for many year and samuel goldwin try to bring his friend jascha heifetz to the screen . one evening when goldwyn and his wife france be have dinner with heifetz and his wife and silent screen star florence vidor and goldwyn propose that heifetz star in a movie . after some persuasion and heifetz agree and on the condition that his act be keep to a minimum . and the movie and originally title music school be bear . the story itself be rather stock represent a streetwise boy ( gene reynolds and who be best know a the producer of mash ) and run away from home and end up at a financially troubled music school run by professor lawson ( walter brennan ) . while attempt to raise fund for the school and the boy and some other kid happen across heifetz at carnegie hall . after much ado and heifetz end up appear at the school concert and sponsor the school . the story and while predictable and be surprisingly well write and although the film contain several minor gaffe where different scene be patch together and the most obvious be the young cellist who be send out of the orchestra room on an errand and be see sit in the orchestra a few second later . what be not surprising be how good the acting be . a be customary for studio then and the studio surround the inexperienced star with veteran talent represent brennan and joel mccrea and andrea leeds and porter hall and marjorie main ( later of ma and pa kettle fame ) and arthur hohl and paul harvey and and a who who of character actor . actress diana lynn and singer or actress kaye connor make their ( uncredited ) debut in this film and a do longtime nelson eddy singing partner gale sherwood ( a jacqueline nash ) . child veteran actor reynolds and walter tetley and terry kilburn also appear . goldwyn hire the peter meremblum symphony and a highly regarded youth orchestra from the los angeles area and to appear in the film . most of the kid in the orchestra weren not actor and but they be excellent musician and as good a professional ( which many of them later become ) . many of the kid in the orchestra go on to noteworthy career represent kaye connor and diana lynn both star in the theater and movie and richard berres be a producer and director and mitchell lurie found a well know music supply company and elliott rapaport go on to be a prominent cardiologist and lewis elia be a band leader and thomas facey a conductor with different symphony and channing robbins a prominent instructor at the julliard school and his sister joyce robbins an instructor witn suny stonybrook and and many of the kid in the orchestra pursued musical career with major symphony orchestra . while heifetz acting be keep to a minimum and his salary wasn not . he command $ 70 and 000 for seven week . when some scene have to be re shot at a late date and he get an additional $ 50 and 000 for another four week . what thankfully wasn not keep to a minimum be his musical output . composer alfred neumann ( who be once a meremblum orchestra conductor ) handle the scoring . heifetz perform the introductionne and rondo capriccioso by camille saint saens and his own arrangement of manuel ponce estrellita ( with an off screen teddy saidenberg accompany ) and dinicu devilishly difficult hora staccato ( from a vitaphone recording and with emanuel bay at the piano ) and an excerpt from tchaikovsky melody and an excerpt arrange for violin solo from tchaikovsky well know adante cantabile from his opus 11 string quartet ( play during the opening credit at the beginning of the movie ) and and the final movement from felix mendelssohn barthody e minor violin concerto . during all of these performance and there be many closeup of heifetz performing and include some very close shot of his fingering and bowing and something that would be of value to violinist desire to study his technique . the meremblum orchestra also shin here and perform the aria caro nome by verdi and casta diva by bellini and ( both with sherwood singing ) and an arrangement of the overture from rossini barber of seville and a short excerpt from mozart eine kleine nachtmusik and and the previously mention mendelssohn concerto ( with heifetz ) . diana lynn can be hear in the background of one scene and perform part of chopin nocturne in b flat minor and and a five year old mary ruth performs chopin popular minute waltz . all in all and this be an excellent movie . amc show this regularly up until early 1992. i haven not see it on television in recent year and but copy of it be not difficult to obtain . if you have the chance and i highly recommend that you view the movie .