Description
Book SynopsisPerfect for readers interested in film, American history, and Black entertainment history, Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen and its companion video website (susandelson.com) bring the important contributions of these Black artists into the spotlight once again.
Trade ReviewEssential. In this comprehensive work, Delson locates soundies within cinema history. The book provides a fascinating exploration of performers, musicians, and filmmakers who contributed to these productions. Most revealing is Delson's assessment that soundies created images "that boldly contradicted Hollywood's usual depictions of Black people, in images of success, competence, and style" (p. 5)—a direct contrast to studio productions. According to Delson, soundies were historically significant because they impacted the social and cultural fabric of a racially divided America; they played a role in advancing the country's racial politics even when the country seemed reluctant to do so. This definitive study includes rarely seen photos and lists of performers, filmmakers, and titles. A fascinating resource for those interested in film, jazz, performance, WW II, race, Black film history, and socio-cultural history broadly.
-- C. B. Regester, Univ. of North Carolina—Chapel Hill * Choice *
Table of ContentsPart 1: Follow the Money
Introduction: Turning on a Dime
1. Circa 1940: Race and the Pop-Culture Landscape
2. Risky Business
3. Starting in Hollywood, Heading to Harlem
Part 2: Follow the Music
4. Going to War
5. Encounter and Improvisation: Reimagining the City
6. Rural Reverb
7. Romance, Relationships, Legs
8. One Performer, Ten Soundies: Another Look at Dorothy Dandridge
9. Visual Music: Big Bands, Combos, Solo Musicians
10. Backing into Integration
11. Unplugged, with an Afterlife
Acknowledgments
Part 3: Following Up
Appendix 1: Directory of Black-Cast Soundies
Appendix 2: Performers and Their Films
Appendix 3: Makers and Their Films
Bibliography
Index
