The Gene Krupa Story “syncopated versions” of Ave Maria when he should be listening to hymns in a quiet, penitent reverie; even after a year there, he cannot shake his dreams of becoming a musician. The priest who is his advisor suspects Krupa's interest is waning and reminds him that the priesthood is "a fulfillment, not a penance". He advises Gene to take summer vacation at home to consider if this life-choice is "meant to be". At home, his old pals are playing in a local speakeasy. Krupa gently rubs the drum set's crash cymbal between his thumb and forefinger; his friend Eddie asks
Gene Krupa to changing fashion, but he never adjusted to the bebop style of jazz. In 1954, Krupa returned to Hollywood to appear in the films "The Glenn Miller Story" and "The Benny Goodman Story". In 1959, the movie biography "The Gene Krupa Story" was released; Sal Mineo portrayed Krupa, and the film included a cameo by Red Nichols. During the 1950s, Krupa often played at the Metropole near Times Square in Manhattan. He continued to perform in famous clubs in the 1960s, including the Showboat Lounge in northwest Washington, D.C. Increasingly troubled by back pain, he retired in the late 1960s