–>I’m<-- Taking a Chance on Love

Most people know about The Wiz, but there’s actually another less heard of musical that I love even more that also features an all black cast:

Cabin in the Sky is an American Broadway musical which opened in 1940. A motion picture based on the musical was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and released in 1943.The film version of Cabin in the Sky starred Ethel Waters as Petunia and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson of Jack Benny fame as Little Joe. Lena Horne co-starred as the temptress Georgia Brown in her first and only leading role in an MGM musical. Other cast members included Louis Armstrong as one of Lucifer Junior’s minions, Rex Ingram as Lucifer Junior, and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, who have a showcase musical number.

Cabin in the Sky tells a version of the Faust legend in which Little Joe, a man killed over gambling debts, is given six months to redeem his soul and become worthy of entering Heaven — otherwise his soul will be condemned to Hell. – wikipedia

Other notable films with an all black cast from this time period:

BEWARE (ABC)USA 1946 • 60 mins • Directed by Bud Pollard
Louis Jordan’s first starring role. He made various musical films during the forties at the height of the jump-jive craze

CARMEN JONES
USA 1954 • 103 mins • Directed by Otto Preminger
Small parts for Max Roach, Ritchie Powell (Bud’s brother) and Curtis Counce

CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK (ABC)
USA 1930 • 75 mins • Directed by Melville Brown
Comic duo Amos and Andy film featuring the Duke Ellington Band with Carney, Hodges, Bigard etc. (Note that the ‘black’ cast in this film had whites that were’ blacked’ up and even’ lighter skin’ members of the Ellington band such as Juan Tizol and Bigard wore dark make up) This film featured Bing Crosby in his third film appearance.

HI- DI-HO
USA 1947 • 47 mins • Directed by Josh Binney
with Cab Calloway

JIVIN’ IN BEBOP (ABC)
USA 1947 • 60 mins • Directed by Leonard Anderson
Separate cinema musical made for black audiences with Gillespie, Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Ray Brown, James Moody, Benny Carter

KILLER DILLER (ABC)
USA 1948 • 80 mins • Directed by Josh Binney
Black cast film featuring Nat ‘King’ Cole and the Andy Kirk Band

LOOK OUT SISTER (ABC)
USA 1948 • 67 mins • Directed by Bud Pollard
Musical featuring Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five

O’VOUTI E O’ROONEY (ABC)
USA1947
All black musical with Slim Gaillard

POLICY MAN (ABC)
USA 1938
Early, all black cast, gangster film. The first screen appearance of Count Basie and his Orchestra, the one that featured Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Dickey Wells, Freddie Green, Walter Page and Jo Jones

REET, PETITE AND GONE (ABC)
USA 1947 • 75 mins • Directed by William Crouch
With Louis Jordan and his Tympany five

STORMY WEATHER (ABC)
USA 1943 • 78 mins • Directed by Andrew Stone
All black musical with Fats Waller, Cab Calloway and Lena Horne

PLUS!

SISSLE AND BLAKE
USA 1923 • 6 mins Directed by Lee De Forrest
Perhaps one of the first films featuring black jazz musicians. The singer Noble Sissle with accompanist Eubie Blake.

Lee Deforrest in 1920 invented a system of putting sound on to film and his New york studios made hundreds of short sound films between 1921 and 1926.

For a more comprehensive list, check out this great site – Jazz on Film.