SimonJack What's not to like about any film that has a good dose of big band music? "Sun Valley Serenade" has Glenn Miller and his orchestra with a fine cast, wonderful scenery, superb skiing and filming and an unusual, far-fetched but good plot. The film is only one of three in which Glenn Miller's band appears, and the only one of two in which he has much of a role. But the band plays half a dozen tunes, including a smashing rendition with repeats of "Chattanooga Choo Choo." Of course, we see and hear the Glenn Miller signature tunes, "Moonlight Serenade" and "In the Mood."Besides Miller and his orchestra, Tex Beneke and The Modernaires sing, Dorothy Dandridge sings, and the Nicholas Brothers have a fine song and dance routine. The last of the show entertainment comes from Sonja Henie on the ice. She does a skating routine that is spectacular with a perfect reflection off the ice. The ice is covered with a paper- thin sheet of water that doesn't ripple, splash or appear to be water. Only in a couple of instances is it even noticeable. The plot for this musical comedy and romance revolves around Henie, who arrives at Ellis Island as a refugee from Norway. She plays Karen Benson, whom Miller band member and composer Ted Scott is sponsoring as a refugee. John Payne plays Scott, who assumes he will be getting a little girl. He shows up with Glenn Miller and the whole band to meet their immigrant, and are they surprised. The band has been trying to see a music promoter to get a gig somewhere. They continue to be put off by the promoter's secretary. When a singer, Vivian Dawn (played by Lynn Bari) has a dispute with a band that is playing for her recording, Tess Scott comes to her defense. She agrees to let Phil Corey's band play for the recording and that lands them a gig playing in Sun Valley. Vivian has yes for Ted, and he for her. But before heading for the hills, Ted has to deposit his refugee with his aunt in New England. The band takes off on the train for Sun Valley. Only their manager, Nifty Allen (played by Milton Berle) has smuggled Karen on board. He has eyes for her, but she has eyes for her sponsor, Ted. Amidst the snow, scenery, music, and fun at Sun Valley, Karen plies her wiles to win Ted's affection away from Vivian. Vivian cooperates by her moodiness, impatience and nasty behavior with the band and just about everyone. We all know where this is leading and how it will end. But the fun is in enjoying the music and entertainment as it unfolds. Besides all this, we see some spectacular skiing scenes. "Sun Valley Serenade" was one of a dozen movies Sonja Henie made in Hollywood. All were successful at the box office and Henie was much liked by the public. Her films weren't especially great movies, but all were good. This is the best of the lot. When she came to the U.S., Henie had been a three-time gold medal winner in single figure skating at the Winter Olympics of 1928, 1932 and 1936. She was world figure skating champion 10 consecutive years, from 1929 to 1936. And, she was European champion seven straight years. No one has equaled her Olympic, world or combined titles in her sport since. When this film was made, Sun Valley was just five years old and was the premier ski resort in North America. It's attraction for winter sports was similar to the draw of Hawaii for beach and ocean vacations. Union Pacific Railroad chairman W Averell Harriman, was the mover and shaker who built the Sun Valley resort and community adjacent to Ketchum, Idaho. Here's a favorite line from the film. Glenn Miller's Phil Corey is talking with Milton Berle's Nifty Allen. Lynn Bari's Vivian Dawn is obviously perturbed. She has been waiting for the band to begin rehearsals while John Payne's Ted Scott is off skiing with Sonja Henie's Karen Benson. Phil Corey say, "Boy is she burning." Nifty Allen replies, "What do ya mean, burning? You could ski right down the ice on her back."This is a wonderful, entertaining film that the whole family should enjoy. Even if some don't care for swing music or the excellent sound of the big bands.

tavm In honor of Black History Month, I've been writing reviews of movies that African-Americans, in front and behind the camera, have been involved on in chronological order. So we're now in 1941 with Sun Valley Serenade. In a brief specialty number at the end of Glenn Miller's "rehersal" of "Chattanooga Choo Choo", The Nicholas Brothers-Fayard and younger sibling Harold-tap dance up a storm after first doing some steps and singing with Dorothy Dandridge in her only appearance with her future husband (Harold) and his brother. They're the coolest thing in the picture and it's a shame that because of some Southern theatres' resistance of black performers appearing with their white counterparts in the same scene (unless they appeared in domestic or chauffeur/doorman/porter roles) that that's their only appearance here. Otherwise, it's a mostly entertaining movie with John Payne providing some excellent physical comedy near the end, Milton Berle being his amusing wisecracking self, Miller playing his great classics with his band before disappearing in a plane during the war after finishing another picture, Sonja Henie as the refugee from Norway doing some pretty good acting for a skater, and Lynn Bari, who while her role as Payne's first love takes a back seat after Henie appears, does the best she can with the material she's given. Love the song she mouthed to in the beginning. Maybe the last skating number by Henie was a bit much but it was still enjoyable. So, all in all, I highly recommend Sun Valley Serenade. P.S. The porter that Berle talked to after Joan Davis' first appearance was Fred "Snoflake" Toones who I just saw in The Green Pastures.

mail-671 This was my first Sonja Henie movie which was reissued in support of House on 92nd St and what a great piece of entertainment that was! Of course we had been saturated with the great WW2 bands courtesy of AFRS/AFN including Miller's and it was great to see them all and those popular tunes against such an attractive background. "I Know Why" still remains my favourite recording with "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Moonlight Serenade". However, hard as I tried,I really could not accept the 30 year old strapping blonde & dimpled Sonja as an innocent little refugee and neither did Lynn Bari who was Hollywood's definitive gorgeous bitch. It wasn't her singing voice any more than in the later equally enjoyable "Margie" but it didn't matter & who cared? I never quite took to Joan Davis - she seemed too much like Martha Raye/Cass Dailey/Eve Arden/Zazu Pitts. The back projection for the hill skating sequences was too obvious but I would love to know how they managed to get that immaculate black mirrored effect to the huge rink. Much like those impossible dance floors in some of the Astaire/Rogers spectaculars. The Nicholas Bros were nothing less than sensational & an unknown young Dorothy Dandridge did well in her early brief appearance. Glenn Miller on the other hand may have played a cool slush pump but he was no actor! And there were always the real Modernaires. And all this without a hint of smut or sex. Best line - when Lynn Bari in the night club sequence in a fit of jealousy rounds on Henie and calls her a hillbilly and the latter with an expression of total bewilderment retorts "Hillbilly?" Well,I thought so.Both Joan Davis & Milton Berle made it to early 50s TV - the latter becoming known as "Mr TV" from his prolonged popularity & brashness. He even made it into the early 90s in one of his last guest bits for one of Fran Drescher's hilarious "The Nanny" episodes as a shyster lawyer.

didi-5 An odd combination, this one, with the Glenn Miller Orchestra alongside Olympic skater turned film star Sonja Henje. She plays a refugee who arrives to the USA at the invitation of band member Ted Scott (John Payne) - he's expecting a juvenile and gets little hottie Henje instead. Miller himself appears as a fictional band leader with many of his real band - there's also a chance to see specialties The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge appear during numbers.There isn't an awful lot of plot, there are the usual hokey misunderstandings and the presence of one of those secluded log cabins out in the middle of nowhere. Lynn Bari plays Payne's singing sweetheart, while Milton Berle plays the band's agent. Numbers include 'In The Mood', 'It Happened in Sun Valley' and 'Chattanooga Choo Choo'.