| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Ethel Waters | ... |
Mother of Rufus
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| Sammy Davis Jr. | ... |
Rufus Jones
(as Sammy Davis)
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Hamtree Harrington |
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Dusty Fletcher |
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Edgar Connor |
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The Will Vodery Girls | ... |
Themselves
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The Russell Wooding's Jubilee Singers | ... |
Themselves
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Russell Wooding | ... |
Himself
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Rufus Jones, a black child, is elected president of the USA in this short musical comedy. Features song and dance numbers by a seven year old 'Sammy Davis Jr.' . Written by Thomas McWilliams <tgm@netcom.com>
Well, if it weren't for Ethel Waters and a 7-year-old Sammy Davis, Jr. (here billed without the Jr.), Rufus Jones for President would be one of the worst representations of African-American stereotypes I've seen from the early talkie era and wouldn't have been worth seeing because of that. Ms. Waters is excellent here singing "Am I Blue?" and "Underneath Our Harlem Moon" while Mr. Davis shows us how his childhood experience in showbiz prepared him for his superstar status as an adult. He's so good tap-dancing here that for awhile I thought he was a little person with decades of experience. So if you're willing to ignore the negative connotations here, Rufus Jones for President should provide some good enjoyment. P.S. This marks the fourth time today I've seen and heard the song, "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You" performed on film, this time by Davis. Must have been a very popular song about this time.