<I>Ebony Parade</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1947
name: label: Produced by
content: William Forest Crouch, American, 1904 - 1968
label: Subject of
content: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
label: Subject of
content: Count Basie, American, 1904 - 1984
label: Subject of
content: Dorothy Dandridge, American, 1922 - 1965
label: Subject of
content: Francine Everett, American, 1915 - 1999
label: Subject of
content: Mantan Moreland, American, 1902 - 1973
label: Subject of
content: Day, Dawn, and Dusk, American, 1940 - 1960
label: Subject of
content: Vanita Smythe, American, 1925 - 1994
label: Subject of
content: Pat Flowers, American, 1917 - 2000
label: Subject of
content: Dewey Brown
label: Subject of
content: The Mills Brothers, American, 1928 - 1982
label: Subject of
content: Ruby Hill, American, 1922 - 2004
label: Subject of
content: Mable Lee, American, 1921 - 2019
label: Subject of
content: The Jubalaires, American, c. 1940-1950
label: Owned by
content: Ernie Smith, American, ca. 1925 - 2004
notes: label: Description
content: A 16mm print of a film with the title Ebony Parade. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. The footage consists of a compilation of "Soundies," each beginning with an introduction by comedian Matan Moreland.
label: Description
content: In the opening scene, Moreland appears on screen wearing a turban while sitting in front of a table that holds a crystal ball and a magazine. He looks directly into the camera and says, "Hello folks, this is Mantan Moreland your obedient servant bringing you the top movie entertainment of the year, from the Ebony Parade. Now I’ll tell you how I do this: I move my hand around the crystal ball just like this, wait a minute, I’ve got to look in here and see what’s going on.” He then holds up the magazine, which features dancer Mabel Lee on its front cover. As he speaks, Mabel Lee herself walks onstage and tells him that she will be doing the “Coalmine Boogie” with Pat Flowers and The Ebonettes. Matan Moreland then moves his hand over the crystal ball and repeats “Mable Lee, Pat Flowers and the Ebonettes” a few times. In the next scene, jazz pianist Pat Flowers can be seen playing a grand piano with a woman seated on top of it. The footage then quickly cuts to Mabel Lee and The Ebonnetes doing the "Coalmine Boogie."
label: Description
content: The rest of the film continues with Matan Moreland periodically consulting his magazine and moving his hand over the crystal ball before introducing the next Soundie. Other acts in the film include Francine Everett, Dewey Brown and The Sepia Steppers performing “Toot That Trumpet,” Day Dawn and Dusk performing “Faust,” The Mills Brothers performing “Paper Doll," Vanita Smyth singing "They Raided the Joint,” Cab Calloway and His Orchestra performing “The Skunk Song,” The Jubalaires performing “Brother Bill,” and Ruby Hill performing “Put Your Arms Around Me Honey." In the final performance, Count Basie and His Orchestra performs “Air Mail Special” as couples do the boogie woogie on a dance floor.
place: label: Place made
content: United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Comedy
label: Topic
content: Conductors (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Dance
label: Topic
content: Entertainers
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Jazz (Music)
label: Topic
content: Musical films
label: Topic
content: Race films
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Anonymous Gift in memory of Ernest (Ernie) R. Smith, Jazz Historian
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.275.39.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: black-and-white films (visual works)
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration (digital file): 00:27:22
label: Dimensions
content: Physical extent (film): 1100 ft