The Storyville section of New Orleans is notorious in history, and here is a valiant attempt to document its tale. It appears that young wealthy members of New Orleans society are determined to enjoy the influence of ragtime and that oncoming scandalous music called jazz. The elders of society are opposed and it ends up with Storyville being closed down. But that doesn't stop the rage of ragtime and the joy of jazz from spreading nationwide, and after taking Chicago by storm, it does just that.
Arturo de Cordova is the proprietor of a New Orleans establishment and that distracts socialites Marjorie Lord and Dorothy Patrick. Looking very much like Ava Gardner in "Show Boat", Patrick plays a socialite whose obsession with de Cordova turns her to a daily fixture at these establishments, makes her a lush, and ultimately destroys her life. Lord's mother (Irene Rich) doesn't want her daughter to waste her time on de Cordova, and tries to bribe him into leaving Lord alone. Lord makes it big in symphonies around the world, while de Cordova continues to spread the joy of the music until he makes it to New York where Lord happens to be appearing. Among those performing the music are Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday who lead a rousing number, "Goodbye Storyville" and appear in the lavish finale.
While there are obviously some missing or false details, "New Orleans" is a fascinating look back at a den of iniquity usually confined on the screen to the waterfronts of New York, San Francisco and Chicago. This isn't a great film by any means, but simply a pleasant look at a piece of history worth dramatizing in further detail.
Arturo de Cordova is the proprietor of a New Orleans establishment and that distracts socialites Marjorie Lord and Dorothy Patrick. Looking very much like Ava Gardner in "Show Boat", Patrick plays a socialite whose obsession with de Cordova turns her to a daily fixture at these establishments, makes her a lush, and ultimately destroys her life. Lord's mother (Irene Rich) doesn't want her daughter to waste her time on de Cordova, and tries to bribe him into leaving Lord alone. Lord makes it big in symphonies around the world, while de Cordova continues to spread the joy of the music until he makes it to New York where Lord happens to be appearing. Among those performing the music are Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday who lead a rousing number, "Goodbye Storyville" and appear in the lavish finale.
While there are obviously some missing or false details, "New Orleans" is a fascinating look back at a den of iniquity usually confined on the screen to the waterfronts of New York, San Francisco and Chicago. This isn't a great film by any means, but simply a pleasant look at a piece of history worth dramatizing in further detail.