Category Archives: Jazz at the Movies

“Cheek to Cheek” – Fred Astaire (1935)

Irving Berlin wrote “Cheek to Cheek” for the 1935 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers vehicle Top Hat. As you can see in the video below, Astaire sings the song to Rogers as they dance, of course. This was a good song for … Continue reading

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“The Summer Knows” – Art Pepper (1976)

“The Summer Knows” is considered one of the few jazz standards introduced after the 1950s. It is the theme music for the 1971 movie The Summer of ’42 and was composed by Michel Legrand. The IMDb synopsis of the movie: … Continue reading

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“On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe” – Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers (1945)

As a thought exercise, I was wondering what song topped the American charts on August 15, 1945, also known as Victory over Japan Day (VJ-Day), or the day hostilities ended for WWII (with hostilities having already ended in Europe on … Continue reading

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“Green Dolphin Street” – Miles Davis (1958)

“On Green Dolphin Street” was the main theme of the 1947 MGM film Green Dolphin Street. The movie was based on a book by British novelist Elizabeth Goudge called Green Dolphin Country (1944), published in the United States as Green Dolphin Street. … Continue reading

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“I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World” – Al Jolson (1928)

“I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World” was published in 1925 – words by Ray Henderson, lyrics Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. Al Jolson recorded the song in 1925, and then sang it in the 1928 part-talkie film The Singing Fool and in his biographical movie The … Continue reading

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“But Beautiful” – Road to Rio (1948)

But Beautiful is from the film “Road to Rio,” which is the fifth in the series of famous “Road” films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. The IMDb summary of the film states: Two inept vaudevillians stow away … Continue reading

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