St. Louis Blues (1958)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Great Film overall

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Although Nat King Cole made many guest appearances in various films the only leading role he ever took on was that of W.C. Handy the composer and father of the Blues as he's generally accorded that title. In terms of facts this film is just like Night And Day, Deep In My Heart, and Till The Clouds Roll By just as much factual truth about Cole Porter, Sigmund Romberg, and Jerome Kern as their biographical films have. We don't expect much in the way of truth.For instance Handy did go blind, but that was not until 1943 after a fall off a New York City subway platform, not as is shown here. There was also no cure for it either as Handy spent his last years in the dark.He was in fact the son of a preacher who did not hold with the kind of music is son wanted to make. Juano Hernandez plays Handy's stern father and the motherless child played William Preston has Pearl Bailey as the aunt and maternal influence in his life. The conflict between father and son drives the film as Handy just cannot get his father to accept the Blues as art form.There are two women in Handy's life, his churchgoing sweetheart played by Ruby Dee and the nightclub performer Eartha Kitt who I believe is playing a character based on Bessie Smith. Such other performers as Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Mahalia Jackson have parts in the film that suit their talents.But it's the music performed for which we watch these films and Cole and the cast perform it well. With the names I've mentioned you would expect nothing else. As for Cole in his one and only time as a lead he did a superb job as the talented and troubled W.C. Handy.A really fine film that has not been available on DVD, VHS, whatever. We should remedy that.

I found the father-son estrangement contrived along conventional religion vs the devil lines, but moving nonetheless. I had forgotten what a good piano player Nat Cole was. Ertha Kitt is the heart of the film. She acts as she sings -- biting, precise, and all-knowing. I think the great Pearl Bailey is wasted here -- wonderful as the Aunt, but we only hear her singing a snippet of the title song. Cab Calloway was also much more talented than permitted to be here. I saw him as "Sportin' Live" in the post-WW II revival of "Porgy and Bess." We get a too brief taste of the great clarinet player, Barney Bigard, and an anachronistic appearance by Ella Fitzgerald singing "Beale St. Blues." The film provides a good definition of the blues as an authentic American musical and poetic form. This one, almost 50 years old now, has aged well. It makes one regret that more African-American based and performed films were not made when these great stars were available. Thanks again, TCM!

It's incredible to see all this talent in one place. It's too bad that afro-americans were not supported commercially in the 50's, this film then could have been easy to find. As it is, the big A doesn't carry (or even mention) it. The performances of eartha kitt and nat cole are pretty subdued, for the period of the piece. But ella fitzgerald swings nicely and pearl bailey has a good moment. As for over all film quality, it's a bit stiff ( e.g., nat cole dropping his cane and falling to his kness against the screen door mimics lou pinela tring to convince an umpire he touched home plate), probably a bit more from direction than lack of talent, and the plot , trite. Fortunately, it doesn't dwell very long on the angst between slices of musical venue. A collector's item and an historical document.

Black casted movies are a rarity in and of themselves, but one with such mega stars of old was so very uplifting! The movie was made by blacks for blacks and had a plot, story-line and theme that blacks can indeed relate to with pride dignity and a sense of self-esteem. The movie is one that you can watch over and over again and get something more out of it each and every time. It deals with human weaknesses and pitfalls such as are common to man; but finishes on a high note of strength and victory because of faith in and love for God and perseverance.