Strike Up The Band ! * Here comes happiness . . . in a merry medley of romance . . . and rhythm !
Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle to get their jazz music accepted by the cafe society of the city. Betty Lou joins their band as a singer and gets Louie to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou.
Birth of the Blues (1941) is a music and romance film directed by Victor Schertzinger, released on November 7, 1941 with a runtime of 1h 26m. It stars Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Brian Donlevy and Carolyn Lee. Viewers rate it 6.2 out of 10 across 12 ratings.
Bing Crosby
as Jeff Lambert
Mary Martin
as Betty Lou Cobb
Brian Donlevy
as Memphis
Carolyn Lee
as Aunt Phoebe Cobb
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
as Louey
J. Carrol Naish
as Blackie
Warren Hymer
as Limpy
Horace McMahon
as Wolf
Ruby Elzy
as Ruby
Jack Teagarden
as Pepper
Danny Beck
as Deek
Harry Barris
as Suds
Directed by Victor Schertzinger, written by Harry Tugend and Walter DeLeon, produced by Buddy G. DeSylva and Monta Bell.
Average viewer score of 6.2/10 from 12 ratings.
It’s set in the American Deep South in the late 1930s so of course there are going to be unsavoury racial overtones, but in some ways this films strives to suggest that by using jazz music and the wholesomeness of Bing Crosby, there might be some green shoots of desegregation starting to emerge. The young “Jeff” is a pretty prodigious talent, but is regularly strapped by his father for playing with “darkie bands”…
Reviewed on July 27, 2025
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Birth of the Blues (1941) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Birth of the Blues (1941) includes Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Brian Donlevy, Carolyn Lee and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. The film was directed by Victor Schertzinger. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Birth of the Blues was released on November 7, 1941 and runs for 1h 26m.
Birth of the Blues (1941) holds an average rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 12 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy music and romance films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
