''New Orleans'' is a 1947 American musical romance film starring

Arturo de Córdova Arturo García Rodríguez (8 May 1908 – 3 November 1973), known professionally as Arturo de Córdova, was a Mexican actor who appeared in over a hundred films. Biography Career Arturo García Rodríguez was born in Mérida, Yucatán on 8 May ...

and Dorothy Patrick, and directed by Arthur Lubin. Though it features a rather conventional plot, the film is noteworthy both for casting

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

legends

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

as a singing maid romantically involved with bandleader

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, and extensive playing of New Orleans-style Dixieland jazz: over twenty songs (or versions of songs) are featured in whole or part. Armstrong's band contains a virtual

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

of classic jazz greats, including trombonist Kid Ory, drummer Zutty Singleton, clarinetist Barney Bigard, guitar player Bud Scott, bassist George "Red" Callender, pianist Charlie Beal, and pianist Meade Lux Lewis. Also performing in the film is cornetist Mutt Carey and bandleader Woody Herman. ''New Orleans'' is Holiday's only feature film appearance.

Plot

A Storyville casino owner and a high society opera singer fall in love during the birth of the blues in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Cast

as Nick Duquesne * Dorothy Patrick as Miralee Smith * Marjorie Lord as Grace Voiselle * Irene Rich as Mrs. Rutledge Smith * John Alexander as Col. McArdle * Richard Hageman as Henry Ferber * Jack Lambert as Biff Lewis *Bert Conway as Tommy Lake *Joan Blair as Constance Vigil *John Canady *

as Endie * Woody Herman and His Orchestra * Zutty Singleton on drums * Barney Bigard on clarinet * Kid Ory on trombone * Bud Scott on guitar * Red Callender on bass *Charlie Beal on piano * Meade Lux Lewis on piano * Mutt Carey on trumpet * Shelley Winters as Miss Holmbright (Nick's New York secretary; uncredited)

Production

''New Orleans'' has its origins in an abandoned component of an unfinished RKO Pictures feature film by Orson Welles — "The Story of Jazz" segment of '' It's All True''. A history of jazz alternatively titled "Jam Session", the section of the film was being written by Elliot Paul in 1941 under contract to Welles. The story of Louis Armstrong was to have been central to that segment of ''It's All True''.Benamou, Catherine L., ''It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007 Stowe, David Ware, ''Swing Changes: Big-Band Jazz in New Deal America''. Cambridge, Massachusetts .a. Harvard University Press, 1998, An additional connection to Welles is that several members of the film's Original New Orleans Ragtime Band — Kid Ory, Mutt Carey, Bud Scott, Barney Bigard and Zutty Singleton — had first been brought together in 1944, for his CBS Radio series, '' The Orson Welles Almanac''. ''New Orleans'' is the only feature film made by singer

, and the last film in which writer-producer Herbert J. Biberman was involved before he was blacklisted. Producer Jules Levey wanted to make a film about the history of jazz.Elusive Saga of Jazz May Be Found Here: New Orleans' Screens Real Story of How American Folk Music Developed Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 27 Oct 1946: B1. Lubin signed to direct in July 1946. Levey's associate was Herbert Biberman who said "we're not archaeologists. We're trying to be accurate with dates and places, if not names – and still turn out an entertaining picture." In July 1946 Arthur Lubin was scouting for locations in New Orleans. He hoped to feature Lena Horne,

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

and other black musicians. Ten days of location filming started on 28 August and cost $110,000. The National Jazz Foundation collaborated with Lubin during filming. De Cordova was borrowed from Eagle-Lion Films in August. Dorothy Patrick was borrowed from

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. Levey was so pleased with the performances of Patrick and de Cordova he wanted to reteam them in a film called ''Monterey'' to celebrate California's 100th anniversary, though the picture was never made.

Reception

A 2019 review in ''Diabolique'' magazine stated, "it’s one of those movies where critics generally go “the music’s great but everything else is terrible and isn’t Hollywood racist” which is basically true – but it was 1947, what did people expect? At least there is a lot of music, Louis Armstrong and Dorothy Patrick are charming, it’s fascinating to see Holliday in a movie and I love how in the story her character marries Armstrong’s. Also Lubin seems to have genuine affection for the characters and the music – it’s much better than his previous three features." Lubin said there were "fabolous people in" the film "but I don't think the picture did very well, that had an unknown leading lady which they borrowed from MGM.

Home media

* 2000: Kino Lorber Home Video, Region 1 DVD, April 25, 2000

Soundtrack

Although most of the music created for ''New Orleans'' was truncated in the film's release version,Bergan, Ronald, ''The United Artists Story''. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1986, a soundtrack issued in 1983 made the full versions of the songs available, with additional music cut from the final release. Songs include " Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?"

Tracklist

Per AFI, the tracklist is: * A1 Flee As A Bird / When The Saints Go Marching In * A2 West End Blues * A3 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? * A4 Brahms' Lullaby * A5 Tiger Rag * A6 Buddy Bolden Blues Take #3 * A7 Buddy Bolden Blues Take #4 * A8 Basin St. Blues * A9 Raymond St. Blues * A10 Milenberg Joys * A11 Where The Blues Were Born In New Orleans * A12 Farewell To Storyville * B1 Beale Street Stomp * B2 Dippermouth Blues (Slow Version) * B3 Dippermouth Blues (Fast Version) * B4 Shimme-Sha-Wabble * B5 Ballin' The Jack * B6

King Porter Stomp "King Porter Stomp" is a jazz standard by pianist Jelly Roll Morton, first recorded in 1923. The composition is considered to be important in the development of jazz.Magee, Jeffrey. "'King Porter Stomp' and the Jazz Tradition", p.46, ''Current Musi ...

* B7 Mahogany Hall Stomp (Slow Version) * B8 Mahogany Hall Stomp (Fast Version) * B9 The Blues Are Brewin' * B10 Endie * B11 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

References

External links

*
''New Orleans'' at AllMovie
* *
New Orleans
at Letterbox DVD {{Arthur Lubin 1947 films 1940s romantic musical films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films shot in New Orleans Films directed by Arthur Lubin Films set in New Orleans Louis Armstrong Billie Holiday American romantic musical films 1940s American films English-language romantic musical films