Rhapsody In Black And Blue, A (1932)
*** (out of 4)
A husband (Sidney Easton) gets in trouble because he's suppose to be mopping but instead he's listening to his jazz music. His wife eventually grows tired of it so she hits him over the head with a mop, which sends him off into a dream world where he meets Louis Armstrong who then performs (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead" You Rascal You and Shine. This early Paramount short will probably be attacked by many because the husband and wife team are certainly stereotypes of the entire "Mammy" profile but if you decide to only look at this then you're missing something special because the bit is actually pretty funny and it should go without saying that the music is excellent. Armstong is absolutely riveting here as he performs the two numbers with so much energy, passion and fire that you can't help but shake your leg as you watch. The performance is so good that it really makes one wonder why this short isn't better known even after being released by Kino. I also found the first few minutes of the film to be quite good as well because I found the comedy to be quite funny. I thought both actors did a very good job with their comic timing and while some might object to the type of humor there's no denying that both did a good job and delivered what they were suppose to.
*** (out of 4)
A husband (Sidney Easton) gets in trouble because he's suppose to be mopping but instead he's listening to his jazz music. His wife eventually grows tired of it so she hits him over the head with a mop, which sends him off into a dream world where he meets Louis Armstrong who then performs (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead" You Rascal You and Shine. This early Paramount short will probably be attacked by many because the husband and wife team are certainly stereotypes of the entire "Mammy" profile but if you decide to only look at this then you're missing something special because the bit is actually pretty funny and it should go without saying that the music is excellent. Armstong is absolutely riveting here as he performs the two numbers with so much energy, passion and fire that you can't help but shake your leg as you watch. The performance is so good that it really makes one wonder why this short isn't better known even after being released by Kino. I also found the first few minutes of the film to be quite good as well because I found the comedy to be quite funny. I thought both actors did a very good job with their comic timing and while some might object to the type of humor there's no denying that both did a good job and delivered what they were suppose to.