Satchmo the Great

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Louis Armstrong and Edward R. Murrow in Satchmo the Great (1957)

In this 1957 biographical film of the jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American goodwill ambassadors, bringing jazz at its best to four continents. Wit... Read allIn this 1957 biographical film of the jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American goodwill ambassadors, bringing jazz at its best to four continents. Within the film, the life of Armstrong is portrayed through the music. One of the outstanding... Read allIn this 1957 biographical film of the jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American goodwill ambassadors, bringing jazz at its best to four continents. Within the film, the life of Armstrong is portrayed through the music. One of the outstanding scenes in this documentary shows blind songwriter W. C. Handy, with tears streaming down ... Read all

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8.2/10

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3User reviews

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8.226

Featured reviews

10clamon

Release of Satchmo the Great documentary

I have been trying for years to obtain a copy of this movie. I have the CD and I consider it the best CD I have ever owned. If CBS owns the movie, please encourage them to release it to the public. Louis Armstrong is idolized by thousands of people all over the world and this documentary should be shared with his fans. I would recommend that the CD be purchased by Louis' fans. It is very enjoyable. However, once you have the CD, you will want the movie. In addition, I also have a greater appreciation for the talents of Edward R. Murrow. Louis' sidemen were the best in the business. I spoke to Barrett Deems years ago and he told me that if Louis asked you to join his band, you dropped everything and went with him.

10ms126

essential iconography

This wonderful documentary, shown on CBS in edited form in the 1950's, was produced by Edward R. Murrow and features Satchmo's trip to West Africa, which he immediately adopted as his ancestral home because of how much he looked like the people there. The response was remarkable, with hundreds of thousands of people showing up and carrying Louis like a king on his throne.

Why this movie is currently unavailable in any format, except for occasional Public TV showings, is beyond my comprehension. It serves to remind us how important a world figure Armstrong was throughout most of the 20th Century, and how he represented the true face of American culture for the rest of the world. CBS, or whomever owns the rights to this documentary, PLEASE RELEASE IT!!!

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Trivia
Originally recorded as an interview on Edward R. Murrow's See It Now (1951) TV interview program, later expanded into a feature-length documentary movie.