From Lennox and 116th Street on up way past 135th street, you see many elements of the past, the same structures and often many of the same businesses. Teenagers who saw this movie in 1949 are senior citizens in 2021, and to see young people several years after the world war ended having similar problems to young adults today in the same surroundings makes this all black film an interesting time capsule where many types of characters, both flashy and dignified, do their best to get through the struggles of life no matter what it takes.
Jimmy Wright is the leading character, "Dollar Bill", a bit of a braggart but certainly likeable, who according to the heroine Savannah Churchill always gave out dollar bills to people he would run into whenever he was happy. But that wasn't in East Harlem. That was in the south, and things are very different in the big bad metropolis. His loud and boisterous personality can set some people off, but Churchill is obviously in love with him, having followed him up to New York and trying to help him while he's down.
There's some great dancing moments here, one actually featuring two men, dancing to a song from the jukebox simply because there's no woman around. There are some very funny moments in that, especially when one of the male dancers lowers his hands onto the male bartender's backside. The plot is often distracted by simple conversations between supporting characters, giving an indication to the mindset of these people. So it's a slice of life drama with music and comedy, it's just fine, but it's too bad that they didn't focus more on the main plot concerning Wright and Churchill. The opening shot of Lennox and 135th Street is evidence that the neighborhood still looks pretty much the same 70 plus years later.
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