Strike Up the Band

Jimmy, a high school student, plays the drums and wants to turn the school orchestra into a band that plays jazz. With Mary he gathers the local kids together and puts one together. When a nationwide contest is announced the goal is clear: get to Chicago. The only problem is money, and there is no easy way to find it in their town. Directed by Busby Berkeley, this is one of the best known of the youth musicals Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland made one after another. The formula is simple and out in the open: energy, rehearsal, setback and a big finale. The animated sequence in which an orchestra made of fruit comes to life is the part people remember most. It can feel too optimistic now, but the way the two young leads work together still shows why they became stars.