Dudley Murphy on American Music
Saturday, October 18, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Theater 1 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1), T1
Includes the following films:
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Makers of Melody
1929. USA. With Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Print courtesy Ron Magliozzi. 18 min.
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Sixteen Sweeties
1929. USA. With Eddie Elkins and his Orchestra and others. Digital restoration courtesy of Gary Lacher. 20 min.
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Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle
1923. USA. Courtesy The Library of Congress, Motion Picture Division. Approx. 7 min.
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Yamerkraw
1930. USA. With Louise Cook, Jimmy Mordecai, Murray Roth. Courtesy The Library of Congress, Motion Picture Division. 9 min.
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St. Louis Blues
1929. USA. With Bessie Smith. 15 min.
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Black and Tan
1929. USA. With Duke Ellington. 19 min.
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He Was Her Man
1931. USA. With Gilda Gray. 15 min.
Avant-garde filmmaker Dudley Murphy, who collaborated with Fernand Léger on Ballet mecanique, felt that the new sound cinema was a perfect vehicle for illustrating the roots of American blues, jazz, and folk music. His trilogy of short musicals, made in New York for RKO and Paramount, are screened together on the same program for what may be the first time.
In the Film exhibition Hollywood on the Hudson: Filmmaking in New York, 1920–39
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