Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he can't stay away from the music of the ...
See full summary »
Related News
-
‘Imitation of Life,’ ‘Being There,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ and More Added to National Film Registry
16 December 2015 | The Film Stage -
News Shorts: Judge, Dates, Legend, Dee
12 June 2014 | Dark Horizons -
Today’s Birthdays 3/29/11
30 March 2011 | ShadowAndAct
"The Sinner" star talks us through his arc in the show's just-finished Season 2.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: St. Louis Blues (1958)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Anna Lucasta
(1958)
Drama
Director:
Arnold Laven
Stars:
Eartha Kitt,
Sammy Davis Jr.,
Frederick O'Neal
Atlantic City
(1944)
Musical
|
Romance
Director:
Ray McCarey
Stars:
Constance Moore,
Stanley Brown,
Charley Grapewin
Lady Sings the Blues
(1972)
Biography
|
Drama
|
Music
Director:
Sidney J. Furie
Stars:
Diana Ross,
Billy Dee Williams,
Richard Pryor
Porgy and Bess
(1959)
Drama
|
Musical
|
Romance
Directors:
Otto Preminger,
Rouben Mamoulian
Stars:
Sidney Poitier,
Dorothy Dandridge,
Sammy Davis Jr.
Buck and the Preacher
(1972)
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Western
Directors:
Sidney Poitier,
Joseph Sargent
Stars:
Sidney Poitier,
Harry Belafonte,
Ruby Dee
Night of the Quarter Moon
(1959)
Drama
Director:
Hugo Haas
Stars:
Julie London,
John Drew Barrymore,
Anna Kashfi
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Nat 'King' Cole | ... | W.C. Handy | |
| Eartha Kitt | ... | Gogo Germaine | |
| Cab Calloway | ... | Blade | |
| Ella Fitzgerald | ... | Singer | |
| Mahalia Jackson | ... | Bessie May | |
| Ruby Dee | ... | Elizabeth | |
| Juano Hernandez | ... | Rev. Charles Handy | |
 |
Teddy Buckner | ... | Musician |
|
|
Barney Bigard | ... | Musician |
|
|
George 'Red' Callender | ... | Musician |
|
|
Lee Young | ... | Musician |
|
|
George Washington | ... | Musician |
| Billy Preston | ... | Will Handy as a boy | |
| Pearl Bailey | ... | Aunt Hagar | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (5) »
Storyline
Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he can't stay away from the music of the streets and workers. After he writes a theme song for a local politician, Gogo, a speakeasy singer, convinces Will to be her accompanist. Will is estranged from his father for many years while he writes and publishes many blues songs. At last the family is reunited when Gogo brings them to New York to see Will's music played by a symphony orchestra. Written by Lisa Grable <grable@unity.ncsu.edu>
Plot Keywords:
african american | memphis tennessee | three word title | period in title | city name in title |Taglines:
The glitter and glory story of the man whose rhythm and blues beat became all America's heartbeat!Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 April 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Lamento Negro See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
[she looks at the paper]
Aunt Hagar: Nine hundred dollars!
W.C. Handy: [he reads the letter] For phonograph records of 'Careless Love'. Do you think this money's evil?
Aunt Hagar: What I think and what your Papa think are two different things. Your Papa thinks the only true riches are in Heaven.
W.C. Handy: It's nice to have a little pocket money while we're waiting to get there!
See more »
Written by W.C. Handy
Additional lyrics by Martha Koenig and Spencer Williams
Performed by Nat 'King' Cole and Eartha Kitt
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
While the 85-year-old W.C. Handy served as a consultant on this film, he never lived to see it open. See more »Goofs
Early in film, a man tells Handy to meet him "at the corner of Beale and Jackson at 4:00" to give him a job. Beale Street and Jackson Avenue do not intersect. Jackson is not straight, but it's more than a mile between them at their closest point. See more »Quotes
Aunt Hagar: Well, what is it?[she looks at the paper]
Aunt Hagar: Nine hundred dollars!
W.C. Handy: [he reads the letter] For phonograph records of 'Careless Love'. Do you think this money's evil?
Aunt Hagar: What I think and what your Papa think are two different things. Your Papa thinks the only true riches are in Heaven.
W.C. Handy: It's nice to have a little pocket money while we're waiting to get there!
See more »
Soundtracks
Careless LoveWritten by W.C. Handy
Additional lyrics by Martha Koenig and Spencer Williams
Performed by Nat 'King' Cole and Eartha Kitt
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
Black casted movies are a rarity in and of themselves, but one with such mega stars of old was so very uplifting! The movie was made by blacks for blacks and had a plot, story-line and theme that blacks can indeed relate to with pride dignity and a sense of self-esteem. The movie is one that you can watch over and over again and get something more out of it each and every time. It deals with human weaknesses and pitfalls such as are common to man; but finishes on a high note of strength and victory because of faith in and love for God and perseverance.