St. Louis Blues (Paramount Pictures) (1958)

SYNOPSIS (Not for publication) | ga boyhood on, Will Handy (Nat “King” Cole), son of a Memphis clergyman, has felt impelled to extract syncopated rhythms from the folk music of his people. His father describes his tunes as “‘devil’s music” and forbids him to play, sing or compose anything but “God’s music.” Will’s battle over duty to his father and his need to compose continues on into adulthood. Will finally decides to leave home. As a piano player in a Beale St. honky-tonk, he composes the first jazz song in history, but his father disowns him. His fiancee, Elizabeth (Ruby Dee), and his Aunt Hagar (Pearl Bailey) are sympathetic but finally side with his father. Will, however, is encouraged by the club’s singer, Gogo Germaine (Eartha Kitt), who senses that his extraordinary melodies can make her famous. She talks the club’s owner, Blade (Cab Calloway), into making Will band leader, and Elizabeth, seeing he is determined to continue his career breaks their engagement. The royalties start to roll in, Will becomes a big spender and writes “St. Louis Blues” for Gogo. Elizabeth pleads with Gogo to release him from her influence, but Gogo refuses as Will’s music blazes new trails. Suddenly, as though in punishment, Will begins to lose his sight. He returns home to his father and Elizabeth and spends his time composing spirituals, to the elder Handy’s delight. Gogo, meanwhile, is singing his blues all over America and becoming famous. Totally blind, Will sings in church and searches for understanding, and one Sunday, following a sermon delivered by his father for his soul, by a seeming miracle his sight is restored. Reduced now to piano teaching, Will rebels, leaves home again and tours America’s honkytonks as a jazz singer. No one in Memphis knows his whereabouts. Then word comes that “St. Louis Blues” is to be played in concert by the New York Symphony. Incredulous, the Handys and Elizabeth go to New York, where Gogo, avsoloist for the concert, gets them in backstage. She also manages to locate Will and brings him to New York. The concert is a triumph, and when Will is torn again between Gogo and Elizabeth, Gogo sends him back to “the people you love.” CAST WM Te, On a oe Nat “King” Cole Gogo Germaine ................... Eartha Kitt Aunt Hagan}: 07S) een TS, Pearl Bailey oo Ee eee ee Ba Cab Calloway Gla Fitzeerald . 3st 2 Ae Herself Bessie May. .....ce a eee Mahalia Jackson Cae... . ae ee. Ruby Dee Charles Handy ............... Juano Hernandez Instrumentalists Teddy Buckner, Barney Bigard, George “Red” Callender, Lee Young, George Washington, Billy Preston. CREDITS Directed by Allen Reisner; Produced by Robert Smith; Written by Robert Smith and Ted Sherdeman; Based upon the Life and Music of W. C. Handy; Director of Photography, Haskell Boggs; Art Direction, Hal Pereira and Roland Anderson; Special Photographic Effects, John P. Fulton, A.S.C.; Assistant Director, Richard Caffey;. Costumes, Edith Head; Set Decoration, Sam Comer and Robert Benton; Edited by Eda Warren, A.C.E*% Makeup Supervision, Wally Westmore, S.M.A., Hair Style Supervision, Nellie Manley, C.H.S.; Sound Reeording, Gene Merritt and Charles Grenzbach; Musie Arranged and Conducted by Nelson Riddle; Songs by W. C. Handy, New Lyries for “Morning Star” and “Sheriff Honest John Baile” by Mack David, Additional Lyric for “Careless Love” by Martha Koenig and Spencer Williams, Lyric for “Friendless Blues” by Mercedes Gilbert; Westrex Recording System. THE WARM AND WONDERFUL BEALE STREET-TO-GLORY STORY. OF A MAN WHOSE RHYTHM AND BLUES BEAT BECAME ALL AMERICA’S HEARTBEAT! PARAMOUNT PRESENTS perry htt i You'll hear “Beale Street Blues’ + “Yellow Dog Blues” + “Sts: WITH DIRECTED ) ALLA nc a BASED UPON THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF YISTAVISION” BY wm DDO eve SS sik = s Love” +"Harlem Blues” « “Morning Star’ + and many more! PRODUCED BY WRITTEN BY HS HI ( DADDY OF RHYTHM AND BLUES ) T6Q8LINES......:..640 LINES 4 COLS. ah Y inches.......46 inches MAT 402