Just perfect...

It is a performances centric movie

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Hollywood's finest are called to investigate two gunshot victims, which leads the police to haul jazz drummer Mickey Rooney (as Stanley "Stan" Maxton) in for questioning… In flashback, Mr. Rooney explains how he became acquainted with wounded Sally Forrest (as Jane Tafford) and dead James Craig (as Delwyn "Sonny" Johnson). After Korean War service, Rooney goes to work for the latter, a successful salesman. When one of Mr. Craig's joints is raided, Rooney escapes in an auto driven by Ms. Forrest. His pretty blonde driver tells Rooney she works as a dancer at the Dixieland nightclub "fluff's" on "The Strip" (Sunset Strip).Rooney goes to see Forrest dance. Wearing those stockings with the eye-catching lines going up the back, Forrest dances up a storm. Then, Rooney shows off his prowess with the sticks (he impersonates a drummer very well), which prompts a job offer from club owner William Demarest (as Fluff). To get close to Forrest, Rooney takes the job. Unfortunately, Rooney winds up being third wheel to the future shooting victims...Louis Armstrong and the musicians are terrific. Mr. Armstrong's rendition of "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was a big R&B and Pop hit during the film's release. Rooney is fun to watch behind the drum set, or breakfast table and piano with Mr. Demarest. And, he and Tommy Rettig (as Artie) have some funny scenes. "The Strip" doesn't know whether to be a musical or a crime drama, but one makes up for what the other lacks.****** The Strip (8/31/51) Leslie Kardos ~ Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig

OK-let's give credit where credit is due here OK? Mickey Rooney simply steals the show and is great on the drums. Not only that, he's great in this movie. The story, the acting, the music are all tops here. Give Me A Kiss To Build A Dream on was a Oscar nominated song. This is one of the most entertaining musicals I have ever seen. Mickey Rooney was in his 30's here and no longer a child. The man kept right on working when other child stars faded into obscurity. It's no wonder why. The man had talent that no other star in history could match. He could do anything, anytime, anyplace and succeeded at it all. I met Mr. Rooney while he was doing his show Sugar Babies and he also is a super nice guy. So, let's no under estimate the talent of this man, OK?

Mickey Rooney as discharged Korean War veteran Stanley Maxton not only gets a chance to act as a grown up out on his own in the big city of L.A the movie "The Strip" also showcases his ability to play the drums which he's very good at. The story in itself is more or less average with Stan getting in with the wrong crowd. later when he meets pretty Jane Tafford, Sally Forrest, as he was running from the L.A vice squad. Stan falls so madly in love with the "Fluff's" nightclub cigarette girl and part-time dancer that he quits his job working for local mobster Sonny Johnson, James Craig,to work full-time as a drummer with the Louie Armstrong band at the club. We already know before were even introduced to Stan that Jane is badly injured and dying in the hospital and Sonny is dead from a gunshot wound as the movie started. In a "Dragnet" like introduction we see a police car pull up at Jane's apartment in L.A finding her on the floor bleeding to death. Stan later picked up at his pad is taken to the police station and quizzed about both, Jane & Sonny's, shooting. The film then goes into a long flashback to how this whole tangled and deadly affair began. Stan wasn't too bright in his falling for Jane's obvious attempt to exploit his connections with big time mobster Sonny Johnson. Sonny promising to get Jane a screen test and a short-cut into the movies as an actress had the star-struck Jane fall for Sonny's line that he knows people in high places in Hollywood, hook line and sinker. Jane then dropped Stan who thought that she was in love with him like a hot potato. Sonny also wasn't that fond of Stan checking out on him to work for Fluff's and sent two of his goons to Stan's place to first talk him into coming back and later work him over for not being too cooperative. Stans later warning Jane about Sonny's involvement with the mob backfired when she went to have it out with him about his stringing her along and getting her nowhere in the movies which resulted in his being shot and killed and her ending up on life-support. At the police station Stan in another one of his hair brain attempts to get Jane to come back to him confessed to killing Sonny. It's then that he's told later by L.A police Detective Let. Bonnablo, Tom Powers, that she already confessed to the killing in a typed statement and didn't survive her injuries. Even there with him wanting to take the rap for Jane Stan ended up looking like a total jerk. What I thought was the biggest boner that Stan made in the movie, and he made a lot of them, was him not noticing how Edna, Kay Brown, another girl who worked at "Fluff's" was absolutely crazy about him and how he just shoved her off every time she tried to make the slightest attempt to talk and get friendly with him. Edna who for some reason was called "kid" by everyone in the film, I had to find out what her name was in the IMDb credits, was as pretty, if not more so, then Jane and much nicer and kinder to Stan. But as usual, like with everything else he did in the movie, Stan completely overlooked a good thing when he saw one by being blind to the feelings that she had for him. Even when she was right in front of Stan sweetly asking him for a date!

If you like jazz, you'll like this one : there's a good part of this movie which takes place in Los Angeles' night-clubs with guest star Louis Armstrong. The story may look classical for a film noir, but the way it shows the story of a drummer penetrating in the underground world is surprising : watch it especially for the drum solos. Enjoyable !