Commentary
Hollywood of the 1930s to 1950s is remembered as a golden era of filmmaking for its glamour, movie stars, and cinematography. However, it was also a heyday for classical music on film. The introduction of sound films in the late 1920s made film an ideal medium to present musical performances from an angle even closer than a theater’s front row. As the entertainment trend shifted to traditionalism and culture in the mid-1930s, the American film industry became a platform for bringing great music and world-class musicians to the masses.
The Story
In “They Shall Have Music” from 1939, Frankie (Gene Reynolds) is a tough New York kid who runs with a gang of street thieves. When he’s caught stealing money from another boy (Tommy Kelly), his abusive stepfather (Arthur Hohl) vows to send him to reform school if he gets caught once more. He locks him in the basement, where Frankie discovers his late father’s violin. He pawns it and puts the cash in the gang’s treasury. Later, he and his friend Limey (Terry Kilburn) hide in the concert hall lobby, where they pick up two discarded tickets. Unable to sell them to passersby, the boys watch the show, a symphonic concert with famous violinist Jascha Heifetz (himself). Frankie is deeply inspired by the beautiful music, so he takes the gang’s collection to get his violin out of hock. However, when his stepfather catches him playing the violin, he smashes it.
