More Spencer Williams

 

GO DOWN, DEATH!-1944-In this long forgotten “race” film, Big Jim Bottom (Spencer Williams who also directed) runs a gambling joint. He decides to frame the new reverend Jasper Jones (Samuel H. James) because he has too much influence on the town. His goons take an incriminating photo of Jones and a woman hired by Big Jim. Jim's adopted mother Caroline (Myra D. Hemmings) pleads with her son to end his bad ways but he refuses. She prays for guidance to a picture of her dead husband. His ghost/spirit comes back to help by taking the incriminating photos out of Jim's safe and giving them to Caroline. Jim tries to take them away from her. He pushes her to the floor and she hits her head. He pretends to not know anything when niece Betty Jean (Eddye Houston) comes into the room. Caroline lies in bed dying and a choir sings. Betty and Rev. Jones discuss the circumstances while Jim paces and drinks. When Caroline dies, the reverend gives a long sermon while images of heaven are shown. Jim's conscious gets the better of him and he drinks even more. He tries to run away but he can't escape the sinister accusing voice which shows him a vision of hell (from a foreign movie) where he'll “be with his own kind”. Later they find Jim dead in a canyon. 

Much like THE BLOOD OF JESUS it uses crude sfx, characters superimposed on other scenes and gospel singing. Sometimes there's dialogue but the actors' mouths don't move. The sermon the reverend gives is the poem “Go Down Death” by James W. Johnson. Although the acting and editing isn't very good it's nice to see this film rescued from obscurity. This is one of 14 movies actor Spencer Willimas directed between 1928 and 1949. Some were religious morality tales like this. Others were cool musicals. Williams later played Andy on the (now) controversial TV sit-com “The Amos 'n Andy Show”.

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More Spencer Williams

GIRL IN ROOM 20-1946-Daisy Mae Walker (Geraldine Brock) leaves her sleepy little town of Perryville to find a career as a singer in the city, also leaving behind her parents, little sister Mabel and boyfriend Dunbar. She almost has trouble at the start when she accidentally visits a whorehouse run by Mamie but is helped out of the jam by a taxi driver (director Spenser Williams). Daisy gets molested by a guy named Richardson but Dunbar arrives and beats him up. Richardson's wife shoots Daisy but she survives to sing another song. A white producer faints when he can't have Daisy for his new production because she’s marrying Dunbar and going back to Texas. Not as enjoyable as some of Spenser Williams’s other stories. Too much talk.

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Happy Fourth of July!

OF ONE BLOOD-1944-This fable/melodrama starts off in “the hall of records” where a white haired old man with a long white beard relates the story of Zeke Ellis, his wife and three sons. They leave their home for higher ground after a flood warning but don't make it. They get hit by the flood and Zeke and his wife are killed. Two brothers Zebedee and Zion swim to safely separated from third brother Zachariah who also swims safely to the shore. They are taken in by The Red Cross but an older boy Wesley convinces them to hop a freight with him. The older boy gets left behind at a stop and the duo wonders if they will ever see their brother again. 

Years pass and the boys are now men. After shining shoes for a while Zeb becomes a cop while Zion studies to be a lawyer. A woman named Zelma tries to dissuade him. “Hard work is for mules and fools”. In 1941 a big band plays and two women do a tap dance. Newspaper publisher Jordan, Zelma's father runs a campaign against a bootlegger in a derby hat who bosses a bunch of dumb henchman. Then two community leaders give very good speeches about race and violence and inequality. After Zelma has a riding accident coincidentally near the bootleggers hideout, the worker the gang refers to as “The Dummy” (writer/director Spencer Williams) hides Zelma and calls the police. Lawyer Zion and policeman Zebedee go the hideout to get Zelma. When the boss is about to shoot Zeb “the dummy” hits him over the head with a bottle killing him but not before he reveals to Zeb that he is actually their long lost bro Zachariah and “the dummy” is their long lost friend Wesley, now an FBI agent! It may be the only movie I’ve ever seen where a glass bottle didn't break when hit over someone’s head! Couldn't afford a fake one?

 Interesting story hampered of course by bad editing, acting and effects. But still enjoyable! Like most of Spencer Williams directorial out (THE BLOOD OF JESUS, GO DOWN, DEATH), OF ONE BLOOD was thought to be a lost film until being rediscovered in 1983.

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Religious

THE BLOOD OF JESUS-1941-After a baptism ceremony Martha (Cathryn Caviness), a devout religious woman is accidentally shot by her “heathen” husband Razz (Spencer Williams). It's believed she won't survive and everyone prays for her. After she appears to die she is visited by an angel and her spirit leaves her body. The angel takes her on a tour of the spirit world where hooded figures walk around graves. The angel tells her to go to the crossroads to find her fate and almost immediately the devil (who laughs like a lunatic) sends a dapper guy named Judas to tempt her (“Ok Judas. Do your stuff”) and lead her off the road of righteousness with a nice dress and fancy shoes. He takes her to a nightclub in the city that features singers and some weird dancers. Unfortunately she becomes a prostitute but later runs away chased by some guys who think she stole a wallet. At the crossroads (a sign has “To Hell” pointing one way and “To Zion” pointing another) there's a flat bed truck with a jazz combo (the devil is the driver). Just when the men are about to stone Martha the Lord's thundering voice sends them running. A heavenly choir and the blood of Christ bring her back to the living and everyone sings (for some reason one guy faints). 

This “race film” was the brainchild of actor/director/writer Spencer Williams (who'd provided the screenplay for the notorious SON OF INGAGI a few years before). Said to have been made on a budget of $5,000 and I wouldn't doubt it as BLOOD's special effects are crude and the actors (most were amateurs) deliver their lines with little emotion. Yet there is something that makes this movie click (at least for me). Perhaps it's Williams' belief in his subject matter. Whatever the case it's a low budget winner in my book! 

 Williams directed 10 more films after this (at least one is lost) and after leaving the film business for a while played Andy on TV's “The Amos and Andy Show” from 1951-1955. He died in 1969.

Final note: IMDB lists no date for death for one of the actors in BLOOD, that of Juanita Riley who plays one of Martha's friends. If still alive she'd be 99 at the time of this writing!

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Broken Strings

BROKEN STRINGS-1940-I really love this all black “race film” (a movie made exclusively for black audiences). Sure, it’s cheap and badly acted but it’s no worse than any dozen Monogram films of the time!

Clarence Muse (also the co-writer) stars as famous violinist Arthur Williams who gets “one thousand dollars a performance” but loses his ability to play when his hand is injured in a car accident. He becomes a pretty mean and bitter music teacher especially to his son Johnny (William Washington) who prefers swing to the classics. One of his other students is played by Ex-Our Gang member Stymie Beard (“Just because his father owns a grocery store he puts on airs…”)!

Meanwhile older daughter Grace has man trouble at work. Her boss tries to frame her boyfriend for stealing. Eventually, a world famous “nerve specialist” says he can do an operation for 300 dollars! I guess Arthur didn't save much of his money because Johnny and his cute pianist girlfriend Mary (Tommie Moore who was in MYSTERY IN SWING the same year ) play swing at some clubs to raise the cash. Unfortunately dad finds out and makes Johnny practice playing the classics until he passes out!

Finally Johnny plays on a radio program (where Stymie tries to sabotage his set) and dad gets cured through the power of swing!

Darby Jones who played the scary lead zombie in I WALK WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) and was usually reduced to playing tribal chiefs and natives has a standout comic role here. Muse usually played stereotypical servants in Hollywood films so this was a standout role for him. He had started his career in 1929 and died in 1979.

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Musical Mystery

MYSTERY IN SWING-1940-A two timing trumpet player named Prince Ellis (Robert Webb) is murdered. Suspects abound (an ex-wife, a rejected young girlfriend, her father) and it's up to a wiseguy reporter (Monte Hawley) to solve the case. Although this is an all black cast "race film" it plays much like a Charlie Chan Monogram mystery (including plotholes) except for the jive talk and great musical interludes (especially a vocal group The Four Toppers). It was probably more inspired by Hollywood gangster films. Co-writer F.E. Miller plays the comical Sgt. Slim, who saves the day and gets the girl! German born director Arthur Dreifuss worked mainly in low budget films and years later directed RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP. Star Hawley (sometimes billed as "The Bronze Bogart") was top performer in his time. Unfortunately he died suddenly at age 49 in 1950....


"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."-Abraham Lincoln

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