Drums o' Voodoo (1934)

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Director:

Arthur Hoerl

Writers:

Augustus Smith (play) (as J. Augustus Smith), Augustus Smith (screenplay) (as J. Augustus Smith)

Stars:

Laura Bowman, Augustus Smith, Morris McKenny

Cast

Credited cast:
Laura Bowman	...	Auntie Hagar
Augustus Smith	...	Elder Amos Berry (as Gus Smith)
Morris McKenny	...	Thomas Catt
Lionel Monagas	...	Ebenezer
Edna Barr	...	Myrtle Simpson
Alberta Perkins	...	Sister Agnes Knight
A.B. DeComathiere	...	Deacon Dunston
Fred Bonny	...	Church Member Zero
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sam Baker
James Davis	...	Brother Zumee
Theresa Harris
Paul Johnson	...	Church Member August
Pedro Lopez	...	Larcon
Bennie Small	...	Bou Bouche
Trixie Smith	...	Sister Marguerite

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on play | 

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Taglines:

Saturday Sinners and Sunday Saints Clash in the Battle of Good Against Evil! (original poster)

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Cast members Laura Bowman, Morris McKenny, Edna Barr, A.B. DeComathiere and others reprise their roles from the stage production of "Louisiana" that preceded this film adaptation.

User Reviews

Very enjoyable...but bad.

Back in the 1920s-50s, many movie theaters in America were segregated. So, black patrons either weren't allowed into the places or they were forced to sit up i the balcony. As a result of this, many enterprising black entrepreneurs opened up black-only theaters as well as movie production companies. The problem was economic power...the production companies had very little money and couldn't afford better equipment and staff. As a result, most of these race films are, at best, second-rate. A few of these today are still very watchable...but you need to excuse the amateur acting and production values.

"Drums o' Voodoo" is one of these race movies. And, like many of the film, they were shown and re-shown over the years...and often the titles were changed to try to hide that the movies were not the latest products. It's also known as "Louisiana" as well as "She Devil". And, in the process, the films were often trimmed. The Alpha Video DVD apparently only runs 48 minutes. The YouTube copy I saw ran 52 and IMDB lists the run time as 70 minutes.

Auntie Hagar (Laura Bowman) is the local voodoo priestess in this Southern community. And, like voodoo typically is, it's a combination of traditional Christianity and African folk religion. Hagar and the Preacher have like interests...to keep the local community safe from evil. And, in this case, the evil is a pimp who has come to town to corrupt folks...in particular Myrtle, a woman whose mother came to an early death. And, according to Hagar, Myrtle will suffer the same fate if she isn't careful. That's also why she recommends her grandson NOT marry Myrtle. She also says the pimp will be blinded unless he leaves town! But the grandson as well as the pimp don't believe in voodoo and you wonder if the old woman's prediction will come true or not.

"Drums o' Voodoo" is a pretty bad film...and pretty silly. The acting is often poor and the dialog ain't so hot, either! But it also is quite entertaining because of its weird plot AND Laura Bowman's over-the-top performance. She's quite enjoyable as the priestess! But regardless, it's also a fascinating portrait into 1930s Black America...sort of like a time capsule...albeit a bad one!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Louisiana

Filming Locations:

Atlas Sound Studios, Long Island City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sack Amusement Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Cineglow)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1