Boarding House Blues (1948)

Tenants of a Harlem boarding house put on a show to save their home.

Director:

Josh Binney

Writer:

Hal Seeger

Stars:

Moms Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Marcellus Wilson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Moms Mabley	...	Moms (as Jackie Mabley)
Dusty Fletcher	...	Dusty
Marcellus Wilson	...	Jerry
Marie Cooke	...	Lila Foster
Augustus Smith	...	Norman Norman
John D. Lee Jr.	...	Stanley
Emory Richardson	...	Simon
Harold Cromer	...	Moofty
Sidney Easton	...	Boo Boo (as Sid Easton)
Freddie Robinson	...	Freddie
John Mason	...	Boarders (with 'company')
John Riano	...	Steggy (the ape)
Lucky Millinder	...	Himself (bandleader)
Una Mae Carlisle	...	Herself (singer)
Bull Moose Jackson	...	Himself (singer)

Storyline

Despite the slapstick atmosphere there, the inhabitants of Moms' theatrical boarding house in Harlem are broke and in danger of losing their home. For some ready cash, they trick a producer into helping them put on a show, featuring a variety of black specialty acts.

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Plot Keywords:

african american | actor shares first name with character

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Genres:

Musical

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Company Credits

Production Co:

All-American News

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in It's Black Entertainment (2002)

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Soundtracks

"WE SLUMBER"
(writer info not available)
Performed by Paul Breckenridge with Lucky Millinder band

User Reviews

classic 1940s Black vaudeville routines and musical acts

Forget the "plot"--it's just contrived to string together various classic vaudeville routines and exciting musical numbers from Black performers of the 1940s. If you enjoyed Killer Diller (made by the same people as this one, and also featuring Dusty Fletcher and Moms Mabley), you'll want to see this one too. It offers a rare opportunity to see African-American vaudeville routines that were probably old in the 1920s, now performed in the waning days of vaudeville. Dusty Fletcher, best known for his smash hit "open the door, richard," is a wonderful physical comedian (her accompanied by some acrobatic person in an ape suit!), and ANY opportunity to see the legendary Moms Mabley should be taken advantage of. The musical performances by Anisteen Allen, Una Mae Carlisle, and Bullmoose Jackson are wonderful, and it's great to see bandleader Lucky Millinder as compere. There's also some off-the-wall "novelty acts" worked into the show, including the one-legged dancer "Crip" Heard. The emphasis here is on the acts you're watching, NOT on the filmmaking. All in all, this is a pleasant way to kill 90 minutes and also gives us a window into a form of entertainment long gone--classic African-American vaudeville.