The Gene Krupa Story drums. Considerable liberty was taken with the actual timeline of events in Gene's life; for example, the picturing of Bix Beiderbecke arriving at a party in Krupa's New York apartment in approximately 1934, several years after Beiderbecke had actually died. The Gene Krupa Story The Gene Krupa Story (also known as Drum Crazy) is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers on Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana. The young Gene Krupa (Sal Mineo) brings home a set of drums and puts them in the family room.
Gene Krupa the second song, audience members leapt to their feet in appreciation. Norman Granz hired Krupa and drummer Buddy Rich for his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. The two drummers performed at Carnegie Hall in September 1952 and it was issued by Verve as "The Drum Battle". The two drummers faced off in a number of television broadcasts and other venues and often played similar duets with drummer Cozy Cole. Krupa and Rich recorded two studio albums together: "Krupa and Rich" (Verve, 1955) and "Burnin' Beat" (Verve, 1962). Krupa married Ethel Maguire twice: the first marriage lasted from 1934 to 1942,