The Lady Fare

Last updated

The Lady Fare or Lady Fare is a 1929 American short comedy film [1] [2] directed by William Watson, [3] from a story by Octavus Roy Cohen, [4] and screenplay by Spencer Williams. [5] [6] [7] [8] It was produced by Al Christie and filmed by the Christie Film Company. [9]

Contents

The film was one of the first African American talking movies, described as a "singie" and a "dancie". [9] [10] It featured an all-female chorus line, possibly inspired by the Cotton Club. [11] The 20-minute film premiered on September 28, 1929. [12]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glynis Johns</span> British actress, dancer, pianist, and singer

Glynis Margaret Payne Johns is a British retired actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She is the recipient of awards and nominations in various drama award denominations, including the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Laurel Awards, the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, and the Laurence Olivier Awards, within which she has won two thirds of her nominations. As one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and classical years of British cinema, she has several longevity records to her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Williams Jr.</span> American actor and filmmaker (1893–1969)

Spencer Williams was an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed Andy on TV's The Amos 'n' Andy Show and directed films including the 1941 race film The Blood of Jesus. Williams was a pioneering African-American film producer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octavus Roy Cohen</span> American writer (1891–1959)

Octavus Roy Cohen (1891–1959) was an early 20th century American writer specializing in ethnic comedies. His dialect comedy stories about African Americans gained popularity after being published in the Saturday Evening Post and were adapted into a series of short films by Al Christie featuring actors Charles Olden, Spencer Williams Jr., Evelyn Preer, and Edward Thompson.

Carolyn Ann Stewart, known professionally as Carol Speed, was an American actress, singer-songwriter and author. Speed was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s blaxploitation era, most notably starring as Abby Williams in the American International Pictures 1974 blaxploitation horror film Abby (1974).

<i>The Negro Sailor</i> 1945 American film

The Negro Sailor is a 1945 documentary short film made for the U.S. Navy and shown by All-American News, a company producing newsreels and later feature films for the race film market. It was directed by Henry Levin. The film was inspired by the success of the film The Negro Soldier, and was one of only five films documenting the war time activities of African Americans in a positive light before 1950. Released after the surrender of Japan the film highlights the service of African Americans seaman.

Georgia Rose was a 1930 film. It was directed by Harry Gant and stars Clarence Brooks. It followed the 1928 film Absent with Brooks as its star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zack Williams (actor)</span> American actor (1884–1958)

Zack Williams was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films including leading roles as in Son of Ingagi. His career spanned silent films from the early 1920s to talkie (sound) films of the late 1940s. He appeared with other black actors in the 1929 film Hearts in Dixie.

The Melancholy Dame is a short American comedy film made with an African American cast and released in 1929. It was an Al Christie film based on the Octavus Roy Cohen comedy series called "Darktown Birmingham" published in the Saturday Evening Post. Arvid Gillstrom directed and Florian Slappey was portrayed by Charles Olden. The film was produced and released by Paramount Pictures, and includes racial caricatures. It has been described as the first African American talkie. It featured a vision of high society and comic dialogue set in a Birmingham restaurant with a piano and dance show. The Los Angeles Times summarized the plot as, "A cabaret owner’s wife demands that her husband fire the sexy star attraction. Little does she know that the singer and the club owner were once married." It is a 2-reel film. The film is extant and posted on YouTube along with other films from the series.

Roberta Hyson was an American 20th-century actress, dancer, and singer. She appeared in several all African American-cast early talking films by Christie Film Company, and had a leading role in The Melancholy Dame (1929).

Edward Thompson (1898–1960) was an actor in the United States. He appeared in several films with African American casts. He worked on films with his wife Evelyn Preer, Spencer Williams, and other prominent African American actors including in Al Christie productions. He played in various theater productions as an actor, including in a musical dancing role in Darktown Follies.

Music Hath Harms is an American film released in 1929. A two-reel short it was produced by Al Christie. The film stars Spencer Williams and Roberta Hyson with musical performances by Curtis Mosby and the Blues Blowers. It was part of the Florian Slappey series. The story features a con man promising to wow an audience with a musical performance. The film remains in existence and is available online.

Brown Gravy is a 1929 American comedy film with an African American cast. William Watson directed the Al Christie production. It was among the early "talkie" films released with African American casts. Octavus Roy Cohen wrote the story, part of a series he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post adapted to film in collaboration with Christie. The film's thin plot includes themes addressing religion, fraternal organizations, con men, and family life.

Oft in the Silly Night is an American short comedy film released in 1929. It was produced by Al Christie from a story by Octavus Roy Cohen, part of a series published in the Saturday Evening Post and adapted to film in Christie productions. Among the early "talkie" films featuring an African American cast, the film survives and is available online.

Nathan Curry was an American actor. He was a supporting actor in several films featuring African American casts. Curry had prominent parts in silent films but was not given screen credit. He was one of the featured players of Black Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darby Jones</span> American actor

Darby Jones was an American actor known for his role as the zombie-like Carrefour in the 1943 horror film I Walked with a Zombie. He appeared in a similar role in the 1945 film Zombies on Broadway. He had uncredited appearances in the 1937 films Swing High, Swing Low and A Day at the Races, and his other roles include Broken Strings (1940), Virginia (1941), White Cargo (1942), and Zamba (1949). Jones also appeared in several Tarzan films, including the 1933 film serial Tarzan the Fearless, and the films Tarzan Escapes (1936) and Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942).

Scandal of 1933, also known as Gig and Saddle and Scandal, is an American film featuring musical performances. The 60-minute feature film includes performances of songs written by Irving Mills, Duke Ellington, Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, Harry Akst, Roger Graham, Dave Peyton, Spencer Williams, Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger, Mort Dixon, Harry Warren, Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra, and Putney Dandridge. It was produced by Jack Goldberg and features an all-African American cast. A poster for the film advertises it as a musical jamboree.

Midnight Menace is a short American musical film released in 1946. It was produced by All-American News and Al Sack. Josh Binney directed. The plot involves a Voodoo practitioner making dead bodies appear around Lollypop Jones. The film features songs by Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. An alternative description of the plot says the film is about a Voodoo practitioner hypnotizing a man's wife and using her in his stage show.

References

  1. "Exhibitors Herald World". Quigley Publishing Company. April 5, 1930 via Google Books.
  2. Richards, Larry (2015-09-17). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-1052-8.
  3. Coleman, Robin R. Means (2013-03-01). Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN   978-1-136-94293-8.
  4. Levette, Harry (March 2, 1934). ""Them Wuz The Days" When The Colored Actors Were Busy". California Eagle . p. 11. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  5. Sampson, Henry T. (April 5, 1995). Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810826052 via Google Books.
  6. "Black Film Research Online". University of Chicago. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  7. Jones, G. William. "Williams, Spencer". Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. Cripps, Thomas (1978). "The Films of Spencer Williams". Black American Literature Forum. 12 (4): 128–134. doi:10.2307/3041505. ISSN   0148-6179. JSTOR   3041505.
  9. 1 2 ""Lady Fare" to Be Fun And Music Riot". The Black Dispatch. July 11, 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  10. "Williams, Spencer, Jr". Oxford African American Studies Center. 2005. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.43905. ISBN   978-0-19-530173-1 . Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  11. "The Lady Fare", Performing Arts Encyclopedia, September 27, 1929, retrieved 2022-11-09
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Яндекс". KinoPoisk.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  13. McCann, Bob (December 21, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN   9780786458042 via Google Books.