In continuing to review movies featuring African-Americans in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1955 (or '54 since that's when this was filmed) where Willie Bryant hosts what I'm now commenting on here. It begins when Freddie Robinson interrupts Willie's hosting stints asking for a job. Then they do a mind reading routine involving a woman named Flo (who was married to Freddie in real life). I was partly amused by what this team came up with. Other comedy acts that appeared were Nipsey Russell and Mantan Moreland who were hilarious whether together or apart especially when the two did the "interrupted talk" routine which Moreland used to do with the late Ben Carter. There was also a sketch involving Bryant playing a con man tricking a cashier to give much of his money that was an amusing variation of an Abbott & Costello bit. Among the musical acts were such great Big Band leaders like Lionel Hampton and Count Basie especially when the latter performed the "One O'Clock Jump". There were a couple of entertaining dancers like Little Buck and Bill Bailey who did what would now be referred as the "Moonwalk" dance with him doing a couple of steps backwards. Among the great female singers that abounded: Sarah Vaughn, Martha Davis, Faye Adams, and Ruth Brown. Then there's the male contingent of Herb Jeffries, Amos Milburn, Cab Calloway doing his trademarked "Minnie the Moocher", Big Joe Turner on "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", Nat King Cole, and the Delta Rhythm Boys performing James Weldon Johnson's "Dry Bones". I think I just mentioned everyone so I'll just say that Rhythm and Blues Revue comes highly recommended. P.S. Both Bryant and Moreland are natives of my home state of Louisiana, Willie from New Orleans, Mantan from Monroe. James Weldon Johnson came from Jacksonville, FL, which was where I once lived from '87-'03. And one of the players, Freddie Robinson, I had previously seen in Moon Over Harlem and Killer Diller.
