AllMovie

A tribute to the fabled jazz scene of L.A.'s Central Avenue during the 1930s and '40s, Stanley's Gig opens on a Hawaiian cruise ship where charismatic waster Stanley Myer (William Sanderson) has gotten a gig playing his ukulele for a group of filthy rich businessmen. The gig, arranged by his friend Leila (Faye Dunaway) helps to stem Stanley's overriding debt, but after it ends, he's desperate for another job. He finds one as a recreational therapist at a nursing home, where he wins the affections of all of its residents save for Eleanor Whitney (Marla Gibbs), a faded jazz great who now lives in self-imposed emotional exile. Eventually, a friendship forms between Stanley and Eleanor, and Stanley becomes determined to arrange a return performance for his friend at Honey Brown, the jazz club she used to headline.