Starring Bob Howard, Milton Williams, Nellie Hill, and Bill Dillard
Directed by George P. Quigley
Music by Sidney Easton and Skippy Williams; Lyrics by Augustus Smith and Skippy Williams
I'm kicking off this year's Black History Month reviews with one of the "race musicals" made by independent companies for black audiences from the 1910's through the early 50's. As I mentioned back in December, musical thrillers are fairly rare. It can be hard to juggle all the clues to solve a mystery with genuine tension and musical numbers. How well does this low-budget B-tuner with an all-black cast fare? Let's start in the office of an editor (Howard) and Ted, one of his reporters (Williams), as Ted tells him about his latest scoop, and find out...
The Story: Ted's latest scoop is the story of Lola (Hill), a singer at a local nightclub, who's being courted by slick Mike (Dillard) and tougher Hal (George Oliver). After a party at Howard's house gets out of hand, it comes to a head at the nightclub, where one man won't survive the night, and the determined detective has to figure out whodunnit when there's a man with a knife sticking out of his back.
The Song and Dance: Forget the murder. It's the music that stands out here. More specifically, the songs of Noble Sissle and His Orchestra, whose music entertained audiences of all races from the 20's well into the 1950's. There's also a few amusing bits from how hard the men try to court Lola and how they try to hide when the cops or another suitor appears, along with Ted trying to get his big story.
Favorite Number: Male-female dance team Johnson and Johnson get a great tap number together to "That's the Cheese You've Got to Squeeze" before the guy shows off his amazing solo moves. Howard gets in on "Too Late Baby" with Sissle and His Orchestra. They're solo for the jivin' "Running Around." Not to be outdone, Skippy Williams and His Band have a terrific "Jam Session" at the party. Hill perks up a little for the ballad "Can't Help It," first performed with a pianist, then with Williams and his band.
The one for the books is "I'm a Little Bangi from Ubangi," which Lola catches on TV early in the film. This tropical chorus number is almost a parody of jungle dance routines in musicals, from the girls in skimpy feathered costumes barely dancing to the blackface native costumes on the men and the rather silly jungle sets. It looks goofy even for early TV.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention this is a low-budget B musical? It looks and sounds as cheap as it is. The men seem to be enjoying themselves and Marjorie Oliver gets a few funny lines as a secretary, but Hill has no acting ability and is about as interesting as the cardboard sets. You have no idea why all the guys are chasing her. There's also the blackface native costumes in the "Ubangi" number that may offend some audiences today. The title's a cheat, too. The murder doesn't happen until the last five minutes of the film, and it's cleared up quickly.
The Big Finale: For fans of big band music or the early African-American sound looking for some good numbers who don't mind the dull production and terrible shape the copy currently circulating is in.
Home Media: This is in the public domain, so it can pretty much be found anywhere. Paramount Plus has it with a subscription.
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