be quite a philosopher, taking matters into his own hands. One of his best roles. Whorf falls for Fields, becoming another Ford. He has a nervous breakdown. We know when he gets well, he'll rejoin the band, they'll become stars and it will end happily ever after. Nope, he falls for Field again. All during this the film gets darker and darker until peaking on a dark and stormy night. Finally, the band goes back to being just another band. Other reviewers claim the plot is routine but I think it deliberately sets up the plot turns to break them. Or maybe the writers just lost control. In any event, the film surprises at every turn. The acting of one and all is excellent and the dark cinematography is superb. The music is great with Whorf (or someone dubbing his playing)is really brilliant on the piano. It's a really good ensemble piece that deserves more recognition.

MartinHafer This film stars mostly second and third-tier actors from Warner Brothers. Familiar actors like Jack Carson, Priscilla Lane, Lloyd Nolan and Wallace Ford are here, but there is also a starring role by the relatively unknown Richard Whorf as well as a supporting role by Elia Kazan--before he made a REAL name for himself as a director. And while none of these folks are huge stars, they do a fine job and the film has the usual high quality and polish you'd expect from the studio.This film is sort of like a fairy tale about a group of musicians who love Blues, though it's NOT exactly the same style you'd find in Black America--it's more like a big-band/Hollywood idea of the Blues! It's filled with various clichés (such as the BAD girl who might break up the band) but because it's made so well and the music quite enjoyable, it's still worth seeing. Just be sure you aren't looking for THE Blues! Not great but for old movie fans (like myself), it's worth seeing.

ccthemovieman-1 This movie was a bit unusual because it starts off strictly like a musical the first 20 minutes. It had me puzzled; I didn't think I had rented a musical. Well, it wasn't, as it turned out, even though music was a central element in the story. The rest of the film was a combination of drama, film noir and melodrama. At least that's the way I saw it and, yeah, I was glad to see IMDb confirm my description when I got to the title page here to post the review.The only time the movie bogged down was when it became a little too melodramatic in a few spots. Betty Field ("Kay" )was usually in those scenes, playing a woman with a chip on her shoulder. As I watched her, I thought, "Wow, this woman is tailor-made for film noirs. She could have been another Marie Windsor." Sadly, she wasn't, but she was in a good number of movie and television shows. Still, I think noir would have been the best vehicle for her.Priscilla Lane plays the female opposite: the wholesome-looking good gal ("Character") who just wants the band to click and for everybody to be happy. Heck, that's what the band in general wants, but "Jigger" is the guy who keeps putting a monkey-wrench into the deal and seems to be the band member whom everyone looks to for leadership.Richard Worf plays "Jigger," and he's so-so as an actor. The fact he never made it big is understandable. There's a smoothness to his delivery that's missing. His changed his career from acting to directing in 1945 and did better at that. Obviously the same can be said for another member of the band in this story: "Nickie," played by Elia Kazan, who classic film fans know as a very famous director.When all is said-and-done, actors Lane and Lloyd Nolan ("Del") seemed to be the most "real" in this film, and those two were the ones who had the best careers of this cast, particularly Nolan. Jack Carson and Howard da Silva are also in this movie and they're "known" actors, too.My favorite part of the movie was a very short scene with about 15 minutes left with "Jigger" was in the hospital and he was hallucinating. The innovative camera-work was terrific, right out of Dali painting. Kudos to director Anatole Litvak for some good closeup shots and interesting camera angles and use of light, in that scene and others in the film. This movie is very well photographed. Ernie Haller was the cinematographer. Haller's resume includes some very famous films.The odd mix of genres makes this intriguing movie I'm glad I checked out, and I recommended to fellow classic film fans.

whpratt1 This film took me by surprise because it is a musical black and white film with fast movement of the camera and goes from Jazz and Blues music smack into a drama and murder. The film starts out with a piano player named Jugger, (Richard Whorf) who wants to organize a band and he has as his female singer, Ginger Powell, (Priscilla Lane) and her husband, Leo Powell, (Jack Carson) his trumpet player. Kay Grant, (Betty Field) plays the role of a gal who meets men and leaves them as quick as she meets them. Del Davis, (Lloyd Nolan) is an escaped convict who runs into this jazz band in a box car and decides to hold them up for all their money. There are many old time actors in this film and it really is a gem of a 1941 Classic. You could also call this film, riding the railroad through out the United States.