John Garfield and Joan Crawford make the screen crackle as a gifted violinist and his patroness who fall in love. The passion that drives the violinist sours, however, when Crawford’s character begins to exert her will in domineering and detrimental ways. A profoundly affecting film with an awe-inspiring score.

Kirk Douglas delivers one of his fiercest performances as a trumpet prodigy who lives for his music, but his arrogance (and alcohol) threaten to ruin him. Doris Day is the loyal singer whose love is unrequited and Lauren Bacall is the woman he craves but can’t comprehend. A study in wasted potential.

Mickey Rooney plays a drummer having to navigate a murder rap involving a cigarette girl. Most of the action takes place at Fluff’s nightclub where the hottest house band in Hollywood plays – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra! “A Kiss to Build a Dream On,” composed expressly for this film, was a 1952 Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

A triumph of mood and chilling atmosphere! British songstress (Eleanor Summerfield) winds up dead. All signs point to American trumpet player James Bradley (Alex Nicol) being responsible. To clear his name, Bradley ventures into London’s seedy, jazz-soaked underworld in this forgotten gem released in the U.S. as The Black Glove.

An Othello adaptation set in London’s early 1960s jazz scene. Drummer Johnny (Patrick McGoohan) wants singer Delia (Marti Stevens) to front his band, but when she refuses, the sociopathic social climber turns her anniversary party into a deadly game of he said, she said. With jazz greats Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus in their prime!

Sammy Davis, Jr. like you’ve never seen him before! Davis’ portrayal of Adam, the tortured cornetist alternating between self-sabotage and rotten luck, remains as startling today as when it was released. Leo Penn keeps his directorial choices for this unrelentingly bleak noir simple yet powerful. The film showcases George Rhodes and Louis Armstrong as they tear up real New York City nightclubs!