St. Louis Blues
About St. Louis Blues
In a rooming house, men shooting dice bribe the janitor to let the game go on. Jimmy flirts with a younger woman, wins the pot, and takes her to the room he shares with Bessie Smith. Bessie faces the woman, who runs, then begs Jimmy to stay. He pushes her aside and leaves. At a speakeasy the crowd sings W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" and dances while Bessie stays still. Jimmy comes in, holds her, takes money from her garter, and goes. She goes back to the bar and finishes the song.
Cast & crew
More about St. Louis Blues
Dudley Murphy directed. W. C. Handy produced, co-wrote, and was musical director. He had asked Smith to appear after her 1925 recording of his song. The short was filmed in June 1929 at Astoria Studios. RKO released it on November 5, 1929. The cast is entirely Black.
Themes
Background
A two-reel talkie made in June 1929, with a Prohibition speakeasy as the room where Smith sings Handy's 1914 song.
In film history
The National Film Registry added it in 2006, as Smith's only film and as an early all-Black sound short.
Music
Bessie Smith sings Handy's "St. Louis Blues." James P. Johnson plays piano, Thomas Morris and Joe Smith play cornet, Bernard Addison plays guitar and banjo, and the Hall Johnson Choir sings with her.
Preservation
Copies were never actually gone. The Library of Congress selected the short for the National Film Registry in 2006. A file is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- Smith's only known film appearance. The soundtrack is her only recording not controlled by Columbia Records.
- For years the short was rumored to have been banned and rumored to be lost. Neither was true.
- A print found in Mexico in the 1940s was written up as a recovery even though other copies already existed.
- Wikidata lists 17 minutes. The Wikipedia running time is 16.
- James P. Johnson is at the piano. Thomas Morris and Joe Smith play cornet. Bernard Addison plays guitar and banjo.
Scenes
- Bessie finds Jimmy in their room with the woman from the dice game.
- The speakeasy crowd dances to "St. Louis Blues" while she barely moves.
- Jimmy takes cash from her garter and walks out.
Influenced by
- St. Louis Blues (song by W. C. Handy)
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (St. Louis Blues.webm)
Quotes
I hate to see the evening sun go down
