There has been a lot of movies that feature harmonicas-westerns, war movies, etc. The list would be to long to mention all the movies I've seen that have harmonicas in them. So to narrow it down to movies about music, 3 come to mind. Crossroads (1986) with the guy who played the karate kid, Ralph Macchio. It was filmed in Mississippi and features Frank Frost. The Last Waltz has a couple of great perfomances by Paul Butterfield. Cadillac Records, about Chess Records has Kim Wilson playing the Little Walter harmonica parts except one song which is a recording by the real Little Walter.
Do you mean movies in which someone is playing a harmonica in at least one scene? Or are you including score/soundtrack, & other movies featuring prevalent blues?
'Cadillac Records'. See it! Its about a blues record company & features actors playing Little Walter, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, & so on.
'Australia' has a number of scenes where someone is playing a harmonica. Though itll make you want a boomerang (shaped) harmonica & you be disappointed to find out that's harder then it seems.
There's at least one scene in 'The Good the Bad & the Ugly'. I swear the guy is playing an old school 12 hole marine band or something. Speaking of which you can see or hear harmonica in a lot of westerns. Also the main character's name in 'Once Upon a Time in the West' is Harmonica.
If your into anime or might be the series 'Cowboy Bebop' features a lot of harmonica in the soundtrack & an episode that is all about a harmonica player. Adam even has a youtube lesson on one of the songs called Spokey Dokey MBH.149 & MBH.150.
I just woke up lemme see if I think of anything else.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Okay, but 'Australia' might still fit the bill. There's a couple scenes with a supporting actor playing songs like Somewhere O'er the Rainbow on a boomerang harmonica.
I didn't think of Elwood when you mentioned Blues Brothers cause first harmonica player that comes to my mind in that movie is Big Walter Horton.
I have not seen it nor do I think it received equal acclaim but there's another movie like Cadillac Records called 'Who Do You Love' which also features someone cast as Little Walter.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Crossroads is a must for harp and blues lovers. The opening harmonica stuff is Sonny Terry. Sonny can also be seen with Brownie at the start and end of The Jerk.
In the old 1953 movie "The Wild One" starring Marlon Brando, there is a scene where a group of his bikers are sitting at a bar and one of them (probably someone else other than the actor) plays some "jazz" type stuff on a chromatic. I guess it's okay, Bill Clarke sent me a video once with it on the tape along with his very amusing comments. I guess you'll have to hunt it down somewhere or buy the DVD if it interests you that much The accompanying "jive talk" is totally absurd and anyone using it in the 50's bars around here would've been laughed out of town after being dragged out into the alley by some recent parolees from Reidsville State Prison where he would've learned how to be a "girly man" very quickly.
The best clip I can find of the harmonica in movie Australia might give too much away if you haven't seen the film but if that doesn't bother you it can be watched Here .
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
http://www.letmewatchthis.com/movie-154-Cadillac-Records ---------- The Art Teacher Formally Known As scstrickland
Last Edited by on Sep 25, 2010 9:54 AM
TNFrank. Since you also love guitar, you will also love the guitar dual from crossroads. Steve Vai plays the devils boy. Some of the slide guitar is Ry Cooder but in the dual, all the killer solos by Vai and the kid are played by Vai.
Lol, I can't watch Crossroads with a straight face. The whole thing is so laughable. I swear they got the idea for the ending boss fights in Guitar Hero video games from this movie.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
I think it's about time they do a remake of crossroads. I think it might influence a new generation of highley immpressionable neighbor kids to get into blues. I actually noticed that after "Cadillac Records" came out there are a ton of people putting "My Babe" up on YouTube. It was so refreshing to see a couple of teeneage black girls singing that because they watched the movie...kinda warms the heart to say the least.
Little Big Man John Hammond did the sound track. Breakfast at Tiffany's Moon River George Fields harmomica.
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Well there's no blues in the music..but Alan Ladd plays a harp with William Demarest singing along in an OLDDDDD western called "Whispering Smith". (this was before "Shane") I'm guessing around 1949. I recall seeing it for 10cents at the Saturday twin bill matinee at the West End theatre in Atlanta. (this was when you could bring along your Red Ryder Carbine BB Gun and the Daisy Mfg.Company would give you a free bag of popcorn. Can you imagine anything like that now? The anti-gun screwballs would go berserk)
Last Edited by on Sep 27, 2010 2:29 PM
cadillac records has a scene where the producer complains to leonard chess about little walter blowin harp all over muddy waters vocals but chess said let him blow it was sad when little walter left muddy and went on his own the movie was not totally realistic as to how little walter died
Ahh, Moon River by the late great George Fields, on his chromatic harmonica...This song was absolutely made for a forlorn harmonica...I was able to e-mail Mr.George before he passed.
Thank you kindly for the site Adam, and I am a new member, and I have only been playing for eight months.
I feel like someone should point out that the bulk of the harp playing in Crossroads - including the whole "willie brown" song - is actually done by Juke Logan, who is one of my favorite harp players of all time (he's also playing the harp on the theme song to the original Rosanne show, which was a *great* theme).
