Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon

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Release date: Mar 5, 2008

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Movie Info

Though commonly recognized by many from his longtime stint as Merv Griffin's comedic sidekick on The Merv Griffin Show, trumpeter and vocalist Jack Sheldon qualifies, hands-down, as a force of jazz and one of the most unique talents in his chosen genre. Fewer still may realize, however, that off-camera Sheldon battled his way through one of the most tumultuous and tortuous lives imaginable - replete with horrific, crushing personal tragedy, drug addiction and alcohol abuse. In the final analysis, he survived, and quickly became a stand-by in Hollywood whenever celebrities sought a musician for their private events - thus reeling in friends as lofty as Billy Crystal, fellow jazz pianist Clint Eastwood, and Johnny Mandel, each one in awe of Sheldon's musical prowess. With the documentary Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon, husband-and-wife filmmaking team Penny Peyser and Doug McIntyre reflects on Sheldon's life and incredible career, by interpolating interviews with the aforementioned celebrities and others, archival footage of Sheldon performing with such heavyweights as Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman, performance clips of The Jack Sheldon Orchestra, and much more.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Directed By:

Doug McIntyre, Penny Peyser
Written By:

Doug McIntyre, Penny Peyser
In Theaters:

Mar 5, 2008 wide
Runtime:

90 minutes
Studio:

Bialystock & Bloom Limited

Cast

Jack Sheldon

Chet Baker

Joe Bagg

James Baker III

Wayne Bergeron

Chuck Berghofer

Alan Bergman

Shelly Berg

Helen Borgers

Dom DeLuise

Billy Crystal

Clint Eastwood

Merv Griffin

Leonard Maltin

Frank Marshall

View All

Critic Reviews for Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon

All Critics (2) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (2)

Despite -- or, perhaps, because of -- his cult status, Sheldon makes a compelling centerpiece for the lively, nostalgic documentary Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon.

May 30, 2008 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Gary Goldstein
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic
Production values are rough, but the lack of polish serves both Sheldon's raffish, off-color persona and the film's argument that L.A. jazz is still alive in small nightclubs, not something confined to a much-mythologized past.

Jun 5, 2008 | Full Review…

James C. Taylor
L.A. Weekly