Cabin in the Sky

My grandfather, Arthur Freed, (and Louis B Mayor) took great financial risks bringing the Broadway play to the big screen. At the time this movie was made, 'black' films were made by black producers, with black directors, and only appeared in black only cinemas. This was the very first movie of its kind to be made for white audiences.

My grandfather brought many talented people to Hollywood including Minnelli and Gene Kelly.

For me the greatest joy is seeing such wonderful performers.

Ethel Waters, you hear her singing style in almost all early singers from the late 20's and 30's. Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday. She had the clearest voice and such enunciation. She was a miserable woman tho and thats why you never hear other singers give her praise. In this film her singing is as tear jerking today as it was on those old 78's. She sings and you understand every word and in this movie you even can see her do a little shimmy for which she was renowned for early in her career. A great cast. Lena is superb as always and Bubbles from the vaudevillian team "buck and bubbles" along with earl snake hip tucker. These are Harlem legends that ruled 133rd street (the real swing street) in their day. My mother never tires of this movie as she was a devout Ethel fan all her life (she was born in 1923) so she grew up listening to this legend. Get this bit of American history

This is the sort of film that you'd certainly NOT see being made today and I am sure that "Cabin in the Sky" might make a few out there cringe--with its rather stereotypical characters--including several quite shiftless folks. However, if you can hold on to the politically correct voice welling up inside and just accept the film for what it is, then it's well worth seeing.

This is a highly unusual film for its time. Despite the leading character being a dice-shooting no account, the fact that White Hollywood would produce a film with an all-Black cast is amazing--even if the characters are all either non-threatening "good Negroes" and the rest are "shiftless"--a rather two-dimensional view (at best). Still, if this film hadn't been made, performances by such greats as Ethel Waters, Lena Horne and Louis Armstrong never would have been seen and appreciated by a wider audience. Sadly, when you watch and see Kenneth Spencer in the film, you think of what a loss it was that Hollywood never gave him much of a chance and that he died so young--he had an absolutely beautiful voice.

The film's plot is highly unusual. It's a religious allegory about the soul of one particular shiftless fool (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). Anderson is given one last chance by God and the angels try to steer him towards good while the devils try to lead him down the path of destruction. And even more unusual is that the film is a singing and dancing musical. Some of the more hilarious performances are by Lucifer, Jr.'s imps. Sure, they are walking stereotypes, but seeing Louis Armstrong, Mantan Moreland and Willie Best acting is very entertaining--the dialog is very funny and original.

Overall, the film is very entertaining and a wonderful showcase for some of the best Black entertainers of the day. Well made and certainly not a movie you'll soon forget.

From director Vincente Minnelli. Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) is an inveterate gambler who is desperate to change his ways almost as much as his wife Petunia (Ethel Waters) wants him to. Little Joe has a run-in that leaves him on the brink of death, and the demonic Lucifer Jr. (Rex Ingram) can't wait to take his soul to Hell. However, an angel called The General (Kenneth Spencer) appears and gives Little Joe six more months of life in order to clean up his act. Little Joe tries to take the straight and narrow road, but temptress Georgia Brown (Lena Horne) may be his undoing. Also featuring John William Sublett, Louis Armstrong, Mantan Moreland, Willie Best, Butterfly McQueen, Oscar Polk, Bill Bailey, Juanita Moore, and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.

Based on a stage production, this movie marked the first credited feature directing assignment for Minnelli, who does a terrific job. Some extra sensitive viewers may see this movie as pandering to outdated stereotypes, but I think it avoids that trap, despite the broad nature of the characters. The cast is a fantastic assemblage of many of the best black performers of the day, and Waters, Anderson, Ingram and Horne are all tremendous. The petty bickering among the angels & demons is a trope continued to this day in fantasy storytelling. I'm not generally a musical fan, but I liked this one. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Song ("Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe").

I must admit, as a support to the Harlem Renaissance, I show this film to my students. No child has ever been left unaffected at seeing this film. What a wonderfully touching film. It addresses real issues of today in a yesterday atmosphere. The cinematography is somewhat lacking, but for the 1940s that is of no diminish to the beauty of this film. In addition, it is yet a marker to the contribution of the African American to the film industry and well worth the title of one of life's best kept African American secrets. The actors in the film also warrant acclaim for this. This all person-of-color film is so lovely, emotion filled and real, who would not want to spend their time evaluating its worth? As a 7th grade Language Arts instructor who is greatly proud of her heritage and the contributions my ancestors and friends have made, I am indeed proud of this cinematic star-studded glimpse of the past. And, I still cry every time I watch it today...