Directors: Leonard Anderson, Spencer Williams (co-director)
Stars: Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Carter, Sahji, Milt Jackson
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038654/
Watched online, blurry, mediocre sound.
I crossed out documentary. This was a revue, plain and simple, hosted by an annoying MC who made a lot of bad rhymes.
I must admit, my perception of when certain styles were popular is off by a good 5 years. That was true of swing, and now of be-bop. One of the tunes below gives a writing credit to Charlie Parker, so we're already in the thick of things. Don't know how much white audiences have caught on yet; this has all the earmarks of being a race film.
I wish I could say it has lots of good talent, but just cheap production values. No, the dancing is pretty awful all around. Some of the singing isn't very good, and the sound of the band doesn't wow me either.
I know my standards are impossibly high now, with Bill Robinson and Brothers Nicholas, Condos, Berry and Step all setting the bar, but a lot of this was super-duper mediocre, and some bad. While researching the Condos Brothers credits, I read that Frank said in the live shows, in the 20's and 30's, it got so that, when the audience heard/saw the stage hands putting out a tap mat, they would groan. I felt like that here. None of the tap acts, and they were all soloa, seemed anything beyond competent. Even the Lindy hoppers did no interesting stunts.
About 24 minutes in, we get a story-telling dance with a light woman and a dark man, in Arabian/Egyptian costumes; see screenshot. This was the best dance in the film; they move like trained dancers. I'm not sure of the meaning of the large flower she is holding. At some point he gets custody, and offers it to her; she refuses. Then she steals it back and he recoils. Is it a drug reference, or a virginity symbol? The dance is a lot more suggestive than you would find in mainstream H'wood; the Production Code would never allow a woman on her knees to touch/stroke the thigh of a standing, near-nude man. The tune was A Night in Tunisia, one of my favorites.
About 32.5 minutes in, we get the woman in this screenshot. Sorry about the blur, but she's in motion, and her costume is a lot of fringe. When the camera goes in for a closeup, it's of her torso, slowly down and up again. She dances mostly with arms and hips (taking full advantage of the fringe). But this is a dance I'd expect in a burlesque house with lots of men making rude noises. Her hair, earrings, necklace and partial sleeves make more elegant, but the decorated torso and micro-skirt lean in the salacious direction. Again, no way would this pass the Production Code. I don't really know if this is the same woman as in the previous photo. Even if we got better shots of her face, the print is very blurry.The 3rd dance, at about 55.5 min, might also be Miss Torso (that's for Rear Window ('54) fans), since the dancer also uses more arms and hips than feet, but her costume is more demure. The camera does the torso pan again.
Songs are aplenty, no idea if this was the sequence. It's a shame that singers and dancers are not identified in the Soundtracks; they are often announced by the MC. Maybe if I ever watch this again...
Salt Peanuts, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
E-Baba-Le-Ba, Performed by Helen Humes
Oop-Bop Sh-Bam, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Dizzy's Untitled Original, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Shaw 'nuff, Written by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
I Waited for You, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Hubba-Hubba Blues, Performed by the Burley-Taylor Duo
A Night in Tunisia, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Crazy About a Man, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
One Bass Hit, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Boogie in C, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Dynamo A, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Ornithology, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Droppin' a Square, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Things to Come, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Ray's Idea, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Bag's Boogie, Performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra
Hubba-Hubba Boogie, Performed by the Burley-Taylor Duo
The co-director, Spencer Williams, is Andy of the TV sitcom Amos 'n Andy, which ran for 2 full seasons (78 episodes) in '51-3. Lots of racial stereotypes there, but at least it employed black actors. The radio antecedent was originated by whites.
Looked up Alexander Productions and distribution: they have a 4 and 2 credits respectively.
(I do believe I've spent more time writing about this than watching it.)
