Dixie (1943)

A young songwriter leaves his Kentucky home to try to make it in New Orleans. Eventually he winds up in New York, where he sells his songs to a music publisher, but refuses to sell his most... See full summary »

Director:

A. Edward Sutherland

Writers:

Claude Binyon (adaptation), William Rankin (story),

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Billy De Wolfe

Cast

Cast overview:
Bing Crosby	...	Daniel Decatur Emmett
Dorothy Lamour	...	Millie Cook
Billy De Wolfe	...	Mr. Bones
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Jean Mason
Lynne Overman	...	Mr. Whitlock
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Mr. Felham
Raymond Walburn	...	Mr. Cook
Grant Mitchell	...	Mr. Mason
Clara Blandick	...	Mrs. Mason
Tom Herbert	...	Homer
Olin Howland	...	Mr. Deveraux (as Olin Howlin)
Robert Warwick	...	Mr. LaPlant
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Waiter
Brandon Hurst	...	Dignified Man in Audience

Storyline

A young songwriter leaves his Kentucky home to try to make it in New Orleans. Eventually he winds up in New York, where he sells his songs to a music publisher, but refuses to sell his most treasured composition: "Dixie." The film is based on the life of Daniel Decatur Emmett, who wrote the classic song "Dixie."

---

Plot Keywords:

showbiz | minstrel show

---

Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Musical

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1944 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A Canção de Dixie

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 20, 1943 with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour reprising their film roles.

---

Goofs

In this movie, Dan Emmett's birthplace is in Kentucky. He was actually born (and died) in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

---

Connections

Referenced in Road to Utopia (1946)

---

Soundtracks

"DIXIE"
(1859) (uncredited)
Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett

User Reviews

Dixie

In the movie Dixie (1943), it was apparent that at this civil war time entertainment there were different styles of dance emerging. During this time it became a popular diversion to spend evenings at a minstrel theater. Straying away from the traditional opera or ballet, minstrels offered a new sense of entertainment which promoted the class system. Fortunately our society today is accepting African Americans and prejudices are less prevalent. Subsequent to professional minstrelsy's decline in th 20th century, its appeal continued in the south. Though Minstrels proposed stereotypes, some good did result from this type of entertainment. These shows presented black performers the opportunity to build a foundation which later helped many of them to emerge as successful entertainers.

Minstrel shows exposed a wide selection of audiences to this unique type of entertainment. With its combination of eccentric dancing and diverse music, people enjoyed the allure of the entertainment. Closely similar to tap dancing, it boasted innovative and bizarre movements' pairs wit flamboyant eye-catching costumes.

This type of amusement contributed to later types of dancing and entertainment. As a big benchmark in the industry, without minstrels played a role in what dancing has evolved into presently. Without minstrels, who knows if the great such as Dizzy Gillespie, W.C Handy, and Bert Williams, would have been as successful as they were.