Susan Kohner plays the girl who exerted a steadying influence on the mercurial musician, and Susan Oliver is seen as the beautiful temptress who caused his downfall. James Darren plays the friend who starts Krupa on his way to the top in music. Jazz incarnate, that's Gene Krupa who symbolized an era of American popular music. Re-creating on screen a personage whose physical image and skills are known to millions can sometimes be dangerous. But the slim, handsome Sal Mineo triumphantly penetrates deeply into the Krupa temperament and character.
Gene finds hard to resist at times.
James Darren plays Krupa's life-long friend and fellow musician, Eddie Sirota. In this film, James sings Let There Be Love. Some of the real-life musical greats associated with Gene Krupa, make appearances in The Gene Krupa Story . They include Bobby Troup as Tommy Dorsey, Anita O'Day as herself, Shelly Manne as Davey Tough, Red Nichols as himself, comedian Buddy Lester, and of course, the drums on the film's great soundtrack were recorded by Krupa himself. Don Weis directed this film which is the dramatic story of the rise and fall, and the painful fight back of a great musician.