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This is the jam session department of an afternoon party Judy Garland and Mickey
Rooney recently gave to celebrate completion of their latest picture, "Strike up the
Band." The scene is Judy's living room, and the drummer boy is Mickey, himself, who
was chairman of the entertainment committee. The smiling youth behind him is Ray
Hirsch, "National Jitterbug Champion," who is in the "Strike Up the Band" cast.
Judy gets a jitterbug lesson from Champion Ray Hirsch, one of 120 guests at the party in her home in
Stone Canyon. Seated against the wall in the background are Georgie Stoll, musical director of "Strike
Up the Band," and Miss Ida Koverman, executive secretary to Louis B. Mayer, boss of the studio where
Judy and Mickey star. Other grownups at the party -- to which all the cast of the new M. G. M.
musical were invited -- included director Busby Berkeley and Judy's parents. Mickey's mother,
Mrs. Nell Pankey, couldn't attend because of a previous engagement. "Besides," sympathized
Earl Theisen, LOOK photographer who took these pictures of the jamboree, "Mrs. Pankey probably
has had so many jam sessions at home with Mickey's gang that she welcomed a day without music."
Mickey leaves his drums just long enough for a stomp with dancer Naida Reynolds.
Mickey dances to his own music and to hot numbers from his new picture. Keeping
pace with him is no task for Naida Reynolds, who often helps director Busby
Berkeley teach new steps. Sometimes she works as an extra. There is much less
drawing of social lines at a party like this than in Hollywood parties given by adults.
Here, friendships have little to do with salaries.
Judy leads the applause while Mickey's band swings out on "Drummer Boy."
Red hot swingster Mickey Rooney tears into a tune called "Drummer Boy," written especially for him and
said to be the hottest number in "Strike Up the Band." The No. 1 box-office star can coax a melody out of any
band instrument, but he's best at whacking the drums. These belong to the studio. Mickey is playing here
with an orchestra he organized while making his new picture. It is composed of 15 pieces. Anybody who
can play a band instrument is tops with Mickey. He is much more interested in such individuals and their
accomplishments than he is in many of the famous actors and actresses with whom he works at M-G-M.
Everybody went swimming in Judy's pool except the drummer boy.
Mickey wouldn't leave his jam session even for such fun as these
guests are having. Most are extras or bit players in the new musical.
The beauty in distress is Alora Gooding, stand-in for June Preisser,
and the villain about to push in the stand-in is Leonard Sues, one of
Mickey's trumpet-playing pals, who also appears in the new picture.
A villain to the last, Sues is now trying to duck Miss Gooding. Mickey
likes to get his musician pals into the cast of his pictures so he can
have jam sessions on the sets -- where he always has a piano.
Judy leads the applause for Mickey's orchestra. The girl on Judy's right hand is Eleanor Stewart,
photographer's model. Peeking over Judy's head is Larry Nunn, who has an important part in "Strike Up
the Band," and the girl in front of the solemn fat boy is Naida Reynolds. The fat boy is Harry McCrellis,
who has a comedy role in the musical. At the right are Sidney Miller (mouth open) and Andy McIntyre.
Andy, one of Mickey's closest friends, works in a clothing store. The three girls on the davenport are
friends of Judy's. The young star, a perfect hostess, took care to see that everybody had a good time.
Mickey gets in a hot lick on the trombone. During the jam session,
which lasted from about 1 p.m. until after 6, he also played a saxaphone
and piano. He gave his band 30 minutes off at lunch time.
Judy and Mickey try forcible feeding on Mickey's song collaborator,
Sidney Miller. The two stars all afternoon kept ribbing Sidney for
trying to steal the spotlight in photographer Theisen's pictures.
Corn on the cob disappeared as fast as six servants could replace it
at lunch time, Judy and Mickey getting their share. After the party
was over both the young stars left town for a brief vacation.
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