Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935)*
Young Billie Holiday is the highlight of this excellent four-part musical short, composed by Duke Ellington. She sings the blues in the gutter, literally, and shows that though still in her teens, her despair is that of a grown woman. Her song is the emotional anchor for a stylishly filmed series of scenes set to Ellington's music.
St. Louis Blues (1929)*
In her only film, Bessie Smith displays the pipes and soul that made her such an influential blues singer. She also proves that acting just wasn't her bag (as if anyone could care). In the more plaintive parts of her scenes, Bessie recites her lines as if she's reading them off cue cards. However, when more passionate delivery is required, like when she launches into a catfight with the rival for her affections, she is much more convincing.
The centerpiece of this short movie is Bessie sitting at a bar (unfortunately, mostly with her back to the camera), belting out St. Louis Blues. The WC Handy song was a common fixture in early sound films, but it was sung for the first time onscreen by the woman who made it famous. (There is also a full-length feature called St. Louis Blues (1958); this is a WC Handy biopic starring Nat King Cole)
Lena Horne singing Love from Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
The Ziegeld Follies was a showcase for a series of short numbers with the musical and comic talents of the day. While the performances by the likes of Judy Garland and Fred Astaire are well-done, most of the humor has not aged well. This does not apply to Horne's sultry rendition of Love. Horne never could put the passion of her singing into her acting; she always seemed stiff when the lines didn't have music. In this scene she is perfectly showcased, and confined just to song, her dramatic intensity is stunning.
Lena Horne singing Can't Help Loving Dat Man from 'Til the Clouds Roll By (1947)
Here is all the proof you need that Lena Horne would have been an ideal Julie in the 1950's version of Show Boat. (The studio would not hire a black woman for the part and so her friend Ava Gardner was given the role--to the despair of both women.) She is obviously comfortable in the role as she performs one of the show's most famous songs. It is hard to think of this short clip as a consolation prize, because it makes one long to see her perform the role in whole. To make matters worse, the movie is not much fun, but if you want to see what could have been, it's worth seeing.
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