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Alexander's Ragtime Band




''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' is not itself an example of the Ragtime musical Idiom ; apart from some mild syncopation, it has almost none of ragtime's characteristic features.

''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' is also the name of a 1938 film that takes off from the Berlin song to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in Ragtime instead of in "serious" music. It stars Tyrone Power , Alice Faye , Don Ameche , Ethel Merman , Jack Haley and Jean Hersholt .

The story was written by Irving Berlin himself, with Kathryn Scola , Richard Sherman and Lamar Trotti . It was directed by Henry King .

The movie was nominated for the Academy Award For Best Picture .

The story, nominated for an Academy Award , strings together about 30 Irving Berlin songs. It was written in 1938 , but related to World War I ( 1914 - 1918 ). As a result, there were some anomalies; for example the song, "Heat Wave" sung by Ethel Merman in the movie, was not written until 1933 , as was "Easter Parade."


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