King for a Day

Bill Green (Bill "Bojangles" Robinson) is desperate to audition for "Brown's Black Orchids" but Mr. Brown refuses to even listen to the amateur. Mr. Brown has a weakness for dice and Bill wins against him in craps.

It's a fascinating early talkie short with an all-black cast. The story is rather simple. It's not anything to write home about but it is great to see all-black performances. Honestly, most old musicals are hard to sit through with the old music but this is very watchable. Other than one song, the music generally has a good beat and a bit of sass. The tap dancing is fun and Robinson has good charisma. There is general good performing in this short. Although, one must accept that blackface is a vaudevillian hold-over. The jokes are pretty cheesy but at least, it has an edge. It's a small window into black cinema of that era.

Roy Mack was the great director of short black films, he wanted to show black entertainment, since he couldn't put it in movies, he put them in short films, which were great. These short films may not seem like much today, but back in the 30s and 40s, shorts were considered better then the feature film. Black film shorts always were great. It showed the latest dances, the latest singing styles, wonderful. Shows you how it was in that era. Wonderful black history. If you can find it, you'll love it. Some shorts are very hard to find, believe me I know, I started collecting black film shorts, but when you find it, you'll love it.

We're truly missing out on the old talent of the Harlem Renaissance; thank goodness this is so available. It has a charm you won't find today. If you like this film, I implore you to seek out on YouTube "102 y/o sees herself on film for the first time." It will encourage you to look up everything you can get your hands on!

So glad this tap dance is preserved for all to see. Excellent!

This entertaining short directed in NYC by Roy Mack, full of the usual Harlem stereotypes, introduces a great Ray Noble song, LOVE WALKED OUT, that Al Bowlly first recorded in London in 1933. Bill Robinson not only gets to tap in this film, he acts as well with the under-estimated Ernest Whitman as Mr. Brown, best remembered for STORMY WEATHER. This short is a perfect example of the sort of popular entertainment white folks paid to see at the Cotton Club back in the 30s. The talent was always greater than the script and the chorus girl routines. Out of this silliness, such great performers as Cab Calloway and Ethel Waters evolved. This is a historical document.