Product: Stormy Weather [VHS] (1980)
Rating: 5.0
The full dimensions of that era's black talent on film
Yeah, there's not much to the plot. But who needs that when you have that era's largest array of the dimensions of Black talent on film?To deal with some controversy head-on-the Blackface scene that only one reviewer alluded to. These were oldschool comedians Johnny Lee (Calhoun from Amos & Andy) and veteran comic Flournoy Miller (who appeared in the legendary "Shuffle Along" in 1922 and wrote for A&A;) doing a classic old black comedy routine called "Indefinite talk." People today don't know that in those days, Black comedians in Blackface appearing in Black theaters was as common as profanity is today (which is why I often say that profanity is the blackface of the millennium). So view it in that context.We even get a rare (if unbilled) look at Stump and stumpy, the comedy team that was said to have inspired Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They're the ones clowing with Bojangles during the boat scene.Speaking of Bojangles, his dancing is somewhat reserved compared to his earlier films (he was in his sixtes at the time). Lena Horne is as pretty and classy as ever, but her songs are a tad dragging by modern standards. (BTW-I met Lena's daughter Gail a few years back. She told me that Lena could not stand working with the gun-toting Bojangles).Fats Waller is also restrained here, but quite funny in his few scenes. However, Cab Calloway is at full throttle at his prime, Hidehoing and dancing away-ALMOST stealing the show (we'll get to who does that in a minute). The "Jumping Jive" is much fun. The Katherine Dunham dancers was probably the classiest black dance act of its era, so this folk art was quite rare for films of that time.NOW ON TO THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS-as everyone knows, this is the highlight of the film (and perhaps their career). The legandary stair dance scene makes me ache as a man to watch it-watch these hard splits and you'll see what I mean!SIDENOTE-This is loosely based on some real people. Only hardcore jazz and black history fans know that there WAS a Jim Europe who led the 15 Infantry Jazz Band in World War I that the first part of this film is based on.With that said, watch this and enjoy a full dimension of the era's black talent. The zoot suit scene at the end is a hoot!