User Reviews

This film was included in the three DVD set "Saved From the Flames"--a collection of mostly ephemeral movies that have managed to avoid turning to powder, catching fire or melting--something that usually happened with the nitrate film stock used up through the 1950s. Like so many of the very early sound films, the sound quality is fair at best. However, it is your earliest sound film featuring Duke Ellington--and that alone makes it worth seeing and hearing.

Wow....will this film make a few heads turn here in the 21st century! It features some VERY broad acting by some VERY stereotypical black men--men who love to drink and are illiterate. I think this 'comedy' was included to please white audiences who might have seen it, as this was the sort of image of black America they felt comfortable seeing. Then, after the pair leave, Ellington and his friends perform some nice jazz--and inventive camera work. Personally, I think they should have just shown the jazz and dancing of the folks from the famed Cotton Club instead of inserting the needless comedy--especially as it isn't particularly funny.

As a window into the Harlem Renaissance, this is an invaluable film historically speaking. Lovers of early jazz will no doubt enjoy it and you can't help but admire these talented folks.

Whilst I agree entirely with thedoge and simuland - especially regarding the incredibly unfunny racist treatment of the two piano removers at the beginning (I presume it WAS meant to be funny!), I thought I'd point out a few things to any possible Ellington fans who may seek out this movie just to see the 1929 band in action. Be warned: the sound quality is awful. The band performs less well than on any of the studio recordings of the period, and every number is tailored to the various dance routines. "Black Beauty" is particularly horrendously butchered, and with a cheesy coda added for no apparent reason except to underline the fact that it has thankfully come to an end. "The Duke Steps Out" - a marvellous recording from the Victor studios, is taken at snail's pace - again to accommodate the so-called dancing I would imagine. What on the studio recording is a brilliant passage for the three trumpets, here is taken down an octave, and they don't even make it together! Nanton's trombone sounds way off mike, and although he is perhaps the major soloist, he doesn't even get properly in any of the shots - all of which are dominated by the oddly unsexy dancing of the semi-naked chorus girls. The opening has Ellington at the piano and Artie Whetsol with his trumpet 'learning' the intro to "Black and Tan Fantasy". It doesn't have much to do with anything, but Ellington buffs might like to note that Whetsol does not use the rubber plunger and pear (pixie) mute (in the manner of Bubber Miley) but an ordinary Harmon mute. Odd - Whetsol was quite adept with the plunger (check out the Vocalion recording of "Take it Easy" where he has to play Bubber Miley's part because the latter didn't show up for the session!) so why not use it in the movie? This brings me to the final number, "Black and Tan Fantasy". Ellington had already recorded this several times by the time this film was made, and it was one of his most well known compositions. It was co-written by the aforementioned Bubber Miley, who was also the featured soloist. What a shame he had left the band shortly before the film was made. I remember being extremely disappointed to discover that he was not in the film when I first saw it back in the 70s. For some reason (its not dancers this time!) the arrangement is altered quite drastically from all the previous recordings, with a clarinet solo from Barney Bigard added in place of Miley's 2nd chorus. (Maybe Duke felt Whetsol wasn't up to two choruses, but I doubt it). Once again Whetsol uses the Harmon mute instead of the plunger, and even more interestingly Joe Nanton, the trombonist, does not use the trumpet straight mute inside the bell underneath his plunger, as he does on all of the studio recordings. The result is an out-of-tune muffled sound that hardly sounds like Nanton at all! This is capped off by a ridiculously over-recorded bass (Wellman Braud) which detracts from everything else. There's also a weird organ coda tagged on the end, which has nothing to do with anything, and the obligatory negro gospel type choir making a meal of it. I'd love to know how much say Ellington had in all of this - not a lot me thinks! But, having said all that, its still the band, and its a worthy historic document. Thedoge and simuland have said everything else. What a shame its nowhere near as good as it COULD have been!

Black And Tan Fantasy (1929)

** (out of 4)

This early Paramount talkie is best remembered today for being the film debut of Duke Ellington but it's also one of the strangest shorts I've seen from this period. Ellington and his partner is in his hotel room practicing for their big gig when a couple movers come into repossess the piano. Ellington's girlfriend Fredi Washington then enters the room of bribes the movers with a bottle of alcohol and then we go to the Cotton Club where Ellington and Washington perform their act. This isn't a good film but it's certainly worth viewing at least once for a few reasons. It's interesting to note that many of the supporting players, especially the movers, are negative stereotypes (dumb and drunk) but Ellington plays it straight. One wonders if he refused to act down for the material or if the studio was just smart enough to treat him with some respect. Another fascinating thing is some of the shots that happen throughout the picture. I liked some of the style like the first dance group who we get to see through their reflection on the floor. Another nice shot has Washington dancing on a glass floor and the camera is underneath and looking up to capture her. There's some more bizarre editing, which doesn't work as well but it's at least something different than we're use to seeing. I must admit that the ending somewhat took me by surprise and it's interesting to see it end the way it did. I certainly won't ruin anything but where this all comes from is somewhat of a mystery.

Duke Ellington is a struggling musician. Two men come to repossess his piano. His partner saves the day by offering the men a bottle of gin. She has a new dancing gig, but she has heart trouble.

This has the greatness of Duke Ellington playing his music. I'm not impressed with the line dancing. There's a reason why that didn't catch on. It's a step dance or line dancing except less energetic and closer. It may be skillful, but it has no energy. Fredi Washington's dance is a bit loose, but it does show her illness. That whole plot point is a bummer. I love the music. The dancing is less impressive, partly for plot reason. It's a darker story.

Duke Ellington's film debut is quite an interesting introduction to the Duke on screen. The film isn't very long - a couple of reels - and the storyline is incidental to the music numbers, but the music and dance routines are certainly memorable. Although the film features an all-black cast, as others have pointed out, there is some fairly blatant racial stereotyping in the early scenes.

Duke acquits himself pretty well, although he isn't really called upon to do too much acting. Fredi Washington is great on the dance floor, but lousy as an actress. She does look fine though. The music's great and the dance routines are good, although one of them is repeated when viewed through the multi-sighted vision of the sick dancer - a sequence that perhaps goes on too long.

Definitely worth a look for historical value if nothing else.

Well, although I agree that this movie short is stereotyped and the sound is not very good(1929!), I don't agree with the low rating. To see Duke and his college friend Arthur Whetsol play Black and tan fantasy is delightful. Yes, the original with Bubber Miley on trumpet is better, but it's not on film. This short gives a good impression of the Cotton Club scene at the time this club was run by gangsters and although the entertainers were black, no black people were allowed in. This was not a gangster thing but a common American racist practice. Still, even if this clip is a racist stereotype, it's not nearly as bad as say, the average hip hop clip nowadays, which is something to worry about. Now, this movie is of enormous historical interest and features an early version of the most significant jazz orchestra of the 20th century! So please don't listen to the puritan reviews and check this out. Then try to see maybe "Cotton tail" with Ben Webster on tenor, or basically anything by Ellington. It's great music! And American culture at its best.

Duke Ellington made his screen debut in this short subject which sad to say catered to black stereotyping and wasn't even that coherent a story line.

Which makes the appearance of those piano movers all the worse for it because it was not necessary. The film opens with Ellington and his trumpeter, Arthur Whetsol, going over some material. Two piano movers come in and they're most determined to do their repossessing thing. Fredi Washington happens on the scene and offers them a bottle of some of Prohibition's finest homemade gin. Then they leave and say they'll tell the boss nobody's home.

Interesting is that Ellington refused to stereotype even thought the piano movers, Edgar Connor and Alec Lovejoy, certainly did. Says something about the man back in the day.

The action shifts to the Cotton Club where Washington, probably feeling the ill effects of the bootleg hooch she just passed to the piano players collapses and dies during a number. Her death scene gives both Ellington and his orchestra and the Hall Johnson choir a chance to perform.

The piano movers were an obvious ripoff of radio's Amos and Andy. And in his next film project, Ellington and the Orchestra would appear in the Amos and Andy movie Check and Doublecheck.

I'd listen to the music for this one and mute it when everything else is going on.

Duke Ellington and his orchestra for a great use of emerging sound technology in Hollywood? Yes, please. To see him collaborate with trumpeter Arthur Whetsel was a treat, and he had great screen presence besides. Fredi Washington also lights up the screen in her dance number, and as UCLA film historian Ellen Scott points out, it's easy to see that she was a protégé of the great Josephine Baker. It was the debut film for both Ellington and Washington, and even if it isn't a terribly well-developed story in its 19 minutes runtime, seeing them here easily makes this film worthwhile. If you've only seen Washington in her better known role in Imitation of Life(1934) with Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, wow, you'll see a different side of her here.

Many have pointed out the stereotypical aspects of the two guys sent over to repossess the Duke's piano early on, as they can't read or tell time, and those are probably fair criticisms. I did like the line from one of them, who says "Move your anatomy off of that mahogany," when wanting Duke to get off the piano bench though. And more importantly, the film has several very positive aspects, starting with the two lead black characters being allowed to have a romantic relationship. It's also notable that when Fredi Washington's character has a health emergency and the Cotton Club owner wants the band to play on, Duke refuses, in a nice bit of labor (and importantly a black man) not being coerced under unreasonable circumstances to perform for management. There are a couple of nice visual moments shown from the perspective of Washington's character as well - a kaleidoscope effect when she's not feeling well prior to taking the stage, and later, a soft focus on her husband's face when she's ailing in bed.

As for the dancing, the quintet of male dancers who perform as if connected at the hip produced a very nice effect, and the shots of them in reflection on the dance floor was clever. The scantily clad women, Washington included, exude energy and sexuality in the relatively short time they're on the stage. It's kind of shame this wasn't a feature length film where the story and performances could have been expanded on. As it is though, it's a nice little hidden gem. I'm happy it was a part of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' Regeneration exhibit that I was lucky enough to see recently, and as always, am in love with TCM and host Jacqueline Stewart for having partnered with them.

Practically plotless excuse to feature the music of Ellington, accompanied by Harlem dancers. Only for the most died-in-the-wool Ellington fans. Essentially a very primitive early music video of mainly historical interest. Ellington's recordings from that era abound, so that the film's main value lies in its serving as a visual document.

The sound is abysmal, the plot corny, and the dancing nothing to dance about. Many of the images are so murky and dim as to be unintelligible. The entire film consists essentially of 3 tableau set pieces, ornamented with some rough camera tricks, too arty by far. The central plot, the dancer's death, is unconvincing and shrilly melodramatic.

Of note is the derogatory racial stereotyping of the two characters who begin the film by showing up to repossess the Duke's piano. They are ridiculed for their illiteracy and for how easily they are dissuaded from their duties with a bribe of a bottle of hooch.

Simuland has pretty much said it all concerning this short. It's of no great value beyond the historical interest of seeing a very young Ellington and some members of his band. It's also interesting to note how "modern" some aspects of this are, despite the painfully dated racial stereotyping. Ellington's girl friend, for example, is obviously of the "live in" variety and the dancing costumes are fairly brief - two good indications that this is a "pre-code" film. Had this been filmed after the infamous Production Code went into effect, it would have been much more sanitized.

Anyone interested in actually seeing this will find it on (of all things) a recently issued DVD of the second-string musicals "Second Chorus" and "Mr. Impreium", tucked away behind the Special Features menu, along with another oddball short, "Boogie Woogie Dream" (1944) with a 27-year-old Lena Horne along with boogie-woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson and bandleader Teddy Wilson.