The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

(On TV, March 2020) The good news when a Classic Hollywood studio hires James Stewart to play a historical figure in a biography is that, hey, you’re getting James Stewart and his likable quirks. But the double-edge sword is that you’re also getting James Stewart, far more than the character he’s supposed to play. That problem certainly affects The Glenn Miller Story—we’re seeing Stewart’s tics and affable mannerism more than the band leader who had an outside influence on American pop music prior to WW2. (Miller would die in a plane crash during the war, as he was hopping from one place to another to entertain the troops.) Not that Stewart is most major deviation from reality here—true to form for biopics of the era (perhaps any era), The Glenn Miller Story makes substantial changes to the real events in order to make a movie. Plus, Stewart gets more credible after the first few minutes, once he puts on the glasses and we get used to the role. Considering this, you have to appreciate what’s on screen—numerous cameos by real musicians, a nice 1950s Technicolor glossy sheen (albeit with showy colour effects with an obvious colour gel wheel), and screenwriting that clearly understands the nature of the assignment: The film is easy to watch and enjoyable in how it uses a big budget to deliver the goods to the viewers. (Not that it’s always perfect—it features some of the worst snow I can recall in a movie.) It all ends abruptly, especially considering Miller’s fate. Sure, you can nitpick and poke fun at the thorough Hollywoodization of Glenn Miller’s life into a very typical 1950s biopic. But as far as those go? There’s much worse than The Glenn Miller Story.