Reviews (2)

Good Movie - Bad Tape!
I really enjoyed the movie itself, however the tape quality was very poor. This needs to be remastered before being released. Now I can deal with some scratchy video, but when I can barely hear and understand the audio, then there's a problem.

A controversial "All Black Cast Classic" from 1945
I have only recently begun to discover the "All Black Cast Classics" from the mid-twentieth century, and Big Timers would seem to be a classic representative of the genre. Many of these films are controversial and labeled black exploitation by many of today's critics and viewers. I try not to watch these films through lenses of racism, and frankly I'm impressed by the appeal of these films. Big Timers not only features a compelling storyline, it simply oozes with talent. Music, singing, dancing - these folks forevermore put on a show, and I am of the opinion that these performers, having already been denied the prominence they deserved as talented individuals during their own era, deserve the recognition today that was not afforded to them then.

Big Timers features Stepin Fetchit (born Lincoln Perry), an extremely controversial but fascinating entertainer. His unusual name does much to explain the man's image; he, perhaps more than any other black entertainer, has long been scorned for his stereotypical portrayal of the shiftless, unintelligent, lazy black man who follows the beck and call of white actors. In his era, though, he was highly successful; in fact, he was a celebrated crowd-pleasing comedian and the first black actor to become a millionaire (although he declared bankruptcy in 1947, two years after this particular film was released). Many people refuse to show or watch Stepin Fetchit movies now, and I think this is a real shame. He is a most unusual performer from both a stylistic and historical viewpoint.

As for the film itself, it offers a story that almost everyone then and now can understand and relate to; this is a story about the poor folks who work for rich folks. Betty Washburn (Francine Everett) is a talented young singer who is set to marry the man she loves, aviator Tom Powers. Because Betty has such a professional singing voice, Tom, who comes from a wealthy family himself, thinks her family is comfortable if not wealthy; in actuality, Betty's mother Cora (Lou Swarz) is a chambermaid at a nice hotel who has worked and saved her money over the years in order to pay for Betty's music training. In order to calm her daughter's fears, Cora borrows the apartment of entertainer Mabel Page (Gertrude Saunders) while she is out of town, entertaining her future in-laws in high style. When Mabel returns home unexpectedly, disaster is averted when Cora explains the situation to her; not only does Mabel let the cat stay in the bag, she calls up the members of her U.S.O. touring group and puts on a grand show for the happy couple. It is indeed quite a show. There's an all-girl orchestra, a dance number, a "jungle dance" by a very curvy, hip-swinging Tarzana, a vintage mumble song and dance by Stepin Fetchit himself, and a lights-out musical number by Mabel.

Big Timers only runs some forty minutes, but it packs all kinds of entertainment into its short running time. The singing voices of Francine Everett and especially Gertrude Saunders are divine. Take away the performance of Stepin Fetchit, which many people consider "degrading," and what I see in Big Timers is a short but very good movie that will appeal to men and women of all races. I think this movie should be seen and enjoyed by people today, not consigned to the trash heap of history. Stepin Fetchit himself, no matter what you think of him, was a true pioneer in black entertainment history, and movies such as this provide insight into the black culture of mid-twentieth century America. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Louis Jordan at his best
Of the R&B pioneer Louis Jordan's series of low-budget musical comedies, this is the best by far. An interesting look at Black college life in the 1940s, this is the tale of Jordan returning to his old college to settle scores with a rival and raise money to save the school. Not as corny as it sounds. A bit more story and better acting than what usually appeared in Jordan's comedies. Jordan is of course at his best with his clowing and singing, and sax playing, but he also shows that he could really act when called to do so. Check it and enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Jordan at his prime ! ! !
The line up includes Bill Doggett (yes, Bill "Honky Tonk" Doggett") on piano and Chris "Sonny Payne's Dad" Columbo on drums... A rare chance to see Jordan in his prime shot with much better sound and picture quality than the old soundies. - - Don't worry about the plot getting in the way... although the story is cute (making the film even more watchable) the fact is that the Jordan pretty much sings, swings and wails straight through the film... and that's what keeps the film going. Each scene is a set up for the next number. - - Scenes also include some of Jordan's "Jump" meets "Calypso" sounding stuff (pre-Dizzy Gillespie Latin Jazz so to say !) - - "Look-Out Sister" is a "rap" delivered behind a boppish horn vamp, where Jordan gives a little message to the ladies regarding the battle of the sexes - - and of course, the texpected Jump Boogie stuff is there.

All in all... whether you're a Jazz, early R & B, B-movie or black Western buff, this film has it all... incidentally the Western outdoor setting gives the film a nice look (though the band's Western get ups do look a bit silly at times.)

Jordan fans rejoice
Jordan fans rejoice at this. This is perhaps his best-remembered film. Odie Hawkins spoke well of it in his autobiographical "Scars and Memories," and James Brown recalled joyously seeing this film as a youngster in his bio. Granted, the story & acting are full of corn, but Jordan's jumpy music and fine showmanship overcomes all of this. Well alsmost all-there is a rather cruel sequence where LJ sings "You're Much too Fat" to a sad, obese young lady near the swimming pool who falls in to the laughter of the onlookers. This low moment aisde, enjoy the antics of "two-gun Jordan."

Black-cast western, mostly music, fun for Louis Jordan fans.
Louis Jordan and his "T-6" band perform almost continuously in this novel musical western. The Jordan band even provides the brassy instrumental background for the action scenes! Fans will especially enjoy "Barnyard Boogie" and "Look Out Sister" (a sequel to his record hit "Beware"). Jordan is obviously having a good time in western gear, and good-naturedly participates in the climactic fight scene and horseback chase. Production values are higher than usual for this kind of picture. Print is in excellent condition except for a gap about halfway through (one song number suddenly jumps to a much slower song). Students of black cinema and fans of Louis Jordan should enjoy this. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Satire of Marcus Garvey
Black nationalists and those familiar with Black history will not like this film. Essentially, it's the tale of this con-artist named "Charcoal Johnson" who schemes poor and ignorant African-Americans into giving up their loot for a phony "Back to Africa" movement. This is, of course, a satirization of the Marcus garvey movement of the 1920s in which Garvey wanted to establish a Black settlement in Liberia akin to Israel for the Jewish people and was arrested for mail fraud. Today, most who are familiar with Garvey's story feel that Garvey was framed and he is now considered a hero. So this film, with it's porttrayal of Black leadership as imcompetent clowns, will ruffle some feathers.

It is interesting to note that going through some old African-American newspapers, Black audiences of 1932 actually enjoyed this film. It would be interesting to the what would happen now if you showed this at, say the Apollo Theater.
It would also be interesting to compare this to 1970s "Cotton Comes To Harlem," which had a similar theme with a contemporary spin. ... Read more