My Take:

Kirk Douglas is a damn fine actor. I had the pleasure of meeting him on the red carpet last year as the past and present actors who played Spartacus met at the Television Arts and Sciences building in Los Angeles.

Douglas has such a range of emotion and seems unhinged most of the time. Here he has plenty of space to graze as he plays an up and coming jazz trumpeter who gets too heavy into the booze and drugs.

The music is great and the acting even better, with Lauren Bacall to boot.

What I Liked:

The music was a big part of the film. Also, I loved Hoagy Carmichael as Willie ‘Smoke’ Willoughby.

What I Didn't Like:

Not much

What I Learned:

The Hays censorship code was worried about Lauren Bacall’s character being a lesbian and wanted it toned down to the point no one knew.