The 1950 movie “Young Man with a Horn” is supposedly based on the true story of jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke, who broke into the music industry at a young age and also died young at the age of 29 after suffering a fatal bout of pneumonia. However, after researching Bix and watching the movie, I’d have to say that the film is very loosely based, and we’ll just enjoy it on its own merits.
Kirk Douglas plays Rick Martin, a young man who was orphaned as a boy and left to be raised by his irresponsible sister. He discovered that he had a knack for music and only had to see how an instrument was played in order to play it. He stumbled on a jam session being held by a jazz ensemble late one and climbed up onto the window sill in order to get a better look. When the trumpet player of the group noticed him, he invited him to come in and be part of the audience. The man’s name was Art Hazzard, and he became a best friend and mentor to the boy.
As Rick grew up, Art taught him how to play the trumpet and instilled in him proper technique. Rick carried his trumpet everywhere with him and played it at every opportunity. He couldn’t imagine doing anything with his life but playing jazz, but the only playing jobs were with sedate orchestras. It was while working for one of these orchestras that he met two people who would become his best friends – Jo Jordan (Doris Day) and Smoke Willoughby (Hoagy Carmichael).
Wanting to break out of the mold, Rick started to play late at night at a small bistro, and took Jo and Smoke with him. They cut loose and had a wonderful time, playing late into the night. One night, Jo brought her friend Amy (Lauren Bacall) to the show, and Rick fell head over heels. He and Amy were married a short time later, but he didn’t realize that Amy had an undiagnosed mental illness that subjected her to wild mood swings, and it nearly destroyed him.
This movie is full of great music. The trumpet music was performed by the great Harry James and dubbed in, and Kirk does a credible job of “lip syncing” it. Doris’s voice is as velvet as ever, and if there is just a touch of melodrama in the story, well, we can all use a good melodramatic moment from time to time. I did think the end dragged on a bit too long, but that’s about my only complaint.
This film was not rated.
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