Mickey Rooney, Tom Drake, Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, and a host of top musical performers headline M-G-M producer Arthur Freed’s extravagant biographical tribute to the prolific songwriting duo of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. In the early 1920s, the diminutive Hart (Rooney) teams up with Rodgers (Drake) to launch a successful 24-year music career, penning nearly 500 songs with him until Hart’s death in 1943 at the age of 47. Rodgers marries his dream girl (Leigh) while Hart pines after Peggy (Garrett), eventually spiraling into depression and death after her rejection. June Allyson, Perry Como, Ann Sothern, Mel Tormé, Cyd Charisse, Judy Garland, and Lena Horne are just some of the singing sensations featured. This is the last movie in which Garland and Rooney appeared together. It also boasts the first full-length modern ballet piece in a Hollywood movie: Choreographed and danced by Gene Kelly, with Vera-Ellen as his partner, “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” provides the show-stopping seven-minute finale to the film. Among the hit songs performed are ” “Blue Moon,” “Thou Swell” “Manhattan,” “Johnny One Note,” “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” “Where or When,” and “The Lady Is a Tramp.”

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Video Quality

Warner Archive presents Words and Music with a stunning new 1080p master transfer sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original Nitrate Technicolor Negatives. Warner Archive always puts great care into restoring their Technicolor films to their intended glory, and this one is no exception. The level of minute detail and clarity is unbelievable with a sumptuous amount of natural film grain intact. There do not appear to be any obvious digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances. The restoration has eliminated any trace of dirt and damage to make it shine brighter than a new penny. The film features radiant colors within the production design and clothing that leap off the screen with the ideal presence. Black levels are deep with the appropriate stability throughout. Warner Archive is one of the best in the game.

Audio Quality

Warner Archive provides the original theatrical mono audio track via a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that brings this to life just perfectly. The snappy dialogue comes through crisp and clear from beginning to end. There are moments when the track has to navigate which sounds to prioritize in the mix, and everything is executed with the utmost care. The track balances vocals with the lush accompanying music with the foremost clarity. Every element maintains its fidelity without fail. Music is the focus of the narrative, and this track brings the timeless tunes to life flawlessly. Warner Archive has provided a favorable audio presentation that does not showcase any signs of age-related wear and tear. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Richard Barrios provides an enlightening commentary track in which he discusses the historical accuracy of the narrative, the ethnic erasure of the story, the background of the figures and performers, and more.

A Life In Words and Music: A 20-minute archival featurette that takes a look at the dramatization of the real-life musical duo, the liberties taken with their story, the performers that brought them to life, and more. There are some great insights from historians and classic lyricists.

Unused Musical Sequences

- “You’re Nearer” (Perry Como) (9:44)

- “Lover” (Perry Como & MGM Orchestra and Chorus) (3:44)

Audio Only Musical Outtakes

- Medley “Falling In Love With Love/You Took Advantage Of Me” – Gene Kelly & Vera-Ellen (2:13)

- “I Feel At Home With You” – The Blackburn Twins (2:09)

- “It Never Entered My Mind” – Betty Garrett (1:53)

- “My Funny Valentine” – Betty Garrett (1:53)

- “My Heart Stood Still” – Perry Como (3:22)

- “The Lady Is A Tramp” (Extended Version) – Lena Horne (3:59)

- “Way Out West” (Complete Version) – Betty Garrett (2:03)

- “With A Song In My Heart” (Complete Version) – Perry Como (2:22)

The Cat That Hated People: A seven-minute Tex Avery short from 1948 in HD in which a cat explains the scenarios that have led him to want to abandon humanity.

Going To Blazes!: A 21-minute live-action Theater of Life short that gives a look at fire safety and fire prevention.

Original Theatrical Trailer: A three-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided for the film.

Final Thoughts

Words and Music is a perfectly pleasant biopic that shines a spotlight on a duo who may not be household names for a modern audience, but they created songs that endure to this day. If you come to this film for historical accuracy, you will be sorely disappointed, but the narrative as shaped for this outing is engaging enough to string together the musical numbers. This type of musical biopic has been done much better in the past, but it is worth a watch if you like the talent involved. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray with a fantastic A/V presentation along with a sterling selection of special features. Recommended

Words and Music can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.