A full movie biography of Louis Armstrong would be a fantastic idea, but it would need to be much more detailed than this TV version. Ben Vereen however is perfectly cast, proving himself to being more than just a sensational song and dance man but a good actor as well. Vereen is not doing a mock imitation of Armstrong. He is playing him down to the depths, and it's a missed opportunity that he didn't get to do the whole story. When he's sitting in the backseat of a Rolls-Royce in a very racist southern country town, the car is surrounded by white men wonder why a black man is getting such lavish treatment, and Vereen cleverly jumps into the stereotypical cliched way that they think he should act so everyone is saved.
Usually an actor I have a low tolerance for, Red Buttons fortunately underplays his role of Vereen's manager, guiding him from New Orleans to Chicago and beyond. This is the 1930's, only a portion of Armstrong's life, but it shows how white audiences were instantly drawn to his many talents and for the most part welcomed him into their hearts. The musical sequences are sensational, but in 75 minutes, you only get snippets of Armstrong's life, but you get to see what happens when he's falsely accused of caring around illegal marijuana. It's a shame that Vereen was overlooked for an Emmy nomination for this, but the film could have been so much more. Play Louis Armstrong was too beloved a character to get the CliffsNotes biography.
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