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Jazz on Film

Glimpsing Greatness
While much of the collection remains to be preserved, a small number of films have been restored thanks to a Missouri Historical Records grant from the Missouri State Archives. Here we present several short clips:

Small Large	All-American Newsreel During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt developed the All-American News project to connect families stateside with their loved ones fighting overseas. In this clip, we see prominent black entertainers of the day such as Ida James and Chris Columbus signing contracts for the war effort, serviceman William Davis from Chicago receiving a Purple Heart for rescuing another sailor following the D-Day invasion, and African-American troop ships in Panama.
Small Large	Count Basie Band Parade This footage shows Count Basie and his orchestra performing several musical numbers, including the “Count Basie Boogie.”
Small Large	Top Man - Count Basie Band Backed by four young African American singers known as the Delta Rhythm Boys, this footage from the motion picture “Top Man” shows Count Basie and his orchestra performing at an all-white college dance.
Small Large	Love in Syncopation Directed by William Alexander, one of the few African Americans making movies in the 1940s, this short film primarily focuses on ballroom dancing, featuring the Henri Wood Orchestra and specialty acts Ronell and Edna, Tops and Wilder, June Eckstein, Harrell Tilman, Powell Lindsey and Maxine Johnson. A very young Ruby Dee appears briefly during the course of the film.
Small Large	Pourquoi Amerique Louis Armstrong performs in this rare footage from the 1930s, created for French audiences and shown between feature films. Next