It's still early yet, but Cohen Media Group's rediscovery, restoration and release of Syncopation will surely be considered one of the finest Blu-ray releases of the year at year's end. The bonus material alone is worth the price of the disc.

When RKO's Syncopation hit theatres in the spring of 1942, it seemed to please nobody: the New York Times called it 'shoddy' and 'turgid,' not exactly blurbs inspiring bobby soxers to come dance in the aisles. Despite the popularity of swing music at the time, and the inclusion of some of the biggest stars of the day, the film was a box-officer loser and was quickly forgotten. It's easy to see why audiences ignored it: Adolphe Menjou, top-billed (although a minor character) is hardly the scion of swing, and the romantic leads, Bonita Granville and Jackie Cooper, seemed to have wandered over from Monogram. Director William Dieterle was great with such dramas and comedies as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Life of Emile Zola but probably not the best choice for a director of a swingin' musical full of hep cats.

It's easy to see the corporate thought that went into this: the film The Birth of the Blues had been a monster hit for Bing Crosby in 1941, and what Paramount did for the blues, RKO surely could do for swing. The studio sponsored a poll in the Saturday Evening Post, asking readers to vote on an all-star swing band to perform for the film, which was at that time entitled The Band Played On. The winners included Benny Goodman (well, the King of Swing had BETTER be there), Gene Krupa, and Harry James. Funnymen Robert Benchley and Walter Catlett supplied the laughs and legendary vocalist Connee Boswell was included to perform a specialty number. Alas, a preview of the first cut of the film was a disaster, and the comedy was removed in favor of a closing on-camera jam with the All-American Dance Band. The name of the film was changed to Syncopation, the title of the studio's first sound picture in 1929, although this wasn't a remake.

Our story: children, black and white, in New Orleans in the early days of the 20th-century struggle with poverty and a new type of music with a beat that their parents don't approve of. Swept up into Chicago by her father (Menjou), young Kit (Granville) grows up playing piano that really swings; she meets a hot trumpet player named Johnny (Cooper) and eventually they're reunited with her childhood friend Rex (Todd Duncan), an African-American who plays Dixieland with a small combo. As Kit and Johnny fall in love, he struggles to find a place where his new music fits in; show producer Frank Jenks, an old friend of the family, steps in to help.


St. Louis Blues and Sugarfoot Stomp are probably the most recognized numbers in the score. Rich Hall and Leith Stevens wrote a pretty good torch song, Under a Falling Star, for Miss Bosworth. Bunny Berigan dubbed in the hot trumpet for Mr. Cooper.

Among the cast, only Bonita Granville -- struggling to outgrow her Nancy Drew, Detective days -- and Todd Duncan distinguish themselves. Former child star Jackie Cooper really struggles here; this was one of his last roles before heading into the Navy. Thankfully, though, we're not here for them, we're here for the music, which really swings. This is a film that will remain highly enjoyable on multiple viewings, but the fast-forward button won't go unused when you re-watch.

As much fun as the movie is, though, the REAL treasure is in the Extras section of the disc; there, you'll find no less than NINE stunning HD offerings from the vaults of Paramount pictures, more than ninety minutes of musical shorts featuring some of the greatest names in American music. Every single one is a gem, and highlights include Louis Armstrong in A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932, featuring the song I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You, released simultaneously by Paramount in a Betty Boop cartoon!); Duke Ellington in Symphony in Black (1935), one of the greatest, most artistic musical shorts ever produced; Cab Calloway in Hi-Di-Ho; and Artie Shaw's Class in Swing. It's too bad Cohen Media Group didn't include a 'Play All' button, because I'd leave the thing on all day.

This is a great disc that's highly recommended; a gorgeous HD release from Cohen, and a must-have for fans of popular music of the 1940s.

Clifford Weimer is a writer and film historian in Sacramento, CA. He can usually be found lurking about the dark corners of a movie theatre at inthebalcony.com.