Product: Stormy Weather [VHS] (1980)
Rating: 5.0
Great entertainment
I first saw "Stormy Weather" in the early 70's in a weekly program of "Race Movies". I used to get my kids on weekends back then and I took them to lots of events like this.The film is loaded with great music and dancing and manages to hang a slim plot in there somewhere. Don't watch it for the story, just the music. There is music from Lena Horne, Cab Callaway and the great Fats Waller, and possibly the greatest dance performance ever filmed. I had never seen an early Lena Horne film and when she first came on screen I almost hyperventilated. "Extraordinary beauty" falls very short of what I saw. Whew! She delivers a fine rendition of "Stormy Weather"Fats Waller co-king of stride piano along with the venerable James P Johnson, just tears up the screen. He was one of the truly great performers of the 20th century. I just sit in awe whenever I get to see him on film. Cab Calloway seemed to have more energy than the rest of his band and everyone in the room. Harnessing his energy might have lit an entire city. His band really puts out the sound.The biggest treat of the film comes when the Nicholas Brothers do a dance performance that is simply unbelievable. And when you think it might be over it just keeps going. They were light on their feet and beautifully physical. It was as if each brother possessed the talent of both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. At the end of the routine there was a lot of spontaneous applause, something I had never witnessed in a theater.Fayard and Harold Nicholas appeared in many "Race Films" and finally made it to the "big Screen" in a Gene Kelly film, "The Pirate". They were good, but deferred to Kelly. They were not going to get a shot at the mainstream because the movie industry already had its' stars and knew the brothers might well show them up. They went to Europe for many years, where the public flocked to see them. I think they returned to the States because of Harold's health problems.The dedication of the National WWII Memorial in April, 2004 included a WWII reunion. People who had proudly served the USA came by the thousands. That also included USO performers. As you might suspect, blacks entertained only blacks and whites only whites. At the entertainment stage there were many USO films, which often included the Nicholas Brothers. AS I was watching, a Smithsonian escort was helping a small black man to a seat and somehow I recognized him as Fayard Nicholas. I went over and chatted with him for a while. It was one of the great moments in my life. I can now point to my right hand and say, "Shook hands with both Fayard Nicholas and Ted Williams"(note the order).Go watch "Stormy Weather" and other films with the Nicholas Brothers and celebrate seeing two American Masters -- and Treasures.