Tommy Dorsey
himself (Jimmy's Brother)
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Synopsis
Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey play themselves in a dramatization of their rise from a Pennsylvania childhood to celebrated bandleaders. The film follows the discipline, shared ambition and disagreements behind their musical partnership. Family memories and performances sit alongside the tensions that split the brothers professionally and complicate the bond they continue to share.
Cast
DirectorsAlfred E. Green
Historical context
The film is also a record of the big-band era's performing personalities. Appearances by musicians including Art Tatum and Paul Whiteman give it an interest beyond the biographical plot: real artists briefly share the screen within a Hollywood reconstruction of their musical world.
Inspirations
Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey play themselves in a dramatization of their rise, musical partnership and disagreements. The screenplay drew on Richard English's magazine account of the brothers, while adding fictional material around their professional story.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Tommy Dorsey — William P. Gottlieb · Public domain
- Jimmy Dorsey — Maurice Seymour studio · Public domain
- Janet Blair — Studio Publicity · Public domain
- Paul Whiteman — Artists Management Inc. · Public domain
