This is a rare movie in which black performers were given the recognition that Hollywood denied them. Alan Reisner directed a film about the fictionalized life of one American original, W.C. Handy, a composer whose legacy in our popular culture was never acknowledged. It would take years before black actors would be seen in mainstream films.
Will Handy was a multi talented man whose humble origins we see as the film opens. His father, Rev. Charles Handy, is a preacher in a black church in Memphis. It's clear from the start the boy is destined for greatness, but his father clashes with him when he finds a job working at the local club that is frequented by characters, that in the Reverend's estimation, are loafers and sinners.
With the help of a singer, Gogo Germaine, Handy's music becomes popular. His long time girlfriend, the sweet Elizabeth, sees in Gogo a rival who will take him away. It is through the love of his mother and when Elizabeth realizes the talent of Will Handy, that everything seems to come together.
Nat "King" Cole plays the title role. Mr. Cole was one of our best interpreters of the standard repertoire of his time. He had such a clear and elegant diction that no one came close to him in delivering a song. His acting is rustic, but that is expected from a singer turned actor. Eartha Kitt is one of the best things in the film. She is Gogo Germaine, full of passion and sex appeal. The sweet and young Ruby Dee appears as Elizabeth, the woman who loved Will Handy. Juano Hernandez, another talent who never got a big break in the movies, is Rev. Handy, the upright minister who wanted his son to follow him in the church. Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Preston, and the rest of the cast are fine in their roles.
Some of the great music of W.C. Handy is heard in the soundtrack of the film performed with great style and elegance.
Will Handy was a multi talented man whose humble origins we see as the film opens. His father, Rev. Charles Handy, is a preacher in a black church in Memphis. It's clear from the start the boy is destined for greatness, but his father clashes with him when he finds a job working at the local club that is frequented by characters, that in the Reverend's estimation, are loafers and sinners.
With the help of a singer, Gogo Germaine, Handy's music becomes popular. His long time girlfriend, the sweet Elizabeth, sees in Gogo a rival who will take him away. It is through the love of his mother and when Elizabeth realizes the talent of Will Handy, that everything seems to come together.
Nat "King" Cole plays the title role. Mr. Cole was one of our best interpreters of the standard repertoire of his time. He had such a clear and elegant diction that no one came close to him in delivering a song. His acting is rustic, but that is expected from a singer turned actor. Eartha Kitt is one of the best things in the film. She is Gogo Germaine, full of passion and sex appeal. The sweet and young Ruby Dee appears as Elizabeth, the woman who loved Will Handy. Juano Hernandez, another talent who never got a big break in the movies, is Rev. Handy, the upright minister who wanted his son to follow him in the church. Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Preston, and the rest of the cast are fine in their roles.
Some of the great music of W.C. Handy is heard in the soundtrack of the film performed with great style and elegance.