| St. Louis Blues | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Allen Reisner |
| Written by | Ted Sherdeman Robert Smith |
| Produced by | Robert Smith |
| Starring | Nat King Cole Eartha Kitt |
| Cinematography | Haskell B. Boggs |
| Edited by | Eda Warren |
| Music by | W. C. Handy |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
St. Louis Blues is a 1958 American film broadly based on the life ofW. C. Handy. It stars jazz and blues greatsNat "King" Cole,Pearl Bailey,Cab Calloway,Ella Fitzgerald,Eartha Kitt, andBarney Bigard, as well asgospel singerMahalia Jackson and actressRuby Dee. The film's soundtrack uses over ten of Handy's songs, includingthe title song. In conjunction with the film, Cole recorded analbum of W. C. Handy compositions, arranged byNelson Riddle, and Fitzgerald incorporated "St. Louis Blues" into her concert repertoire.
At the turn of the century in Memphis, a young boy named W.C. Handy (Billy Preston) is caught with a trumpet he bought by his Aunt Hagar (Pearl Bailey). His father, the Reverend Charles Handy (Juano Hernandez) rejects all music other than church hymns as songs of Satan, and destroys the trumpet upon discovery. Later, as a grown man, W.C. Handy is offered a teaching job his family approves of, but volunteers instead to write music for a local political campaign, drawing the attention of singer Gogo Germaine (Eartha Kitt) and nightclub owner Blade (Cab Calloway). While Germaine encourages Handy to continue writing popular music, his girlfriend Elizabeth (Ruby Dee) and father continue to discourage his dreams of pursuing a career as a jazz composer. After going blind and subsequently abandoning his jazz career, Handy returns to performing in his church and composing hymns, finally winning the approval of his father. His sight restored, Handy is still anguished by the loss of jazz in his life, and runs away from home to continue writing the music he loves away from the disapproval of his family.
Gogo Germaine, now a popular singer in New York, stops by Handy's home to visit and instead encounters Elizabeth. She challenges Elizabeth on her narrow minded views on jazz, and invites her and Handy's family to New York to hear his jazz music played in a concert hall. Upon hearing his jazz, Reverend Handy changes his mind, and finally embraces Handy completely, allowing him to both be loved by his family and able to pursue his composing career.[2][3]
The film had its world premiere on April 10, 1958, at theFox Theatre inSt. Louis, Missouri, less than two weeks after Handy's death.[1]
 | This article about a biographical film is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
 | This article about a musical drama film is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
