Orson Welles once called Mickey Rooney the most talented person in Hollywood. The multi faceted Rooney could not only sing, act and dance but also played a variety of instruments. With Andy Hardy all grown up and his career on the rocks Rooney calls on his percussionist expertise to get his career beating again in The Strip.
After being released from the hospital after the war Stanley Maxton heads for LA to get his career going again as a drummer. Getting into a car accident en-route he meets Sonny Johnson (James Craig ) a bookie who gives him a job taking bets. His desire is to drum though bring's him to Fluff's where he meets dancer/cigarette girl Jane (Sally Forrest) and takes on the job of the house drummer. Sonny visits the club and falls for Jane who in turn gravitates towards him and his abilities to further her career. When Sonny turns up dead Stanley is the prime suspect.
Rooney looks amazingly adept and quite convincing behind the drum kit but his performance and the production itself isn't even worth a rim shot never mind a drum roll. Rooney is little more than Andy visits the land of vice with a handful of Louis Stone surrogates to guide him along the way. Rooney lacks the depth as an actor to bring any substance to Maxton. He is still the pining teen from the series. As fatale Sally Forrest is limber but her performance is timber.
The film itself is a pasty noir where the technicians seemed to have forgotten to turn off some of the lights to exact mood and intent. It's more Dragnet than expressionist with the most interesting twists and dynamic, the relationship between Sonny and Jane ignored in favor of Mickey's brooding.
The film's highlight albeit brief and truncated is the performing of Louis Armstrong's band at Fluff's with precious moments from trombonist Jack Teargarden and pianist Earl Fatha Hines giving excuse enough to avoid this stretch of bad road and turn on the Victrola to listen to these diamonds in the rough instead.
After being released from the hospital after the war Stanley Maxton heads for LA to get his career going again as a drummer. Getting into a car accident en-route he meets Sonny Johnson (James Craig ) a bookie who gives him a job taking bets. His desire is to drum though bring's him to Fluff's where he meets dancer/cigarette girl Jane (Sally Forrest) and takes on the job of the house drummer. Sonny visits the club and falls for Jane who in turn gravitates towards him and his abilities to further her career. When Sonny turns up dead Stanley is the prime suspect.
Rooney looks amazingly adept and quite convincing behind the drum kit but his performance and the production itself isn't even worth a rim shot never mind a drum roll. Rooney is little more than Andy visits the land of vice with a handful of Louis Stone surrogates to guide him along the way. Rooney lacks the depth as an actor to bring any substance to Maxton. He is still the pining teen from the series. As fatale Sally Forrest is limber but her performance is timber.
The film itself is a pasty noir where the technicians seemed to have forgotten to turn off some of the lights to exact mood and intent. It's more Dragnet than expressionist with the most interesting twists and dynamic, the relationship between Sonny and Jane ignored in favor of Mickey's brooding.
The film's highlight albeit brief and truncated is the performing of Louis Armstrong's band at Fluff's with precious moments from trombonist Jack Teargarden and pianist Earl Fatha Hines giving excuse enough to avoid this stretch of bad road and turn on the Victrola to listen to these diamonds in the rough instead.