The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 9, 2021

The Fabulous Dorseys is just one of several pretty fanciful supposed biographical pictures of famous musicians which appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, though the film is rather distinctive in that it features the actual Dorsey Brothers portraying themselves, instead of "stand ins" like Cary Grant for Cole Porter in Night and Day, James Stewart for Glenn Miller in The Glenn Miller Story, Steve Allen for Benny Goodman in The Benny Goodman Story, and/or Robert Walker for Jerome Kern in Till the Clouds Roll By. Unfortunately, what might have given the film at least the hint of an imprimatur of authenticity is pretty much jettisoned in favor of typically glossy Hollywood reinvention of reality, even if the film does occasionally provide a bit of insight into a sibling relationship which was anything but harmonious all of the time. Aside from the participation of the actual Dorsey Brothers, The Fabulous Dorseys is also notable (no pun intended) for a number of impressive cameos by a host of wonderful musicians, including the legendary pianist Art Tatum.

While it's probably perfectly understandable given the production standards of the day and such potentially controversial aspects like Cole Porter's sexual preferences that things were often highly fictionalized for film versions of famous musicians' lives, there's an attempt in The Fabulous Dorseys to maybe pretend a "warts and all" side to things is being portrayed, even if there are clear signs of a near (dual) hagiography being offered. The film is notable in that is offers the boys' mother (Sara Allgood) as the opening narrator, and in fact it's the boys' relationship with their parents, including Dad (Arthur Shields) that actually colors much of the film's account of what supposedly really happened, even if the actual historical record may be a bit more muddled.

The film documents the hardscrabble but loving home life of the Dorsey family, with the two brothers both allies and nemeses, as brothers often are. The love of music is instilled early in the boys by their father, a man who works on the side as a music teacher but who is consigned to an actual career in the coal mines but absolutely committed to the idea that providing his sons with a solid musical education will be their ticket to a better life. The first part of the film documents the Dorseys' home life, along with the elder Dorsey's sometimes overly strict approach toward his boys (including corporal punishment). The film also introduces a neighbor girl named Jane, who will continue to play a supposedly important part in their adult lives. The opening sequences are highlighted by some especially good performances by the trio of youngsters assigned this era of their characters' lives, with Buz Buckley as young Jimmy, Bobby Warde as young Tommy and Ann Carter as young Jane, all three rather amazingly unbilled for their contributions.

The adult Dorseys are of course portrayed by themselves, but adult Jane offers Janet Blair a real showcase, and is perhaps just one surprising example of how multifaceted Blair was, considering how little remembered she seems to be these days. If her character may indeed not be based on any real human being, something that's probably true given that Jane is "assigned" a sidebar romantic interest in the form of composer Bob Burton (William Lundigan), Blair's presence is one of the highlights of The Fabulous Dorseys. The film's attempts to eke a little emotion out of what supposedly brought the brothers back together after years of estrangement is not helped by certain acting deficiencies on the part of both Dorsey men, something that also tends to debilitate energy in the actual "breakup" scene between the two.

The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Fabulous Dorseys is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Film Detective with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. The Film Detective offers only a generic "transferred in 4K from archival film elements" as technical information, though this comes with a British Censor Board card, which suggests to me this may have been culled from a print held by the BFI or similar organization. There's quite a bit of damage that can be spotted, including some pretty long lived scratches which unfortunately can tend to run right down the middle of the frame (these can be spotted in several of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review). There are also some obvious fluctuations in clarity and contrast, which at times struck me as suggesting perhaps more than one "archival element" may have been used, or at least one that shows some relatively wide variances. On the whole, though, detail levels are quite good when this presentation is at its best, offering secure renderings of patterns on clothes and even things like little smudges that can be seen on the sides of some of the brass instruments. Grain can fluctuate, and while it looks like some scenes with Sara Allgood in particular may have been shot with diffusion filters which can give a hazily soft look to things at times, there aren't any obvious signs of noise reduction.

The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Fabulous Dorseys features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. There are some occasional moments of crackling in the mid to lower ranges that can be especially noticeable in some of the more bombastic cues, including some of the opening credits music as well as the "big premiere" of the Burton concerto that caps the film. Otherwise, though, music sounds nicely fully bodied within the context of the era's recording technologies. Vocals sound warm and the instrumental backing is typically nice sounding as well. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Author Jennifer Churchill


• The Fabulous Forties: Big Bands on Screen (HD; 18:24) features C. Courtney Joyner offering some background on this subgenre.

Additionally an insert booklet contains a few stills and writing by Don Stradley.

The Fabulous Dorseys Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The truth of the Dorsey Brothers' success, feuding, success, more feuding, breakup, individual success, reuniting and even more individual and collaborative success probably would have been just as if not more entertaining as this often ridiculous hokum, but the film is at least to be commended for offering the real life Dorseys as well as some great cameos from amazing and legendary musicians (it's especially heartening to see an at least somewhat integrated setting with Tatum jamming with a bunch of white guys). Technical merits are decent if improvable and the C. Courtney Joyner overview of big band films in particular is enjoyable, for those who may be considering making a purchase.