Birth of the Blues / Blue Skies

A New Orleans clarinetist (Bing Crosby) teams with a trumpet player (Brian Donlevy) and a singer (Mary Martin) to form a band to play his new style of Dixieland music, in "Birth of the Blues," a tuneful (if not always accurate) account of the beginnings of jazz. Songs include "St. Louis Blues," "Memphis Blues," "Melancholy Baby." Next, the musical extravaganza "Blue Skies," filled with classic Irving Berlin tunes, details a love triangle involving a nightclub owner (Crosby), a chorus girl (Joan Caulfield), and a hoofer (Fred Astaire) over a 25-year period. There’s dandy dancing and songs like "Puttin’ on the Ritz," "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song," and "White Christmas." 182 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish.