Young man with a horn

Kirk Douglas plays the talented trumpeter, Rick Martin, loosely based on the life of jazz great, Bix Beiderbecke. Rick is a poor white orphan who learns the power of jazz through scouting the black neighbourhoods of his city. He comes in contact with a trumpet player (the brilliant jazz trumpeter Hoagy Carmichael) who teaches him how to play. His genius for the trumpet leads Rick to gigs with all-white orchestras and combos but he aches to play the sensual jazz music he adores. His battle between the demands for material success and his love for music leads him to alcoholism and a life on the streets. Co-starring Lauren Bacall as the rich society woman who Rick marries and who betrays him and Doris Day as the one woman who really understands his love for jazz. “Young Man With a Horn” features some fantastic black and white camerawork on New York locations and a great jazz and popular music score, including the songs “With A Song in My Heart”, “Get Happy” and “Love for Sale”. Based on the novel by Dorothy Baker.