When I decided to get this movie from Netflix, I think this was the only one of the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musicals I had yet to watch as I remember seeing the others of theirs years ago. Yes, he's a musician and she's a singer. Yes, she's not initially his girlfriend and he gets distracted by another girl beforehand. Yes, Busby Berkeley is the one in charge. And, yes, it's corny but still very entertaining all these years later. I loved that George Pal-Puppetoon sequence involving fruit playing instruments (you really have to see this one to believe it!). I loved the "Do the La Conga" number Mickey & Judy do. I loved seeing Rooney playing the drums. I loved Ms. Garland singing of longing for love. I loved seeing Paul Whiteman and his band performing. In fact, I loved nearly everything this movie had to offer even that melodramatic spoof that this movie really didn't need. So on that note, Strike Up the Band gets a high recommendation from me.

This is a high energy film about music, talent, success, family, imagination, fun and teenagers growing up in a "typical" Midwestern town of the time. The year is 1940, and the world is on the brink of war. The recovery from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in America was in its infancy. The movie studios of Hollywood were in their heyday. MGM was leading in the battle to produce the best musicals, and it had some hot talent in two young stars. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were 20- and 18-year-old actors who had proved their talent. Rooney had been in movies since early childhood, and had made a successful transition into older boy roles. He had made "Boys Town," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and was a huge success in the Andy Hardy series. Garland's rising star was even more recent. She had some songs in a couple of small musicals and sang two numbers in the 1938 Andy Hardy film, "Love Finds Andy Hardy." Then she made the classic fantasy adventure musical, "The Wizard of Oz." To round out 1939, the two were paired as the leads of a comedy musical and they scored a smashing success in "Babes in Arms." So, MGM had all the proof it needed for future box-office success with this dynamic duo. "Strike Up the Band" had even more going for it than its two stars. Busby Berkeley had directed "Babes in Arms" and got the nod again. But in this film, he inserted some of the extravaganza of music and dance that were his forté. And Arthur Freed brought his considerable resources in music, story and sets as producer. The talent in "Strike Up the Band" isn't only in the music – the performances and numbers headed by Rooney and Garland, or in Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. Rooney and company do a splendid job with a Gay Nineties spoof, ala Vaudeville, that had me laughing out loud a number of times. And a fantasy dream sequence with pieces of fruit as men playing instruments for a dream number show some creative talent in the Freed unit and MGM studio. It's the only example of clay-animation I can think of in early movies. Some 50 years later, Will Vinton and others would make "claymation" much more popular in film and on TV. The chorus lines, great choreography, costumes, and dance and show numbers staged by Berkeley round out this talent spectacular. All-in-all, this is an excellent film that showcases some of the rising stars of the time. It has a big-name band, great imagination, and wonderful musical numbers. And, it's topped off with clever scenes, lots of laughs and tons of energy. As for Rooney's high energy that some may find over the top at times – it was as much a part of the story and movie as all the other pieces that, put together, add up to a very good comedy musical. It's first rate entertainment. Oh, yes – there are a few tender, serious moments, and those fit very nicely.

Mickey Rooney is Jimmy Connors (not the tennis pro) in a role that seems very similar to his Andy Hardy characters. Here his dad, a doctor, died and he is left to be brought up by mom. As in most of these older family movies, parents look old enough to be their grandparents.Mom naturally wants Jimmy to follow in dad's footsteps and become a doctor, because that is what dad was hoping when he had a son. But Jimmy really likes music, he is a percussionist with his high school band but really wants to be the leader of a dance band. (Rooney was probably 19 during filming.)Judy Garland is Mary Holden, fellow high school senior and Jimmy's "best pal". But it is clear that Mary wants more, she wishes she and Jimmey were boyfriend and girlfriend. (Garland was probably 18 during filming.)In the high school band many are getting bored with playing marches and patriotic music, so Jimmy has the idea of forming a dance band, with Mary as their singer. They are a big hit at their first dance, but Jimmy has a bigger goal. Famous band-leader Paul Whiteman (playing himself) and his Orchestra are holding a contest to find the best high school dance band in the USA and Jimmy thinks his band can win. But they need to earn $200 to get a bus to take them to Chicago for the live radio broadcast, where audience members will call in and vote. Sounds a lot like American Idol, doesn't it? As in all these movies from this era, family values are prominent and there is a lesson to be learned. Here Jimmy must come to grips with balancing his ambition with his promises to his friends and fellow band members when he is offered an immediate job as a drummer with a new band.Good movie, and being a Busby Berkely movie, several very elaborate song and dance production numbers.

A delightful high-energy romp. I think Mickey Rooney outshines Judy Garland in this one (but that might be like comparing apples to oranges, which incidentally play a not incidental role in this movie). Mickey plays the piano, the drums, sings, dances, pitches baseballs and jumps over fences and hedgerows....plus he's good to his widowed mother and turns up the "life's a gas" charm at the drop of a hat. Judy is more serious, reflective, and tender, all of which works well in the songs she performs. I could have done without the extended "Snidely Whiplash" melodrama routine, but hey, what's perfect in this world. The teenagers in this movie, however, look like miniature adults, and moreover, some of Mickey's band members look a little long in the tooth. Was there really a time when jazz was the most shocking thing a kid could be interested in?