Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me

Broadcast on Turner Classic Movies as a 100th anniversary birthday tribute, Bruce Ricker's documentary traces the extraordinary creative output of lyricist/composer/singer Johnny Mercer. At home in both jazz clubs and Hollywood studios, Mercer's musical legacy is rich with versatility and imagination: “Jeepers Creepers,” “Hooray for Hollywood,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Blues in the Night,” and “Moon River” are among the many hits he created in collaboration with the likes of Richard Whiting, Hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Kern, and Henry Mancini. Song excerpts from movie and TV productions are combined with performances from numerous show business legends, as well as Mercer himself (executive producer Clint Eastwood also turns up with his daughter Morgan, an aspiring vocalist). Offering a thumbnail history of Mercer's formative years (the film also explores a little-known affair with Judy Garland), along with contemporary and archival interviews with singers, composers, film and theater personalities, family members, and others, The Dream's on Me is a more breezy than insightful portrait, but the incredible music speaks for itself. DVD extras include studio performances by Audra McDonald, Cleo Laine, Jamie Cullum, Dr. John, and others, as well as a featurette with Eastwood conversing at the piano with Cullum and John Williams, and a biographical essay on Mercer. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)