Rhapsody in Blue Debut | Rhapsody In Blue | Warner Archive

Rhapsody In Blue (1945) #WarnerArchive #WarnerBros #RhapsodyInBlue

Robert Alda stars alongside musical greats Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman, and Oscar Levant in this biopic treatment of the life of composer George Gershwin. The film traces Gershwin's rise, from his first big hit "Swanee" (performed by Al Jolson, playing himself), to his collaborations with lyricist brother Ira (Herbert Rudley) to the heights of artistic achievement with the debut of "Rhapsody in Blue" at Aeolian Hall.

Directed By Irving Rapper
Starring Robert Alda, Joan Leslie, Alexis Smith

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[Amy-zrbn]

That's my grandpa Rowland "Rolly" Furnas playing the Trombone solo in the first 30 seconds of this film. He was the only Trombone player in the orchastra and I am so proud of this solo. I have the Trombone he is playing and I remember as a little girl, how he used to go into the guest room every evening before dinner a play his trombone for like an hour then sit down for dinner. He's played with the best of them during his career in a Dixieland Jazz Band, Louie Armstrong, Gershwin, and he came to Hollywood back in 1946 when there were dirt roads, to start a family. 22 years later I was born. He was in Head of Maintenance for the Musicians Union Local 47 on Vine St. just North of Melrose in Hollywood for 30 years and my Mom worked there in for 25 years. Thank you to all his peers and all of the musicians out there that make my life worth living because music is the only thing I CANNOT live without.

Sincerely,
Amy Armijo-Eberly

[waynethebarber]

My brother played this in high school. He would practice it day and night on his clarinet till he had it perfect. We shared a bed room till I was 18. Just hearing this song takes me back....I am 61 now. How I miss those days....

[kenhymes]

Just in case anyone is misled by the title. This is the recreation of the 1924 debut as portrayed in the 40s movie Rhapsody in Blue.

[ssnoc]

He died at only 38 years old - brain tumor. Imagine how much more music he would have composed - incredible talent.

[samkohen]

George Gershwin was 24 when he wrote this. A GENIUS

[VoightComp]

That opening note on the clarinet takes so agonizingly long to reach, you almost think it won't make it. When it does, it's like a great relief mixed with melancholy washes over you. Genius

[TheWarriorSongProject]

no piece of music has ever more accurately captured the vibe of an era, time and place in the history of the world than this piece.

[c.a.savage]

If you EVER have the opportunity to hear this piece performanced by an orchestra, run don't walk to get a ticket.
You can't imagine the power and energy generated by Gershwin's music. By the musicians playing it. By the audience hearing it.
You will remember it for the rest of your life.

[tracylancashire]

How can anyone give this a thumbs down, Gershwin was a genius. It's an incredible piece of music.

[joshuachang]

that transition into the trumpet solo is SEAMLESS! GAH

[auapplemac]

Actually, Rhapsody In Blue debuted in 1924. This clip is from the 1945 film bio of George Gershwin. I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it as a child. I get the same emotion every time I hear it all these many years later. The same with his Concerto in F and of course, Porgy and Bess.

[titichartay]

Probably the greatest piece of music ever written for clarinet & an absolutely sublime orchestral concerto. Genius indeed.

[lenhummel]

Almost certainly THE GREATEST FUSION of jazz and classical EVER composed or performed.

[sciarrinofan]

I'm surprised no one is talking about the solo banjo player sitting right in the middle like a total badass.

[bezmena]

My father used to play this on our old piano in our house for his three children. In the meantime, both my parents and also my twin sister is long gone. Only the memories remain. Still, after all these years, I am listening to THE Rhapsody with a few tears in my eyes.

[deerhoda]

Perfect. I'm always amazed how a person can hear all these sounds in their head, put it on paper and create music magic. Genius seems to simple a word, but it's all we have.

[jayski]

Of course the music is wonderful but the camera movements and editing it took to let us get up close and personal with the musicians was amazing. The guys behind the cameras pulled off an incredible cinematic feat when you think about how many "takes" they must have shot in order to create this seamless experience. Right down to the dramatic use of the performer's shadows towards the end. This was truly the golden age of film making and Warner Bros. is giving us a master class with this production.

[ztoob]

I read that the opening clarinet slide was something Gershwin heard a clarinet player do to warm up--just goofing around. He liked the effect, and wrote it as the opening note for this piece.

[koyluhasan]

I (still) live in The Bronx. I'm 75 years old. Born here in 1944. This IS my music. This IS everything I feel and think about NEW YORK CITY of my growing up years here in this Irish, Jewish, Italian, Mixed-everything-else neighborhood of Fordham Road & University Ave. also with relatives in Woodlawn, The South Bronx, The Grand Concourse, and now on Long Island. And my deceased father told us about hearing this live once at now demolished Lewisham Stadium at City College where George Gershwin himself played it. So all the praise-worth words written here are all soo, soo, soo true. This great masterpiece SPEAKS of New York City, SINGS of New York City, CRIES OUT from and for New York City. And along with West Side Story, IS New York City's National Anthem. (My real name before Peace Corps Turkey was and is Francis Leo Hogan, III)

[josvandencamp]

I love Gershwin music. It's so full of life. Regards from the Netherlands.