Young Man With a Horn

[Musiclover]

I found it interesting that when this movie's character of Art Hazzard played his trumpet, it was actually dubbed by DD's longtime friend and former Les Brown colleague, Jimmy Zito.

[dave]

Since most mentions have always said it was Harry James' playing, where'd you get this info?

DDay and Jimmy Zito can be seen exchanging a few words on YouTube on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He appears to have been part of Carson's band on the show, and it was posted by "Howard G" ..
(Could be "Howard", huh?)

[Johnny]

In David Kaufman's book on Doris, it states that in the film Young Man With A Horn which was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Jerry Wald, the role of Rick Martin played by Kirk Douglas was first offered to James Stewart and then Ronald Reagan. The story was based on the life of master jazz musician Bix Beiderdeck who died at age twenty-eight in 1931.

In 1950, James Stewart would have been forty-two and Ronald Reagan would have been thirty-nine and Kirk Douglas was thirty- four.

It makes me think Marlon Brando who would have bern twenty-six or James Dean at nineteen could have brought a more sympathetic vulnerability to the character of Rick Martin. Montgomery Clift may have been the perfect choice to play the part. James Dean had the ability to look realistic as a teenager in Rebel Without A Cause when he actually was age twenty-three.

I would have loved to see Doris play opposite Marlon Brando , James Dean or Montgomery Clift.

[jmichael]

Definitely agree that Doris opposite Monty Cliff, James Dean or Marlon Brando would have been an event on the big screen mainly because they are polar opposites from her sunny, bright, optimistic persona. Among the three, I think Cliff's brooding, self-destructive nature could have made the tension in their scenes palpable. Brando's stylized intensity would have been exciting to watch in contrast to her more naturalistic approach to dramatic scenes. These guys tended to over-think things, delving into their Method Acting toolboxes, whereas Doris was an instinctive actor who wasn't into analyzing scenes or rehearsing them to death. I think she might have overpowered Dean whose acting style was intense but very delicate and high strung.

I can easily envision Doris playing the Eva Marie Saint role in On The Waterfront or Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Brando. And I think she would have been more interesting in the prostitute role opposite Cliff in From Here To Eternity because I never felt a flicker of sexual chemistry between Cliff and Donna Reed. However, as far as that film goes, the role that Doris would have killed in was the unfaithful wife played by Deborah Kerr. Make no mistake, Kerr was superb in the role, but Doris' against-type casting would have probably won her an Oscar. I also think she and Burt Lancaster would have made a most attractive onscreen couple.

Michael

[Johnny]

Thanks Michael for your excellent insights and observations. I agree, Doris would have been excellent in From Here To Eternity in either the Donna Reid or Deborah Kerr parts.

James Dean and Montgomery Clift had a special chemistry with Elizabeth Taylor who had a natural instinctive acting style like Doris. Both men were attracted to warm empathetic women. Doris certainly demonstrated this same quality.

Doris liked Marlon Brando but did not think he should have made Last Tango in Paris. She saw the film with Paul Lynde and she commented they both felt embarrassed.

Your comments on Burt Lancaster made me think Doris may have done wonderful work in the Shirley Jones role opposite Burt in Elmer Gantry.

I had a fun conversation recently on roles that Doris played and if there were any of her contemporaries who could serve the role as well as Doris. I will introduce this subject in Off Topics to see if it generates any discussions.

[Jas1]

Johnny and Michael - some fab points.

I too can see Doris in the Deborah Kerr role in Eternity - opposite Lancaster on the beach!!! Wow! I love DK in the role but Doris would have been superb, as would the original choice - Joan Crawford .

[jmichael]

Jas, yes, Joan Crawford would have been very interesting in that role but she strikes me as an odd fit with Burt Lancaster for some reason. Can't pinpoint why, exactly.

Back to YMWAH - I have come to love this imperfect yet fascinating film. It's almost like a film noir with music and without the murder mystery. Very atmospheric and authentic in look and feel to me. It was a significant step for Doris as a dramatic actress too and I think Douglas was excellent in the title role. He overacted in a few scenes but his intensity served the desperation of the character. The "happy" ending was a bit contrived and not true to the source material, but ah, that's Hollywood for you.

I do not see Ronald Reagan or Jimmy Stewart in the title role at all. Neither actor was particularly sexy or magnetic in my opinion although Stewart was certainly a brilliant actor.

Michael

[Johnny]

I absolutely agree that Jimmy Stewart and Ronald Reagan would not have been appropriate casting for the role of Rick Martin/Bix Beiderbecke in Young Man With A Horn.

I think Kirk Douglas did a good job in Young Man With A Horn but I find there is an unlikeable quality, perhaps smugness or a genuine lacking in vulnerability that appears in his performances.
I find this same characteristic in Kirk's son, actor Michael Douglas' performances. Michael is a fine actor but I don't find him likeable.

Regarding casting Joan Crawford for the Deborah Kerr/Karen Holmes role in From Here To Eternity, I think the role needed a more understated, subtle actress like Deborah Kerr or Grace Kelly or Dorothy Malone.

[jmichael]

Well said, Johnny, particularly the part about Kirk's smugness and narcissism. I detect similar qualities in many of his performances and feel the same as you about Michael Douglas too.

Michael

[texas gonzalo]

For the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that Doris Day saw Marlon Brando in "Last Tango In Paris" with Billy DeWolfe, and correctly they were both very embarrased. Happy Days, Texas Gonzalo

[Johnny]

Thank you Texas! Facts matter.

[Johnny]

The cinematography by Ted Mc Cord in Young Man With A Horn creates a dark and moody atmosphere that mirrors the anguish of the lead characters Rick Martin/Kirk Douglas and love interest Amy North/ Lauren Bacall. The cinematography presents as another character in the film. The music in Young Man With A Horn has been described as "the soul of the film". Special recognition must be given to the trumpet sounds of Harry James.

Ted Mc Cord first started working as a cinematography in 1921. Some of his films he worked on are The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Johnny Belinda, Starlift, I'll See You in My Dreams, East of Eden, Young At Heart, Giant, and The Sound of Music. He was nominated three times for an Academy award for Best Cinematography for Johnny Belinda, Two For The Seesaw and The Sound of Music.

Ted Mc Cord worked on four of Doris Day films.

In Tom Santopietro's book Considering Doris Day he writes, " Beautiful black and white cinematography by Ted Mc Cord effortlessly sets up mood and atmosphere, summoning up the smoke-tinged ambience of late night jazz clubs."

For anyone interested in cinematography there is an exceptional book called Masters of Light -Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers by Dennis Schaefer and Larry Salvato -1984.

[jmichael]

The best way to appreciate YMWAH is as a classic movie lover, not a Doris Day fan.

Johnny, you are spot on in highlighting the wonderful cinematography by Ted McCord. The way he shot those nightclub scenes gave the film an authentic look and feel.

Thank you for keeping these interesting discussions going.

Michael

[Musiclover]

Certainly the compliments for Ted McCort’s work are well deserved, and I think Curtiz’s direction was also excellent. To me, a lot of the credit for the film’s overall appeal goes to Ray Heindorf’s musical scoring. (He also co-wrote, with Sammy Cahn, “Melancholy Rhapsody” for the film and appears in the movie as the orchestra leader.) Heindorf scored several of Doris’s films, including “Romance on the High Seas” and “Calamity Jane,” and they worked very well together. He was Oscar-nominated for more than a dozen movies, winning 3 times.

[jmichael]

You are so right, Judy.

The musical orchestrations are gorgeous and the songs contributed to the success of the film. I don't think there's ever been a better version of Too Marvelous For Words or With A Song In My Heart.

Michael

[jmichael]

Interesting review of this film from Jazzwise.com. Link below.

“Doris Day plays the jazz vocalist Jo Jordan, a transitional part for Day in which she was switching from a big band jazz singer into the quintessential wholesome Hollywood role model of the 1950s. Being close to the bone, one suspects this is why she came into her own playing this particular role as a levelheaded young torch singer. Day turns in some excellently poised vocal performances, too, especially on versions of 'The Very Thought of You' and 'Too Marvelous For Words' dragging her phrasing sensuously across the bar lines.”

https://www.jazzwise.com/features/artic ... ith-a-horn

[howard]

Michael, so glad you're coming. Looking forward to seeing you again!

[jmichael]

Michael, so glad you're coming. Looking forward to seeing you again!

I can't wait to see you, hg.

Michael

[Johnny]

Young Man With a Horn Movie Trivia found on IMDb.


In real life , Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall were dear friends, and Doris found Douglas very difficult to work with.


This was only the fourth film in which Doris Day appeared, and the first role to challenge Day's dramatic abilities. Director Michael Curtiz was impressed enough with iWork to recommend that Warner Brothers consider casting her in a straight dramatic role. His suggestion won Day her meatiest part yet, that of Ginger Roger's younger sister ( who dies at the hands of the KKK) in 2951's Storm Warning.


In the novel by Dorothy Baker, upon which this film is based, the characters played by Hoagie Carmichael and Doris Day were African-American.

[Johnny]

These are some excerpts from The New York Times review of Young Man With a Horn dated February 10- 1950.

"Music hath charms enough in the case of "Young Man With a Horn" to provide welcome relief from a pedestrian story that is overly-long and frequently stumbles over its' eloquently meaningless dialogue. Yet this new Warner's Bros. film, which was presented yesterday at the Radio City Music Hall, is not without merit.
.....The result is that there is considerable good entertainment in Young Man With a Horn despite the production's lack of balance. Kirk Douglas is a very definite asset as the unhappy horn player. So are Doris Day as the sparkling vocalist and Hoagy Carmichael as the piano - thumping jazz man who recounts the tortured life of Rick Martin , nonpareil of the trumpet. But the unseen star of the picture is Harry James , the old maestro himself , who supplies the tingling music which flows wildly , searchingly and forlornly from Rick Martin's beloved horn. This is an instance where the soundtrack is more than a complimentary force


"Fame and money brought him, (Rick Martin), to a fateful meeting with a neurotic rich girl , a tortured marriage, and a rough skid into the gutter, whence he is rescued by the bright - eyed, open - faced vocalist played by Miss Day with complete naturalness. Her singing of "I Might Be Wrong But I Think You're Wonderful", "The Very Thought of You", and "Marvelous", are indeed marvelous. "

[Johnny]

While looking at reviews for Doris' film , Young Man With a Horn-, I came across several on the IMB site.

This review "The Doris Day Evidence", by yocarlosvarelapr dated April 28- 2018 is one I thought was worth posting:

"Michael Curtiz' was a genius director , don't t you agree? Masterpieces like Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Charge of the Light Brigade , Mildred Pierce, and over 150 other titles including the musical Romance on the High Seas which introduced Doris Day to the world. In Young Man With a Horn-Doris Day is the luminous center , the ideal. She is photographed and framed like a reachable dream. Kirk Douglas plays the trumpet player in love with the wrong woman and Lauren Bacall here is the personification of the wrong woman, she knows it, she tells him and he goes like a lamb to the slaughter"

"Young Man With a Horn-has some extra pluses, Hoagy Carmichael for instance and Juan Hernandez but what the film reminded of was Michael Curtiz's brilliance and that Doris Day was, is and always will be one of the great film actresses of all time. Regardless of the film she appeared in , she displayed an extraordinary talent to be, to be totally and if you think I'm waxing lyrical ,"Young Man With a Horn", indisputable evidence of her extraordinary talent."

[Johnny]

Regarding Doris' film, Young Man With a Horn, in David Kaufman's book it states, " Among the first to recognize Day's potential as a dramatic actress, (Producer Jerry Wald),"was the first to cast her as such. According to Curtiz's biographer James Robertson, Wald had "envisaged", Day in a "serious role" after he observed her working on the set of Romance on High Seas."

Filming of Young Man With a Horn, " got under way on July 11- 1949 ,and would be completed on August 27 -- on schedule - except for a few location shots filmed in early September"

[jmichael]

As fans, we always want more Doris and that is not the case here. Hers is decidedly a supporting role and she disappears midway through and doesn't return until the final few minutes. Still, this film is a marvel of crisp black and white camerawork, evocative set design, and atmospheric mood. Director Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Ted McCord render one of the most authentic depictions of the band era ever captured on film. Doris was perfectly cast as the talented singer who remained loyal to the man she loved all the way through. Her tender vocal performances on classic songs like Too Marvelous For Words and With A Song In My Heart added emotional depth to the film. I wish Doris had more screen time and a feistier character to play, but I love the overall spell this film casts along with the fine performances from the entire cast.

Michael

[Johnny]

Hi Michael,

I appreciate your excellent insights on Young Man With a Horn. Regarding the amount of screen time for Doris, I am wondering if the director thought about this being the first dramatic role for Doris , and made the decision on the number of scenes.

The New York Times praised ,"the performances of Douglas , Day and Carmichael , but noted, " the unseen star of the picture is Harry James, the old maestro himself, who supplies the tingling music, which flows wildly , searchingly, folornly, from Rick Martin's beloved horn. This is an instance where the soundtrack is more than a complimentary force. It is the very soul of the picture because if it were less provocative and compelling, the staleness of the drama could be stulifying. "

[jmichael]

Johnny,

Not sure about the decisions regarding Doris' screen time. Once the Bacall and Douglas characters became romantically involved, the focus shifted to their tortured relationship and his eventual downfall. This had more to do with the storyline than Doris, I would think.

I agree with the NYT critic to a point. Certainly, the musical score and masterful playing of Harry James and his orchestra added a lot of soul to the film. But I've always felt Doris' voice was too far back in the mix and the blaring sound of his trumpet overpowered her mellow vocals. I noticed this more on the soundtrack than in the film. Although James' horn conveyed the anguish of Douglas's character in the film, I wished they had toned it down on her songs.

Otherwise, the musical score, orchestrations and vocals are outstanding.

Michael