Alexander’s Ragtime Band **** (1938, Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Jack Haley, John Carradine) – Classic Movie Review 2617

Director Henry King’s 1938 musical is a grand old-time show, with an ancient but serviceable plot about two songwriters (Tyrone Power and Don Ameche) battling for the love of an upcoming singing attraction (Alice Faye).

Power plays socialite Roger Grant decides to pursue popular rather than serious music as a classical violinist, disappointing his family and teacher. So he writes hit pop tunes and organises and leads a jazz band in 1915 San Francisco. He falls in love with his singer Stella Kirby (Faye), but his reluctance to lose her leads him to thwart her efforts to become a solo star.

But he splits with Stella when she goes to New York and he serves in World War One in 1917. She weds ever-smiling piano-player Charlie Dwyer (Ameche), but still she never forgets Power. He comes home after the war and a concert at Carnegie Hall brings the romantic triangle together.

The adorable performers and the tremendous evergreen Irving Berlin tunes are perfectly matched, the lavish 20th Century Fox production is immaculate, and director King takes us from 1915 to 1938 at a smart and entertaining pace. There are three new Berlin tunes to complement the compendium of more than 20 great old ones. So come on and hear the band!

Ethel Merman, playing Jerry Allen, so impressed Berlin that he vowed to write shows especially for her – and stage shows Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam followed for her, with Merman re-creating her role in Call Me Madam in the 1953 movie and singing the hit song from Annie Get Your Gun, There’s No Business Like Show Business, in the Berlin compendium movie of that name.

Also in the cast are Jack Haley, John Carradine, Jean Hersholt, Helen Westley, Paul Hurst, Wally Vernon, Ruth Terry, Douglas Fowley, Chick Chandler, Eddie Collins, Joe King, Joseph Crehan, Robert Glecker, Dixie Dunbar, Charles Coleman and Stanley Andrews.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2617

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