Leith Stevens

In New Orleans, young Kit Latimer, who loves and plays the African-American music of the city, moves to Chicago with her architect father, George. Over the next several years, Kit discovers that the ragtime of her childhood has developed into jazz. Struggling coronet player Johnny Schumacher befriends Kit, who is arrested after her music incites a riot at a club. Upon release, the two form a band.

Leith Stevens leads his orchestra in a nice assortment of standards in a variety of musical styles, including Dixieland and swing. Mr. Stevens was a popular orchestra leader of the era who later became a musical director for an assortment of television shows and his facility with more than one style of music, so important for his later career, is much in evidence here.

The setting is a radio broadcast with the bands of Leith Stevens and Bobby Hackett, the vocals by Nan Wynn and a speciality bit by Leslie Lieber playing a toy whistle. Future-and-long-time-voice of the New York Yankees baseball team, Mel Allen (as Melvin Allen), served as the announcer.