One of my very favourite movies is ‘Sun Valley Serenade’ from 1941.It
is very much a period piece - loaded with sentiment and nostalgia, but the fact that
it appears so dated today merely serves to enhance its great charm and appeal.’Sun
Valley Serenade’ is a starring vehicle for Sonja Henie and matinee idol John Payne.
It is also of note for the movie debut of the Glenn Miller Orchestra in a substantial
film role (they only made one other – 1942’s ‘Orchestra Wives’).At one point,
Norwegian born Sonja Henie was the most famous Olympic figure ice-skater of all time. She won Olympic gold three times in 1928, 1932 and 1936, and was so popular that police had to control crowds around her. It was little wonder that she went on to become a Hollywood movie star!
The plot may be rather thin on the ground, but with the marvellous ice skating of Sonja Henie, the
incomparable music of Glenn Miller and the glorious backdrops of Sun Valley
scenery, it hardly matters.Henie plays a Norwegian refugee - Karen Benson - who is adopted by Ted Scott (John Payne) a pianist with the Phil Corey (Glenn Miller) big band.
Ted has wrongly expected a child refugee not a vivacious and charming young woman;
the diminutive Karen will quickly fall in love with him, much to the chagrin of glamorous band singer Vivian Dawn (Lynn Barri) who has Ted lined up for herself. She has just landed an engagement in Sun Valley with the band organised
by their fast-talking manager ‘Nifty’ Allen (Milton Berle).Sun Valley is where all
the action takes place.In an idyllic setting, Henie gets to show off her Olympic
ice dancing skill, whilst another Olympic champion (and Sun Valley Resident)
Gretchen Fraser acts as Henie’s double for the skiing sequences (she had already filled the same role for her in the 1937 movie ‘Thin Ice’.) The ‘plot’ develops as
Karen falls more and more in love with Ted until finally Vivian - a violently jealous
broad with an undue sense of her own importance - quits the band, the resort and Ted
in a fit of pique. This paves the way for Karen and Ted’s marriage and
a spectacular ice dance finale performed
by Karen and an ensemble ice dancing cast set to the music of Glenn Miller.
‘Sun Valley Serenade’ was nominated for three 1941 Oscars: Cinematography,
Scoring of a musical picture and Best Song: ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’.This
Song was performed in a stunning song and dance sequence featuring Dorothy
Dandridge and The Nicholas Brothers. The scene begins with The Glenn Miller
orchestra practising ‘Chattanooga’ followed by Miller band member Tex Beneke
in a musical exchange with the Modernaires. It then moves to a theatrical railway
station set where the dance routine is performed. The song and dance scene was split into two in this manner so that it could be cut out by movie houses choosing not to show African-American perfomers, as was the practice in the South during this period. The Glenn Miller Orchestra plays many of their classic numbers in the movie
including the sublime ‘Moonlight Serenade’, ‘At Last’ ‘I Know Why (And So Do You’) plus a rousing version of ‘In The Mood’ and ‘It Happened In Sun Valley’ –
set to charming scenes of the winter holiday resort.There is a fun piece of trivia attached to 'Sun Valley Serenade' - it is
shown daily at 5:00 PM during the summer and winter seasons at the Sun Valley Opera House, and continuously on the Sun Valley Resort TV station.
SUN VALLEY SERENADE:
20th Century-Fox, 1941
Black & White, 86 minutes
Produced by: Milton Sperling
Directed by: H. Bruce Humberstone
Screenplay by: Robert Ellis and Helen Logan
Story by: Art Arthur and Robert Harari
Music and Lyrics by: Mack Gordon and Harry Warren
Dances Staged by: Hermes Pan
Director of Photography: Edward Cronjager, A.S.C.
Art Direction: Richard Day and Lewis Creber
Set Decorations: Thomas Little
Film Editor: James B. Clark
Costumes: Travis Banton
Ski Clothes: F.A. Picard
Technical Director of Skiing Sequences: Otto Lang
Sound: Alfred Bruzlin and Roger Heman
Musical Director: Emil Newman
CAST LIST:
Sonja Henie ... Karen Benson
John Payne ... Ted Scott
Glenn Miller ... Phil Carey
Milton Berle ... Nifty Allen
Lynn Bari ... Vivian Dawn
Joan Davis ... Miss Carstairs
Nicholas Brothers ... Specialty
Dorothy Dandridge ... Specialty
The Modernaires ... Themselves
Paula Kelly ... Vocalist
Ray Eberle ... Vocalist
Pat Friday ... Vivian Dawn's Vocals
William Davidson ... Murray
Almira Sessions ... Nurse
Mel Ruick ... Band Leader
Ralph Dunn ... Customs Officer
Chester Clute ... Process Server
Forbes Murray ... Headwaiter
Edward Earle ... Man
Eddie Kane ... Man
Lynne Roberts ... Receptionist
Ann Doran ... Waitress
Spec O'Donnell ... Western Union Boy
Bruce Edwards ... Ski Instructor
John "Skins" Miller ... Sleigh Driver
Fred "Snowflake" Toones ... Porter
Ernie Alexander ... Boy
Sheila Ryan ... Telephone Operator
William Forrest ... Husband
Dora Clement ... Wife
Herbert Gunn ... Ski Patrol Man
Kenneth Alexander ... Ski Patrol Man
The Glenn Miller Orchestra ... Themselves
Orchestra Members: Tex Beneke, Jimmy Priddy, Chummy Macgregor, Ernie Caceres, Hal McIntyre, Willie Schwarz, Al Klink, Ray Anthony, Johnny Best, Billy May, Maurice Purtill, Trigger Alpert, Paul Tanner, Frank D'Anolfo, Ralph Brewster, Mickey McMickle, Jack Lathrop.
FEATURED SONGS:
It Happened in Sun Valley
(John Payne and Pat Friday dubbing for Lynn Bari)
Moonlight Serenade
(instrumental, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra)
I Know Why (And So Do You)
(Lynn Bari dubbed by Pat Friday, Paula Kelly and The Modernaires; reprised by John Payne and Sonja Henie)
In the Mood
(instrumental, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with Tex Beneke and Al Klink on tenor sax and trumpet solo by Billy May)
Chatanooga Choo Choo
(Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly and The Modernaires; Song & Dance by Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Brothers)
