Boarding House Blues

This time capsule review of Negro stage performers of the 30s and 40s... this is a small film of major talent and a perfect chance to see the almost unseen (to us whiteys) of black vaudeville stars only ever before heard about. One performer Woody Allen must have certainly known about is 'Crip" Heard, the one legged tap dancer... See Stardust Memories for where that info went. He is called "Crip' because he is a cripple..he has one arm and one leg but that doesn't stop him dancing himself into a frenzy...... and don't blame me for that anecdote..... It is in his intro in the film! The lindyhop dancers later in the film are enough to get the most exhausted viewer off the couch and leaping about in their own boarding house. Killer Diller, the 1947 remake with other talent incl Nat King Cole is equally thrilling.