Sweet and Low-Down (1944)

(On Cable TV, September 2020) Few things get me thinking about the changing nature of pop-culture as much as seeing Classic Hollywood movies presenting band leaders as celebrities. Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Kay Kyser have each played or been played in major Hollywood productions of the time, and if Sweet and Low-Down has any claim to enduring worth, it’s in presenting Benny Goodman playing Benny Goodman in a fictionalized story about a band leader (Goodman, naturally) taking a young musician under his wing. There’s more conflict than you’d expect, especially at the end, but the story of the film is almost inconsequential when compared to having captured Goodman and his band doing what they did best. The music is particularly good if you’re a fan of jazz and swing (or even swing revival genres such as swing-house, which samples a lot of this material)—there’s a really good jam session in there that’s worth a listen. Goodman himself plays a mean flute in one of the film’s highlights. The film’s lack of narrative makes a bit more sense when you realize that it was made as counterprogramming for heavier military propaganda films on the home front, and as entertainment for the troops abroad. While Sweet and Low-Down is practically obscure these days (most people are more likely to associate the title with the 1999 Woody Allen movie—I know I did!), I really enjoyed the look at pop culture as it existed then. Benny Goodman is an immortal, though, and we’re insanely lucky to have preserved on film some of his charm and musical talent.