Mystery in Swing

19401940
PassedPassed
1h 8m

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

109

YOUR RATING

Jess Lee Brooks, Monte Hawley, CeePee Johnson, Tommie Moore, and Marguerite Whitten in Mystery in Swing (1940)

Action Adventure Music

In and around some great blues, swing and jazz music, a very unpopular band-leader. Prince Ellis, is killed in a Harlem nightclub, and, in and around some more great music, a detective finds... Read allIn and around some great blues, swing and jazz music, a very unpopular band-leader. Prince Ellis, is killed in a Harlem nightclub, and, in and around some more great music, a detective finds the lists of suspects is very long, as Prince Ellis was indeed very unpopular with many c... Read allIn and around some great blues, swing and jazz music, a very unpopular band-leader. Prince Ellis, is killed in a Harlem nightclub, and, in and around some more great music, a detective finds the lists of suspects is very long, as Prince Ellis was indeed very unpopular with many citizens.

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

109

YOUR RATING

- Arthur Dreifuss
- Arthur Hoerl(original story)
- William Werckenthien(additional dialogue)
- F.E. Miller(additional dialogue)
Stars

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9User reviews

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Trivia
In production the last week of January 1940, this film received its earliest documented telecast in New York City Friday 10 May 1940 on pioneer, and still experimental W2XBS, which would not receive its full time commercial status until 29 June 1941 when it was officially launched as WNBT (Channel 1).

Soundtracks
Jump, the Water's Fine
Written by The Four Toppers
Sung by The Four Toppers

User reviews9

Review

Featured review

5/10

I guess they didn't like his trumpet playing!

Race film' very light skin performers in band as well as the major players

"Mystery in Swing" is a so-called 'Race Film'...a movie consisting of black actors and designed to be shown in movie theaters catering to black audiences. For the most part, these films are cheap and poorly made...mostly because these tiny studios simply didn't have the resources to make better films.

What is interesting about this film and many other race films is that most of the major acting roles (as well as most of the band members) are played by very light-skinned black people. It tended to reinforce the 'lighter is better' notions of the day that not only white audiences but black audiences internalized as well. Sad...but a sign of the times.

The story is about a scumbag band leader, Prince Ellis. Ellis is a jerk and there are many, many people who would love to see him dead. Perhaps more want him dead than want him alive! The mystery is who did it...and how many times they did it! And, in addition to the mystery, there's plenty of big band music as the film is often set at a black nightclub.

So is it any good? Well, the music certainly is. And, the acting and professional look to the film is far better than usual for a race film. I'd probably stack this up to a typical Monogram or PRC release in regard to quality and enjoyability. And, like the Monogram or PRC films, some of the policemen in this mystery are incredibly dim and their 3rd degree sequence is unintentionally funny.

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