Product Details

• Actors: Arturo de Córdova, Dorothy Patrick, Marjorie Lord, Irene Rich, John Alexander
• Directors: Arthur Lubin
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kino Video
• VHS Release Date: January 22, 2002
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305820775
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,531 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Video > Music Video & Concerts > Artists > Armstrong, Louis
  #6 in	Video > Music Video & Concerts > Artists > Holiday, Billie
  #11 in	Video > African American Cinema > African American Heritage > Black Music's Legacy

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This little-seen, 1947 drama is a treat for jazz fans, thanks to an otherwise creaky, if nobly intentioned story built around the music's Crescent City genesis that provides an ample excuse to turn the camera on authentic jazz greats. Nick Duquesne (Arturo De Cordova) is a Bourbon Street charmer whose gambling club provides the mythic stomping grounds for none other than Louis Armstrong, whose vocalizing sweetheart Endie, played by none other than Billie Holiday, proves no slouch herself. A newly arrived debutante, Miralee (Dorothy Patrick), arrives in New Orleans and falls first for the music and then for the roguish but ultimately gallant Nick. The movie follows knee-jerk plot machinations revolving around her family's efforts to excise Nick from her life, her own dream of mingling jazz and classical music, and the gambler's transformation into a jazz promoter.

The script works in the squalor and much of the geography of Storyville and the French Quarter, even providing a contrasting look at the genteel parlor music being played in "respectable" casinos, and the casting telegraphs the production's reverence for jazz. Satchmo's other musical partners are equally serendipitous, including Kid Ory, Barney Bigard, Bud Scott, Zutty Singleton, Meade "Lux" Lewis, and Red Callender. A brief arc late in the film adds Woody Herman and his orchestra.

When the musicians are featured, New Orleans is a frequent delight, with Armstrong as magnetic as always, and Holiday endearing. As an actress, she's a terrific singer, and luckily Lady Day's dialogue is far briefer than her featured vocals. The DVD version boasts additional period shorts showcasing Armstrong (1932's "A Rhapsody in Black and Blue") and Holiday's "Symphony in Black" from 1935). --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars B-grade movie comes alive via Satchmo and Lady Day!, August 29, 2000

By	J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Orleans (DVD)

For years I've wanted to see NEW ORLEANS, knowing that thestoryline wouldn't match the quality of the music, and now it is finally available...on DVD no less. After watching it, I can say that the movie lived up (musically) and down (plotwise) to my expectations. However, with Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong and Billie 'Lady Day' Holiday in prominent roles, the musical strengths more than cancelled out the thematic/cinematic shortcomings.

The musical footage of Holiday and Armstrong (seen in solos and duets) is worth the price of admission, and the entirety of the movie is fairly entertaining if you don't expect too much....

Amid the cliched plot threads... fortunately the racial stereotypes are quite inoffensive by 1947 standards (albeit Billie is cast as a maid). Due to the lack of available Billie Holiday footage alone, this movie approaches essential status, at least among jazz fans.

The DVD includes two bonus shorts: a young Louis Armstrong sings and plays in the 1932 A RHAPSODY IN BLACK AND BLUE, and Duke Ellington teams up with a VERY young Billie Holiday in the priceless 1935 short SYMPHONY IN BLACK.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great footage of many early jazz legends, April 5, 2003

By	Stephen Cannon (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always found jazz performances much more captivating live rather than recorded, and although I can't travel back in time and see Louis Armstrong play during his prime, this video is the next best thing.

The makers of New Orleans did not waste the talents of the musicians, and a good chunk of the movie is concert footage of many of the giants from the golden age of Jazz including Kid Ory, Woody Herman and Billie Holiday doing old standards such as Basin Street Blues and Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans.

These performances truly convey the joy that enrapt the musicians as they played, and Armstrong in particular, is irresistably charming and funny as usual and appears for much of the film.

Unfortunately, Holiday is possibly the most wooden actress I have ever seen, but since for most of her comparatively short screen time is spent singing, it isn't a problem.

I strongly recommended this one to all fans of early jazz.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Silly plot, fantastic music, August 4, 2001

By	M. McCabe - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Orleans (DVD)

I bought this DVD blindly just because I'm such a fan of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and of New Orleans in general. The plot (what there is of it) is clichŽd and uninteresting, but the music is fantastic, and I ended up playing the musical pieces over and over. The entire movie is filmed on a Hollywood soundstage; if you're looking for shots of old New Orleans, look elsewhere.