Rhythm and Blues Revue (1955)

Directors:

Joseph Kohn, Leonard Reed

Writers:

Ben Frye, Leonard Reed

Stars:

Lionel Hampton, Faye Adams, Bill Bailey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lionel Hampton	...	Himself
Faye Adams	...	Herself
Bill Bailey	...	Himself
Herb Jeffries	...	Himself
Flo Robinson	...	Herself (as Freddy and Flo)
Freddie Robinson	...	Himself (as Freddy and Flo)
Amos Milburn	...	Himself
The Larks	...	Themselves
Sarah Vaughan	...	Herself
Count Basie	...	Himself
Big Joe Turner	...	Himself (as Joe Turner)
Delta Rhythm Boys	...	Themselves
Martha Davis	...	Herself
Little Buck	...	Himself
Nat 'King' Cole	...	Himself

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

song | musician | singing | singer

---

Taglines:

It's The Greatest! Get With It!...

---

Genres:

Documentary | Music

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Apollo Theatre - 253 W. 125th Street, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

The house band sometimes has music stands with "PW" on them. This is for Paul Williams, the band leader and tenor saxophonist. He had a hit record with "The Hucklebuck."

---

Connections

Featured in Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970) (2000)

---

Soundtracks

"Jam Session"
Performed by Lionel Hampton and his band

User Reviews

Rhythm and Blues Revue is a rollicking good time for anyone interested in this sort of thing

In continuing to review movies featuring African-Americans in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1955 (or '54 since that's when this was filmed) where Willie Bryant hosts what I'm now commenting on here. It begins when Freddie Robinson interrupts Willie's hosting stints asking for a job. Then they do a mind reading routine involving a woman named Flo (who was married to Freddie in real life). I was partly amused by what this team came up with. Other comedy acts that appeared were Nipsey Russell and Mantan Moreland who were hilarious whether together or apart especially when the two did the "interrupted talk" routine which Moreland used to do with the late Ben Carter. There was also a sketch involving Bryant playing a con man tricking a cashier to give much of his money that was an amusing variation of an Abbott & Costello bit. Among the musical acts were such great Big Band leaders like Lionel Hampton and Count Basie especially when the latter performed the "One O'Clock Jump". There were a couple of entertaining dancers like Little Buck and Bill Bailey who did what would now be referred as the "Moonwalk" dance with him doing a couple of steps backwards. Among the great female singers that abounded: Sarah Vaughn, Martha Davis, Faye Adams, and Ruth Brown. Then there's the male contingent of Herb Jeffries, Amos Milburn, Cab Calloway doing his trademarked "Minnie the Moocher", Big Joe Turner on "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", Nat King Cole, and the Delta Rhythm Boys performing James Weldon Johnson's "Dry Bones". I think I just mentioned everyone so I'll just say that Rhythm and Blues Revue comes highly recommended. P.S. Both Bryant and Moreland are natives of my home state of Louisiana, Willie from New Orleans, Mantan from Monroe. James Weldon Johnson came from Jacksonville, FL, which was where I once lived from '87-'03. And one of the players, Freddie Robinson, I had previously seen in Moon Over Harlem and Killer Diller.