Duke Ellington in a jazz musical short with a tragic plotline.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot's Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes put their longtime friendship to the test when we quiz them on one another.
Related News
-
Most Likely to Run Away? See the Top 15 Dog Breeds Owners Should Carefully Watch
05 April 2017 | PEOPLE.com -
Ghostbusters, L.A. Confidential, The Shawshank Redemption and Top Gun among 25 films added to the National Film Registry
30 December 2015 | Flickeringmyth -
National Film Registry Adds 'Ghostbusters,' 'Top Gun,' 'Shawshank Redemption'
29 December 2015 | Moviefone
Share this Rating
Title: Black and Tan (1929)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win.
See more awards »
Photos
Add Image
Add an image
Do you have any images for this title?
Learn more
More Like This
St. Louis Blues
(1929)
Short
|
Drama
|
Music
Director:
Dudley Murphy
Stars:
Bessie Smith,
Jimmy Mordecai,
Isabel Washington
Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho
(1934)
Musical
|
Short
Director:
Fred Waller
Stars:
Cab Calloway,
Sidney Easton,
Fredi Washington
A Bundle of Blues
(1933)
Short
|
Music
Director:
Fred Waller
Stars:
Duke Ellington,
Ivie Anderson,
Florence Hill
Hoagy Carmichael
(1939)
Short
|
Music
Director:
Leslie M. Roush
Stars:
Hoagy Carmichael,
Jack Teagarden,
Meredith Blake
Artie Shaw's Class in Swing
(1939)
Short
|
Music
Director:
Leslie M. Roush
Stars:
Artie Shaw,
Helen Forrest,
Buddy Rich
A Rhapsody in Black and Blue
(1932)
Musical
|
Short
Director:
Aubrey Scotto
Stars:
Louis Armstrong,
Fanny Belle DeKnight,
Sidney Easton
Short
|
Adventure
|
Fantasy
Director:
Georges Méliès
Stars:
Fernande Albany,
Jehanne d'Alcy,
Georges Méliès
The Allins
(2017)
Documentary
|
Music
Director:
Sami Saif
Stars:
Merle Allin,
Arleta Baird,
GG Allin
The Sound of Fury
(1950)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Cy Endfield
Stars:
Frank Lovejoy,
Kathleen Ryan,
Richard Carlson
Show Boat
(1936)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Musical
Director:
James Whale
Stars:
Irene Dunne,
Allan Jones,
Charles Winninger
Short
|
Music
Director:
Fred Waller
Stars:
Duke Ellington,
Duke Ellington Orchestra,
Barney Bigard
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Duke Ellington | ... | Duke Ellington | |
 |
Duke Ellington Orchestra | ... | Cotton Club Orchestra (as The Cotton Club Orchestra) |
| Fredi Washington | ... | Fredi - Duke's Girlfriend | |
|
|
Hall Johnson Choir | ... | Choir |
|
|
Edgar Connor | ... | Piano Mover |
|
|
Alec Lovejoy | ... | Piano Mover |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (32) »
Storyline
Duke Ellington plays hot jazz in a fictional story that finds him down on his luck; he tries in vain to dissuade his friend, dancer Fredi Washington, from working with heart trouble even though it means work for his band. Sure enough, she collapses on stage... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
national film registry | jazz | dancer | cigarette smoking | debut film |Certificate:
Not RatedParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
8 December 1929 (USA) See more »Filming Locations:
RCA Gramercy Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Photophone System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1
Edit
Written by Duke Ellington
Played by Duke Ellington on piano
Reprised at the end
See more »
Did You Know?
Soundtracks
Black and Tan FantasyWritten by Duke Ellington
Played by Duke Ellington on piano
Reprised at the end
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
Simuland has pretty much said it all concerning this short. It's of no great value beyond the historical interest of seeing a very young Ellington and some members of his band. It's also interesting to note how "modern" some aspects of this are, despite the painfully dated racial stereotyping. Ellington's girl friend, for example, is obviously of the "live in" variety and the dancing costumes are fairly brief - two good indications that this is a "pre-code" film. Had this been filmed after the infamous Production Code went into effect, it would have been much more sanitized.
Anyone interested in actually seeing this will find it on (of all things) a recently issued DVD of the second-string musicals "Second Chorus" and "Mr. Impreium", tucked away behind the Special Features menu, along with another oddball short, "Boogie Woogie Dream" (1944) with a 27-year-old Lena Horne along with boogie-woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson and bandleader Teddy Wilson.