Black Film Center/Archive

J.T. (1969) - J.T. Gamble, a black boy in Harlem does not relate well to his hostile enviornment until he finds a friend. J.T. learns about love, responsibility, honesty, and sharing after befriending an alley cat. Neighborhood bullies torment the cat; the cat escapes only to be killed in the street traffic, but J.T.'s family and the neighborhood grocer console him. Children, 50 min., 16mm, dir: Robert M. Young.

Jackie Brown (1997) - Based on the book "Rum Punch" by Elmore Leonard, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) reprises her blaxploitation characters of the seventies in this dramatic film about a fired airline stewardess who resorts to trafficing money to make extra income. Stars Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie. Action, 154 min., VHS, dir: Quentin Tarantino.

Jackie Robinson [A&E Biography] (1991) - Hosted by Peter Graves, a biographical picture about Jackie Robinson's life and role in baseball. Includes archival footage of Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, film clip from The Jackie Robinson Story, and Branch Rickey. Documentary, 50 min., VHS, dir: Maurice Paleau.

Jackie Robinson Story, The (1950) - Jackie Robinson plays himself in the story of his breakthrough to the major leagues and his early playing career. Louise Beavers plays Robinson's mother; Ruby Dee plays sweetheart-then-wife Rae. Drama, 76 min., VHS, DVD, dir: Alfred E. Green.

Jacob Lawrence: The Glory of Expression (1992) - African American painter Jacob Lawrence discusses his work and life. Documentary, 28 min., VHS, dir: David Irving.

James Brown & Friends: Set Fire to the Soul (1987) - James Brown performs with Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Wilson Pickett, Robert Palmer, and Billy Vera at a club in Detroit in this Cinemax presentation. Music Performance, 58 min., VHS, dir: Bruce Gowers.

James Brown: Live in America (1987) - James Brown performs many of his biggest hits in this 1985 concert at Chastain Park in Atlanta. Music Performance, 60 min., VHS, dir: Joe Gates.

Jason's Lyric (1994) - Jason (Allen Payne) and Joshua Alexander (Bokeem Woodbine) are bound together by the terrible death of their father, Maddog (Forrest Whitaker). Jason has put the past behind him, but his younger brother Joshua has memories that lead him into a life of drugs and violence. Suzzanne Douglas plays Gloria, their abused mother; Jada Pinkett Smith is Jason's love interest, Lyric Greer; Anthony "Treach" Criss plays her gangster brother Alonzo. Drama, 116 min., VHS, dir: Doug McHenry.

Jasper And The Haunted House (1942) - Jasper is told to deliver a gooseberry pie to Deacon Jones but is maliciously directed to the Haunted House instead by Scarecrow and his black crow. Children, 6 min., VHS, dir: George Pal.

Jasper's In A Jam (1946) - George Pal's puppetoon features Jasper caught in a lock clock shop as the inanimate objects come to life. Children, 8 min., VHS, dir: Duke Goldstone.

Jazz, the Intimate Art (1968) - Four jazzmen--Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck and Charles Lloyd--are interviewed by Dan Morrow and are also seen in concert. Originally aired as an episode of "The Bell Telephone Hour" on April 26, 1968. Documentary, 56 min., 16mm, dir: n/a.

Jazz on a Summer's Day (1960) - Jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, and Mahalia Jackson are featured in this documentary of the Newport Jazz Festival in the summer of 1958. This film was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1999. Tape includes A Summer's Day, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film. Documentary, 84 min., VHS, dir: Bert Stern.

Jazz Singer, The (1927) - Sam Warner's vitaphone found its first voice on screen in this film. Al Jolson plays Jack Rabinowitz, a cantor's son, who is caught between his devotion to family and tradition and his deep love for the jazz the father feels is sacriligious. Jolson dons blackface in the famous rendition of "Mammy." Musical, 89 min., VHS, DVD, dir: Alan Crosland.

Jeni LeGon: Living in a Great Big Way (1999) - A look back on the life and career of dancer Jeni LeGon told through interviews with Jeni, friends, and professionals. Includes archival footage of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Fats Waller, Paul Robeson, and Cab Calloway. Documentary, 49 min., VHS, dir: Grant Greschuk.

Jericho (1937) - Paul Robeson portrays Jericho a falsely convicted soldier who flees from war time France to Africa where he lives as a desert sheik, saving an Arab caravan and being saved by his white Gunga Din, Wallace Ford. Jericho's pursuer finds him and attempts to take him back to stand trial. Drama, 75 min., VHS, dir: Thornton Freeland.

Jerry Maguire (1997) - Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is an agent with a top sports management firm who has a crisis of conscience after discovering that what he and the firm do is good for business but harms his clients as human beings. Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), a single mother secretly in love with Jerry, and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a football player whose pride has hampered his sports achievements co star. Gooding Jr. won an Oscar for his performance. Drama, 138 min., VHS, dir: Cameron Crowe.

Jesse Jackson: I Am Somebody (1995) - Documents Jesse Jackson's rise within the political system. Includes archival footage of Jackson with Martin Luther King among others. Documentary, 50 min., VHS, dir: n/a.

Jesse Jackson and Carolyn Shelton: Pushing for Excellence (1978) - This short documentary produced by CBS News takes a look at the lives of Rev. Jesse Jackson and Carolyn Shelton and presents their messages of what African Americans need to do for self-improvement. Documentary, 18 min., 16mm, dir: n/a.

Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin (The Olympiad Series) (1964) - Also available in two 27 minute films, the 1936 Olympics as viewed by Jessie Owens. Some actual footage of the games in Berlin. Documentary, 46 min., VHS, dir: Bud Greenspan.

Jittering Jitter-Bugs (1938) - Hamtree Harrington, Lee Norman's Orchestra and Arthur White's Lindy Hoppers are the stars in this musical comedy that takes place in Harlem. Musical, 11 min., VHS, dir: Walter Graham.

Jivin' in Be-Bop (1947) - One of the greatest of all jazz stars, Dizzy Gillespie, appears in this featue length show playing most of his Bop hits of the forties. A number of other black entertainers, dancers, and singers appear as well. Musical, 59 min., VHS, dir: Leonard Anderson.

Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986) - Richard Pryor portrays Jo Jo Dancer, a comedian at the peak of his career and the bottom rung of his self-esteem. After a drug-related accident that leaves him near death, Jo Jo looks back on his life, from his upbringing in a brothel, through his early comedic performances in cellar nightclubs, to his eventual stardom. Paula Kelly plays a stripper who gets Jo Jo a gig at the nightclub where she performs. Drama, 97 min., VHS, dir: Richard Pryor.

Joe Louis [aka Power Profiles: The Champs, Joe Louis (1985) - This short documentary profiles the boxing career of Joe Louis. Documentary, 24 min., VHS, dir: Richard Gabourie.

Joe Louis Story, The (1953) - A fictional dramatization of Joe Louis' career in the ring features actual sequences of his ring battles with Braddock, Baer, Carnera, and others. Drama, 88 min., VHS, dir: Robert Gordon.

Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) - Joe's (Horace Long) barbershop in Bedford-Stuyvesant is a central meeting place in the neighborhood. Clients discuss and debate personal and political issues, as well as bet their number(s). Drama, 60 min., VHS, dir: Spike Lee.

John Baker's Last Race (1976) - Drama, 30 min., 16mm, dir: Douglas G. Johnson.

John Coltrane: The Coltrane Legacy (1985) - Interviews with former bandmates are interspersed with excerpts of John Coltrane performances in this documentary. Performances include "So What" (1959) with the Miles Davis Quartet and "Alabama" (1964) which was composed after four children died in an Alabama church bombing. Documentary, 61 min., VHS, dir: Burrill Crohn.

Johnny Handsome (1989) - When severely deformed criminal John Sedley (Mickey Rourke) is set up by his partners, he is sent to prison where Dr. Steven Resher (Forest Whitaker) restructures his face and gives him a new identity. J.W. Smith plays Larry, one of the co-conspirators in the failed robbery. Morgan Freeman is Lt. A.Z. Drones. Drama, 96 min., VHS, dir: Walter Hill.

Johnny Lingo: Building Self Worth in Others (1969) - Drama, 24 min., 16mm, dir: n/a.

Josephine Baker Story, The (1991) - The film is a dramatic account of the real life story of Josephine Baker who achieved fame through her performances on the American vaudeville circuit and on the stages of Paris. The narrative also reveals Baker's fight against racism and her contributions to France during World War II. Drama, 131 min., DVD, dir: Brian Gibson.

Judge Priest (1934) - Will Rogers movie about a homespun judge in a small southern town, highlighted by give and take between Rogers and Stepin Fetchit, the putative chicken thief. Hattie McDaniel is Aunt Dilsey; she and the judge duet together on "My Old Kentucky Home." Comedy, 80 min., 16mm, VHS, dir: John Ford.

Judgement Day (2001) - This documentary compares the current struggles of Palestinians in Israel with the oppression of black South Africans during the apartheid era. Documentary, 59 min., VHS, dir: Kevin Harris.

Juice (1992) - Q (Omar Epps), Steel (Jermaine Hopkins), Bishop (Tupac Shakur) and Raheem (Khalil Kain) are a group of Harlem youths who commit a robbery which ends with a double murder and the young men turning against one another as the police close in. Samuel J. Jackson plays Trip, the owner of a local video arcade which students frequent instead of attending school. Drama, 95 min., VHS, dir: Ernest R. Dickerson.

Juke Joint (1947) - Spencer Williams and July Jones in a backstage plot set in Texas; includes a jitterbug contest, a staple of the forties. Drama, 70 min., 16mm, VHS, DVD, dir: Spencer Williams.

Junction 88 (1947) - An early all-Black musical featuring Bob Howard, Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, Noble Sissle, and Wyatt Clark. Musical, 50 min., VHS, dir: George P. Quigley.

Juneteenth Community (2000) - African-American freedom is the focus of this film about on Juneteenth, June 19, the African-American Emancipation Day, which originated in Texas in 1865 and celebrates the liberation of slaves in some states of the Confederacy. Full-length, original VHS version. Documentary, 43 min., VHS, dir: Carolyn Y. Johnson.

Juneteenth Community (2003) - African-American freedom is the focus of this film about on Juneteenth, June 19, the African-American Emancipation Day, which originated in Texas in 1865 and celebrates the liberation of slaves in some states of the Confederacy. 20-minute DVD version. Documentary, 20 min., DVD, dir: Carolyn Y. Johnson.

Jungle Fever (1991) - When Flipper Purley (Wesley Snipes) sleeps with Italian secretary Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra), violence breaks out on all sides. Neither Flipper's nor Angie's family can cope with the relationship, nor apparently can most of society. Spike Lee plays Flipper's buddy; Lonette McKee plays Drew, Flipper's wife; Samuel L. Jackson plays Gator, Flipper's drug-addicted brother; Halle Berry plays Vivian, Gator's girlfriend; Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are Gator's and Flipper's parents; Queen Latifah plays a waitress. Drama, 132 min., VHS, dir: Spike Lee.

Jungle Jig (1941) - Dorothy Dandridge sings and dances in this musical short set within the African jungles. Music Performance, 2 min., VHS, dir: n/a.

Jungle Jitters (1938) - Stereotypical animated cartoon with blacks in exaggerated positions in the jungle. It is one of the "Censored 11" that were banned from television syndication by United Artists in 1968. Comedy, 8 min., 8mm, 16mm, VHS, dir: Friz Freleng.

Just an Overnight Guest (1983) - Based on the novel by Eleanora Tate, the film is about a ten-year old who has trouble adjusting when a disruptive and neglected six-year-old moves in with her family. Richard Roundtree and Rosalind Cash are the parents. Drama, 38 min., 16mm, dir: Gina Blumenfeld.

Just Another Girl on the IRT (1993) - A spirited Brooklyn teenager (Ariyan Johnson) copes with life in the projects and sustains her fierce desire to go to college and become a doctor. Drama, 96 min., VHS, dir: Leslie Harris.

Just Doin' It (A Tale of Two Barbershops) (1988) - The barbershop in the African American neighborhood functions as the location for various discussions pertaining to everything from politics to family planning. Documentary, 29 min., VHS, dir: William Greaves.

Justifiable Homicide (1981) - Outside a laundromat in a black neighborhood, a pair of white policeman apprehend a young black man with no apparent cause. The suspect puts up some resistance and one of the policemen appears poised to shoot him but instead is shot himself by the suspect's brother. Is this homicide justifiable? Drama, 5 min., 16mm, dir: Carmen Coustaut.