Boarding House Blues

This time capsule review of Negro stage performers of the 30s and 40s... this is a small film of major talent and a perfect chance to see the almost unseen (to us whiteys) of black vaudeville stars only ever before heard about. One performer Woody Allen must have certainly known about is 'Crip" Heard, the one legged tap dancer... See Stardust Memories for where that info went. He is called "Crip' because he is a cripple..he has one arm and one leg but that doesn't stop him dancing himself into a frenzy...... and don't blame me for that anecdote..... It is in his intro in the film! The lindyhop dancers later in the film are enough to get the most exhausted viewer off the couch and leaping about in their own boarding house. Killer Diller, the 1947 remake with other talent incl Nat King Cole is equally thrilling.

This movie is less a film than a collection of routines from the black vaudeville circuit. The results are decidedly mixed as a movie but as a record of the routines and acts it contains its a historical document (then again many historical documents are not very entertaining) The plot has Jackie "Moms" Mabley running a boarding house for various performers. When times get tight they put on a show to help Moms out. Its threadbare and simply the excuse to hang the various routines and songs on. The bits are certainly better than the whole and while I did enjoy said bits, I was left feeling rather empty at the end. Definitely worth a look or two if you love vaudeville, or the history of comedy. Actually its worth a look see if you want some laughs and aren't particularly picky about annoying things like plot. As they say its worth a bag of popcorn.

I recently watched Boarding House Blues (1948) on Tubi. The storyline follows a boarding house in desperate need of money. To save their home, they decide to put on a talent show.

The film is directed by Josh Binney (Killer Diller) and stars Moms Mabley (Amazing Grace), Bull Moose Jackson, Dusty Fletcher (Killer Diller), Marie Cooke (Junction 88), and Sidney Easton (Paradise in Harlem).

The storyline is straightforward, but the routines are pure gold. The opening sequence with the monkey suit was wild, and the dancing throughout the film, especially the one-legged man's scene, was fantastic. My favorite part was the comedy sketch, which was a delightful mix of dialogue, riddles, and jokes. The sheer talent of the performers keeps you engaged from start to finish.

In conclusion, Boarding House Blues features an elite group of entertainers and is worth your time. I'd score it a 6/10 and recommend watching it once.

Last year, when I was reviewing movies for Black History Month in chronological order, one of them was Killer Diller-a revue surrounded by the thinest of plots-starring Dusty Fletcher and Jackie "Moms" Mabley. Well, it's that time again and once again, those two are in this one as well. Ms. Mabley plays the head of the title place with Fletcher as one of the boarders. The latter has some amusing scenes with an ape named Steggy (actually John Riano in an animal suit) especially when he does some falls. The two stars also have some funny stuff with a live rabbit they're trying to cook. Other than a few other boarders doing some shtick, not much happens before a succession of comic and musical acts are presented as an "audition" for an upcoming show. Among them: Stump & Stumpy-James Cross & Eddie Hartman-a comic tap dancing act with one of them doing some serious mugging, "Crip" Heard-a one-armed and one-legged tap dancer, The Berry Brothers-Warren & Nyas-doing their tap routines while singing, Lewis & White-doing some one-liners before their own dancing, Una Mae Carlisle-a singer who plays the piano singing a couple of pretty good songs like "Throw It Out of Your Mind" and "It Ain't Like That", Anistine Allen-who sings "Let It Roll" while doing some moves, Lucky Millinder-the bandleader, and one of his singers-Bull Moose Jackson whose rendition of "I Love You, Yes I Do" sounds like something that could have come out of various doo-wop groups later on in the '50s. Moms Mabley herself comes on with her amusing take on life before doing a song-and-dance bit. This was quite an entertaining film of obscure and rarely-seen-on-film acts that I'm glad was recorded for posterity. So on that note, Boarding House Blues is well worth a look. P.S. Marie Cooke plays a character that also supposedly sings but she doesn't perform for some reason. Bandleader Millinder was raised in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill. And Nyas Berry was a native of New Orleans, La., which is only a two-hour drive from where I currently live.

There's a certain willful ease to some instances of dialogue or scene writing, characteristic of films of the 30s or 40s, that cares more about simply letting their audience have a good time than best storytelling judiciousness. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, of course, and it's certainly okay in this instance since 'Boarding house blues' makes use of that carefree thrust to provide steady entertainment. Between an excellent cast, Josh Binney's capable direction, fine contributions from the crew behind the scenes, and above all the sharp writing of Hal Seeger, the movie is consistently, solidly enjoyable from start to finish. It may not be immediately grabbing and revelatory, but it definitely earns a very high, enthusiastic recommendation for one and all!

It's not totally perfect, perhaps. One notices instances in which extra curt editing chops up a scene, or is particularly rough in transitioning from scene to scene, Some bits don't come off nearly as well as others, like the excessive deliberate stammering John D. Lee Jr. Adopts; any stand-up comedy or approximation thereof just kind of falls flat. It's also worth observing that for as fun as the picture may be, actual plot is kind of light, and ultimately mostly just serves as framing for the centerpiece - a variety show that fills the preponderance of the runtime. Yet by all means, such matters are at length quite minor, in no way substantially detracting from the value and instead being well outshone by it. And I can't argue much with the framing, either, since for one thing that centerpiece is woven pretty well into the story (such as it is), and for another, it's really great!

'Boarding house blues' serves us a wonderful cornucopia of black performers from the era, a true delight and a glimpse at cultural history that (a) was, infuriatingly, actively stifled at one time, and (b) is ever at risk of being forgotten outright. Especially being so far removed from the 1940s I can't say I'm specifically familiar with anyone appearing here, but so vibrant and lovely are their skilled performances that I would quite like to learn more about them all. Among so many others, Henry Heard absolutely stands out, and Una Mae Carlisle, and the extended set with bandleader Lucky Millinder and his collaborators is an absolute pleasure. To highlight only a few is hardly to count out anyone else, however, for very honestly, one and all are terrific. I'll add further that Seeger's screenplay is filled with fantastic wit in the dialogue and characters, complemented with sight gags and situational humor. Indeed, the variety show may be the core, but the feature is rounded out with no less amusement at the front and back ends. Factor in swell performances from the cast, including not least Moms Mabley and Marie Cooke, and in every most meaningful way, there's really no going wrong here.

Speaking as someone who broadly looks for narrative first and foremost in just about any film, I admit I was taken aback a little by the tack taken here. It's a small step outside modern conventions of film-making, and even most contemporary fare that was orientated toward dance or music had a more story-driven focus. Set aside one's expectations, however, and this is fabulously enjoyable all the way through, with marvelous contributions from all involved. I can very much understand how this won't directly appeal to all comers, yet there is tremendous worth here well exceeding whatever presuppositions we carry with us as viewers - and after all, is not the root purpose of cinema to entertain? However one may come about it, 'Broadway house blues' is a superbly fun picture all on its own and even more so in light of the corner of culture it illuminates. If you have the chance to watch, don't miss it!