Swing!

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!

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.

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.

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!

There are previous reviews on this board that give details about the content and subject matter of this film; as well as their low-rating, critical opinions and disparaging comments about how bad this particular film is. That being said...I am not going to waste time repeating what this film is about. What I will do....is defend Mr. Oscar Micheaux, this film and all others in his discography!

As an African-American, I commend Mr. Oscar Micheaux, for battling against the behemoth of blatant racism in Hollywood and society at large, during that time to make these "black pearls" featuring all black casts....for the black populace! I also commend those white factions that supported the pursuit of his craft with their financial assistance. The plots, acting, etc., may not be pristine, and in quite a few instances they are bad...but I don't care...because they are here and they exist! If I started a list of 'acceptable' Hollywood fare and how bad they were and continue to be even to this day.....the list would take up every available space on this board! Thank you Mr. Oscar Micheaux, for leaving "us" a legacy no one else could or wanted to do...and thank you IMDb for documenting background and dialogue on his films.