Murder on Lenox Avenue
Murder on Lenox Avenue is a 1941 American race film directed by Arthur Dreifuss. Plot summary. In 1941 Harlem, New York City, someone gets framed for a murder while Pa Wilkins tries to replace the apartment building's former manager. This is an iconic example of African American movies (also called “race films”) of the 1940s. The entire cast is Black, with the exception of Norman Ashwood (Mr. Marshall). Ashwood plays the corrupt head of a local business association. There is mutiny among the members, and a new leader is chosen. Most of the action takes  place in a boarding house, where a lively dance band lives and practices, seemingly with no breaks. There are also several romantic subplots, one of which has a tragic end. Although the film presents a somewhat unflattering 1940s white view of African American behavior, the music – plus a (too) brief behind-a-screen undressing scene with one of the boarding house show girls – makes it worth the hour and five minutes it takes to watch.