Swing!

The first thing you must know about this film, and which may put you off of it entirely, is that the production value is unfortunately quite poor, and at times, comically so. The acting is amateurish at best, and revered director Oscar Micheaux seems to simply let it be, and also does things like give us cuts to tight shots during scenes that were obviously shot separately. I don't mind the fragment of a story, I mean, it's clear this wasn't backed by a major studio and it deserves a lot of credit simply for representing a race of people who were so heavily discriminated against, but I cringed when it dropped in lines like "I guess us colored folks are just natural born liars" and showed a man punching his wife for being too mouthy.

Despite all that, I enjoyed watching it because of its musical performances, which I had no problem waiting for. They're not as transcendent as films like Stormy Weather or Cabin in the Sky and (with some exceptions) feel more raw/indie, but there is a lot of fantastic talent on display. If the acting is 1 or 2 star, the singing and dancing are a 4, and in one case a 5. Some highlights:

• Dolly Jones (Armena) getting two extended solos on trumpet. The music on its own was great, and it was awesome to see a woman trumpeter in this period (later I found out she was the first to ever be recorded).

• The tap dance in rehearsal from "Slow Kid", an uncredited performer I could find zero information on, at about the 19-20 minute point. The move he puts on at the end is especially nice; it's like he's ice skating.

• The Tyler Twins performing "I Got Rhythm, Boy", one on piano and the other tap dancing. There is such joy in this performance, evident in the young man's eyes and as he lightly sings out little words while dancing.

• The chorus girls performing both in rehearsal and then in the show; they may be a little out of sync at times but they had a lot of life and some sass too.

• The dance by Consuelo Harris, playing Miss Harris, the "little girl from Los Angeles" at about the 45-46 minute point - WOW! It's wild, infectious, and sexy, and I could watch it every day. She appears in a skimpy two piece outfit and performs the number in heels with an energy and lack of inhibition that seems out of the 1960's. She even gets in a few proto-twerk moves along the way which are eyebrow raising for 1938. It was the highlight of the film for me and on its own made the whole thing worth seeing. It's a shame she only appeared in a couple of other films and not all that much seems to be known about her, aside from being a very popular nightclub performer at places like The Cotton Club.

• Cora Green belting out a song in rehearsal to show her character (a humble cook/seamstress) can fill in for the injured star ala 42nd Street, and then performing in an integrated nightclub along with Leon Gross's orchestra. Great voice and great presence; I wish I could find more from her too.

Swing! (1938)

** (out of 4)

Oscar Micheaux directed film about an abused maid (Cora Green) who catches her wannabe pimp boyfriend cheating on her so she runs off to Harlem. Once in Harlem she gets a job in an off Broadway production for a producer who hopes to get the first black production on Broadway. This story certainly isn't original and there's not much flair but the film remains slightly entertaining throughout due to some good direction and some great jazz numbers. The performances are average for the most part but Green is good enough not too drag the film down. There's one scene where a woman, drunk of course, falls down some steps and breaks her leg, which gets a huge laughs, which was certainly unintentional.

It is a terrible movie but it is also fascinating. A piece of history is captured on film. Some of the musical scenes are powerful and there are money of them. The acting and the writing are subpar but they work; I wasn't bored for a second. This is like a black 42nd street. Incredible in the black stereotypes that abound and are just simply accepted. What was it about the black women of this era always getting involved with men who took their money and screwed around; that theme seems to haunt us even to this day. It seems that white women are more willing to dump them quickly or am I just imagining.

SWING! is an important film because it's one of the remaining Black-produced and acted films from the 1930s. Many of these films have simply deteriorated so badly that they are unwatchable, but this one is in fairly good shape. It's also a nice chance to see many of the talented Black performers of the period just after the heyday of the old Cotton Club--a time all but forgotten today.

Unfortunately, while the film is historically important and has some lovely performances, it's also a mess. The main plot is very similar to the Hollywood musicals of the era--including a prima donna who is going to ruin the show and the surprise unknown who appears from no where to save the day. However, the writing is just god-awful and a bit trashy at times--and projects images of Black America that some might find a bit demeaning. This is because before the plot really gets going, you are treated to a no-account bum who lives off his hard working wife (a popular stereotype of the time) and when he is caught with a hussy (who, by the way, totally overplays this role), they have a fight which looks like a scene from WWE Smackdown! And, the one lady wants to cut the other lady with a straight razor--a trashy scene indeed! Later in the film, when the prima donna is behaving abominably, her husband punches her in the face and everyone applauds him! It seems like the film, at times, wants to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the audience PLUS they can't even do this well--with some of the worst acting I've seen in a very long time.

Still, if you can look past a lousy production in just about every way (with trashy characters, bad acting and direction and poor writing), this one might be worth a peek so you can see excellent singing and tap dancing--as well as to catch a glimpse of forgotten Black culture. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the acting--it's really, really bad!

Some fun milestones by the writer-director Oscar Micheaux ... he was the first african american to produce full length films in both silent and sound films. According to wikipedia, Michaeux had started as pullman train porter, and learned about business on the way up. In addition, he had homesteaded in the west, and wrote novels about his experiences. With the money raised, this astute businessman turned the book into a film and formed his own film company to make it. SWING ! has the same basic premise... Ted Gregory (Carman Newsome) wants to be the first african american to put a show on Broadway, but has to overcome various challenges along the way. Drunk actors, broken bones, and a busted-up home life get in the way of the show. "Mandy" (Cora Green) seems to be at the center of all this. Some good music featured along the way, like Doli Armena on the trumpet. Not much info anywhere on The Tyler Twins...looks like they were featured in two of Micheaux's films, but that's about all i could find. Leon Gross' big hit was "Stack-A-Lee", which told the true story of the shooting of Bill Lyons by Stag Shelton. Hazel Diaz sings a sad, lilting version of "Once I Did" to the piano. In Swing, the story is quite good! over-coming challenges and roadblocks, and making good. Shown on turner classics as part of the martin l. king day films. good stuff!