Black Divas of Yesteryear (2004)

Synopsis: This collection of rare shorts features early performances by divas such as Lena Horne, Bessie Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Ida Jones, Laurel Watson, Nina Mae McKinney, and Ethel Waters among others. In... This collection of rare shorts features early performances by divas such as Lena Horne, Bessie Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Ida Jones, Laurel Watson, Nina Mae McKinney, and Ethel Waters among others. In BOOGIE WOOGIE DREAM, a short film from 1944, Lena Horne plays a nightclub stagehand who shows off her vocal abilities in an impromptu jam session; the 1929 short ST. LOUIS BLUES stars Bessie Smith as herself; Ida Jones shares the stage with the King Cole Trio in IS YOU IS, OR IS YOU AIN'T MY BABY; while the always sensual Nina Mae McKinney draws in audiences alongside Eubie Blake in 1932's PIE, PIE BLACKBIRD. Other performers include Laurel Watson (AKA: the Harlem Heat Wave) and Dorothy Dandridge (the first black woman ever nominated for an Academy Award), seen here in COW COW COWBOY. [More]

Starring: Lena Horne, Bessie Smith, Nina Mae McKinney, Ethel Waters

Starring: Lena Horne, Bessie Smith, Nina Mae McKinney, Ethel Waters, Dorothy Dandridge, Eubie Blake, Laurel Watson, Ida Jones