The Glenn Miller Story

The Glenn Miller Story follows the American trombonist and bandleader from his early days as an unknown musician to his rise to fame in the early 1940s. It traces his determination to compose music and to build a swing big band of his own, his marriage to Helen Burger, and the years when his orchestra's recordings brought him success. When war comes, Miller joins the army and devotes himself to entertaining the troops. The film, made by Universal Pictures, includes performances of Miller's music alongside appearances by figures from the swing era.

Released in 1954, the film runs 116 minutes and blends drama, music and romance. Anthony Mann directed it, working from a screenplay by Valentine Davies and Oscar Brodney, with Aaron Rosenberg producing. It is the eleventh of the twenty films Mann directed in chronological order, coming after The Naked Spur and before The Far Country. James Stewart plays Glenn Miller and June Allyson plays Helen Burger Miller. The credited cast numbers 59 and also includes Harry Morgan, Charles Drake, George Tobias and Barton MacLane.

On TMDB the film holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from 169 votes, indicating a generally favourable response from those who have recorded a rating. The combination of Stewart's central performance, the big-band material and Mann's direction places the film among the musical biographies of its period, and it remains a widely watched title from the director's mid-1950s output.