Back in the Day:
"Race Movies" in Black Hollywood
This film series highlights the first concerted effort to appeal to and cultivate a Black movie-going audience. These "race movies," produced during the 1920s-1940s, were an attempt to offer an alternative to the negative and limited portrayal of Black people in Hollywood movies. They also led to the rise of noted black directors such as Oscar Micheaux and Spencer Williams, Jr.
* * * All film screenings will be in the Radio/TV building room 251 and are free and open to the public. Visitor parking is available at the Jordan Parking Garage. * * *
Click here to view the flyer
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Wednesday, October 12 @ 7:30pm
Murder in Harlem (1935) - 102 min.
In this mystery thriller, a black night watchman is falsely accused of murdering a white woman. Opening with a night watchman discovering the body of a young white woman, a tale of spurned love, murder, and bribery unfolds. Clarence Brooks is unforgettable in the starring role. Based on the true story of the Stanfield murder case. Directed by Oscar Micheaux
Thursday, October 27 @ 7:30pm
Go Down Death (1944) - 56 min.
This all-black cast film, along with Blood of Jesus (1941) continues Williams' focus on religious themes. It is tragic folk drama about a martyred preacher who was wrongly accused of immorality and was inspired by the poem of the same name by James Weldon Johnson, composer of "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Directed by Spencer Williams, Jr.
Thursday, November 10 @ 7:30pm
Harlem Rides the Range (1939) - 58 min.
The tag line for this movie, the last of four westerns starring Herb Jeffries-the singing cowboy-reads: "Men of action blaze a trail of love and lead as law and order come to the old West!" It turns the western formula into an all-black production designed to attract black audiences looking for strong, black heroes on screen.
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