W.C. Handy
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Jul 24, 2020 · Hollywood-studio bio-pics, whether classic or modern, cannot be counted on for fidelity to history, but they may offer alternative pleasures, and “St. Louis Blues,” the 1958 film about the...
St. Louis Blues Reviews. Leaving the theatre, we reflected on an obviously Hollywood tampered story, crammed full of talents that overshadowed each other to climax in a hazy overcast jetted...
- By Keller Whalen
- The Stars
- Behind The Scenes
- The Plot
- The Music
- The Reviews
- Epilogue
St. Louis Blues (1958) is a movie production that was filled with promise, a film biography of W.C. Handycovering the obstacles and successes of a great American, a musical with a magnificent canon of songs, and the on-screen assembly of many of the most talented mid-century African-American performers. But it’s a missed opportunity – simply not a ...
Nat ‘King’ Cole and W.C. Handy in an undated photograph. The idea for the film was first marketed by producer George Garabedian who ultimately was not attached to the picture. As early as 1954 he had the rights covered and the studios contacted, but couldn’t elicit any interest for an all-Black musical (Down Beat, April 3, 1958). Paramountfinally g...
In the fall of 1957, Little Rock High Schoolwas being integrated, the NAACP and the National Guard were involved, President Eisenhower and Governor Faubus were at odds, and the United States was at a crossroads in race relations. Black celebrities were speaking out and showing support more than ever. A tense time to be sure, but Hollywood was not r...
“There’s only two kinds of music in the world, the devil’s and the Lord’s,” says the Reverend Handy (Juano Hernandez). Early on, Cole had described the movie this way: “It’s boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy writes blues.” That’s a very accurate resumé of the plotline. Young Will Handy is a talented organist and pianist, but he is intrigued by th...
Sheet music for “St Louis Blues” published to coincide with the film. “St. Louis Blues” (pronounced Loo’-iss, not Loo’-ee) is an iconic and immensely popular song by W.C. Handy first published in 1914. By 1957, Handy’s royalties for the song were still a remarkable $50,000 annually. In an interview, Cab Calloway said his two favorite songs were “St...
At W.C. Handy’s funeral, Cootie Williams blew a trumpet solo on the hymn “Holy City.” A crowd of 150,000 heard the eulogy by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Mourners attending included Marian Anderson, Irving Berlin, Eubie Blake, Cozy Cole, Oscar Hammerstein, Langston Hughes, Noble Sissle and Ed Sullivan. The mayor of St. Louis, Raymond Tucker, with ...
St. Louis Blueswas a flop at the box office. I hate to see that evening sun go down. “Life is something like this trumpet. If you don't put anything in it you don't get anything out.”-- W.C. Handy. Cab Calloway’s acting career survived the film. He went on to an excellent supporting dramatic role in The Cincinnati Kid (1965) with Steve McQueen, and...
- Jake Dee
- Mo' Better Blues (1990) Spike Lee's superb 1990 movie Mo Better Blues focuses on Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington), a hotshot jazz trumpeter navigating his personal and professional life in New York during the 1980s.
- Paris Blues (1961) With all due respect to St. Louis Blues, Martin Ritt's Paris Blues ranks a bit higher. The film stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as a pair of American jazz musicians living the high-life of an artist in the City of Lights.
- Born To Be Blue (2015) While an honorable mention for Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead is in order, the Chet Baker biopic Born to Be Blue is a bit better.
- Sweet And Lowdown (1999) Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown is a fictional ode to iconic French jazz guitarist, Django Reinhardt. Sean Penn stars as Emmet Ray, a guitarist who worships Reinhardt while rising to prominence in 1930s New York.
St Louis Blues is one of those movies that deserve to be called a classic because of the great talent. The movie stars the great Nat King Cole, but he is the weakest of the actors. Check...
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- Nat King Cole
- Allen Reisner
- Biography
American Underdog is a 2021 American biographical sports film about National Football League (NFL) quarterback Kurt Warner. Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, the film follows Warner's journey as an undrafted player who ascended to winning Super Bowl XXXIV. [1] .
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St. Louis Blues is a 1958 American film broadly based on the life of W. C. Handy. It stars jazz and blues greats Nat "King" Cole, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, and Barney Bigard, as well as gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and actress Ruby Dee.
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