Hi-De-Ho (1947)Cab Calloway plays himself in a plot about jealousy, night clubs, and gangsters. Ends with a series of musical numbers. Director:Josh BinneyWriter:Hal Seeger |
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Hi-De-Ho (1947)Cab Calloway plays himself in a plot about jealousy, night clubs, and gangsters. Ends with a series of musical numbers. Director:Josh BinneyWriter:Hal Seeger |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Cab Calloway | ... |
Himself
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Ida James | ... |
Nettie
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Jeni Le Gon | ... |
Minnie
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William Campbell | ... |
Sparks
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Virginia Girvin | ... |
Sparks' fat friend
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George Wiltshire | ... |
Boss Mason
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James Dunmore | ... |
Mo the Mouse
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Augustus Smith | ... |
Preacher
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Edgar Martin | ... |
Jive Club owner
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Leonard Rogers | ... |
Ralph
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David Bethea | ... |
Brass Hat owner
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Shepard Roberts | ... |
Police Sergeant
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Frederick Johnson | ... |
Headwaiter
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Bandleader Cab Calloway is tiring of his sexy girlfriend Minnie, who in turn is jealous of Cab's manager Nettie. When Nettie gets Cab a job at the Brass Hat Club, Minnie retaliates for his imagined infidelity by setting gangster Boss Mason, owner of a rival club, against him. Will she regret her action before it's too late? (This plot resolves halfway through the film; the rest is a series of 'soundies' featuring the Calloway band's inimitable jive). All-black cast. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Well, you sure don't need to see it on the big screen...Hi De Ho is a slightly above average 'race' film that includes most of the trademarks of the genre: a slight story, a little comedy, and lots and lots of entertainment. Thankfully there's none of the moralising (well, not much) that characterises some of these films, like The Blood of Jesus. Cab Calloway is, of course, riveting, the music excellent, and the tap dancing scenes almost breathtaking --even when shot awkwardly.