Swing!

Oscar Micheaux specialized in low budget "race" pictures made for black audiences. Little can be said for the acting, which ranged from acceptable to simply awful. Only a few made an impression on me, the best being the nosy neighbor played by Mandy Randolph. Most of the rest, even stars Cora Green and Hazel Diaz, were very stiff. The worst of the bunch was Carman Newsome, playing the producer Ted Gregory, who is trying to be the first black producer to mount a show on Broadway. He just doesn't show any emotion even when his star gets drunk and breaks a leg. A harried producer he is not.

But people didn't see these films for acting, and some of the entertainment was OK. The budget didn't allow for any big production numbers, so all the numbers were in a small cabaret-like setting, with Leon Gross' orchestra playing and specialty numbers doing their stuff. Best was an unbilled actress called Miss Harris, doing a jazzy dance; I would have liked to know who she was. The Tyler Twins were involved in singing and tap dancing to a number called "I Got Rhythm, Boy," (no relation to the Gershwin song). And Doli Armena was featured in two numbers in which she played her trumpet. But all in all, this was not much of a film.

Amazing for being a low budget production with great music and dance numbers. An interesting plot with fairly good acting. Definitely worth a watch.

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.

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!