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George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, Glenn Miller, Lynn Bari, Carole Landis, Cesar Romero, Virginia Gilmore, Mary Beth Hughes, Fayard Nicholas, Harold Nicholas

Glenn Miller, a legendary musician, had the fortune to be a part of a couple of films such as Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and this film, Orchestra Wives, from 1942. Sun Valley Serenade is the film most people consider the best while Orchestra Wives is a light and fun comedy in the shadow of a traveling band and marriage trouble. In Orchestra Wives, Glenn Miller’s band performs swinging tunes that had the 1940s youth dancing and soldiers longing for their next leave, as the World War II was fought on three different continents. ***

Orchestra Wives opens with the Glenn Morrison’s Orchestra (Glenn Miller’s Orchestra) recording while the secret of a new tour leaks out to the band through the mischievous singer Jaynie Stevens (Lynn Bari). It is not a venture that many band members desire, but it is necessary, as it helps promote their next record that will be played on jukeboxes throughout the nation. In the perspective of the recent documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004), it is rather amusing to see these guys in the orchestra arguing about a tour, as their incomes were probably not even close to that of Metallica’s members. ***

With the tour, comes family tensions and interpersonal conflict within the band. There is also the other aspect of the tour, meeting new people every night, as the plan is to play in 29 cities in 30 nights. The trumpet player Bill Abbott (George Montgomery) does not waste any time to converge with the opposite sex whenever an opportunity arises. However, when Bill meets Connie (Ann Rutherford) her beauty infatuates him, but the meeting is short as Connie’s boyfriend appears. Nonetheless, Bill invites Connie to the following evening when Bill performs in a nearby town. The meeting does not go as planned, but in the process, they become husband and wife. ***

Eventually, Connie meets the other Glenn Morrison’s Orchestra wives including Jaynie, who once dated Bill for a period of a year. It might not have been a big deal today, but tension would still emerge between them. In the 40s, it was a much different picture, as society still employed the moral codes provided by strong Christian values. It was also due to these values that Connie and Bill got married on the spot, as they must have felt obligated to follow socially innate rules. Despite what was socially acceptable, Jaynie continues to try to sway Bill over to her while deceiving Connie. This will unfortunately lead to a sad emotional mess full with jealousy and insecurities fueled by the gossip of the malicious orchestra wives. ***

Orchestra Wives presents a rather shallow narration of the predicament of being on the road without a solid home. The story touches on the emotional insecurities and envies that brew under the surface of the women who see their men performing in front of the dreamy eyes of longing women. It also provides momentary focus on the notion of home and a solid spot in life, but does not really address these issues through the storytelling. As stated, there are weaknesses within the story, yet this film provides a light cinematic journey that entertains through comedy and musical performances of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which eventually leaves the viewer with a wonderful cinematic experience. *** ---

The full screen image is the original aspect ratio on this rather good DVD transfer, which shows very little digital issues. There are some specks visible on the screen, but much of it might be due to the film’s age. Otherwise, this black and white film has a very good quality. The audio is available in either stereo, or mono, and the stereo sound actually sounds very good and not artificial, as expected for an older film such as this. ***

There are only a few extras on this DVD, which include a still gallery and a theatrical trailer. There are also four trailers of other Fox Classics including Desk Set (1957) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949). *** ---

Orchestra Wives provides a decent cinematic experience that merely touches on a bunch of intriguing issues. In my humble opinion, the film needed to do more than simply touch on the issues to elevate in its cinematic value. Nonetheless, Glenn Miller’s Orchestra’s performance is worth viewing, as it also has a rather good sound. In the end, the film leaves with a good visual and auditory treat that amuses the audience, which is worth a viewing. ***