Murder with Music is a 1948 [1] American race film from Century Productions, produced and directed by George P. Quigley. The film used footage from an earlier 1940s race film Mistaken Identity[2], additional footage from which was re-used in the 1948 short subject Bob Howard's House Party.[3][4] Sack Amusement Enterprises distributed the film.
| Murder with Music | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | George P. Quigley |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | |
| Distributed by | Sack Amusements |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn a story told in flashbacks, a newspaper editor explains to a wannabe reporter why he doesn't want to hire any new reporters. The editor, a flirty singer, a reporter, an escaped convict, a nighclub manager and his wife, two bands, and a club piano player have roles in the action, which eventually leads to the murder of the piano player and offers many musical numbers and comedy skits in the meantime.
Cast
edit- Bob Howard as Editor
- Milton Williams as Ted Simmons
- Nellie Hill as Lola
- Bill Dillard as Mike
- George Oliver as Hal Ford [5]
- Ruth Cobbs as Mary Smith
- Ken Renard as Bill Smith
- Andrew Maize as Patrolman Jerry O'Hara
- Marjorie Oliver as Smith's Secretary
- Nobel (sic) Sissle and His Orchestra as Party Band
- Johnson & Johnson as Club Tap Dancers
- Pinky Williams as Lewis the club piano player
- Skippy Williams and His Band as Club Band
- Alston & Young as Club Comic Dancers
Soundtrack
edit- "Geeshee" (Written by Sidney Easton and Augustus Smith)
- Bob Howard, accompanied by Noble Sissle and his Orchestra - "Too Late Baby" (Written by Sidney Easton and Augustus Smith)
- Noble Sissle, accompanied by his orchestra - "Hello Happiness" (Written by Sidney Easton and Augustus Smith)
- Skippy Williams and his band - "Jam Session" (Written by Skippy Williams)
- Noble Sissle and by his orchestra - "Running Around" (Written by Sidney Easton and Augustus Smith)
- Nellie Hill accompanied by Andrew Maize - "Can't Help It" (Written by Skippy Williams)
- Nellie Hill accompanied by Skippy Williams and his band - "Can't Help It" (reprise)
- Played on piano and danced by Johnson and Johnson - "That's the Cheese You Got To Squeeze"
Reviews
editJohn Howard Reid gave a highly unfavorable account of the movie's direction and editing.[6]
References
editNOTE: References 1,2 and 4 are all dead links which should be removed from unaccessable Reflist.
- ^ "Celluloid Improvisations ♫ LEARN".
- ^ Institute, American Film; Afi, American Film (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520209640.
- ^ "MISTAKEN IDENTITY". Library of Congress. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ p. 1134 Webb, Graham Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959 McFarland (July 13, 2020)
- ^ "Tuskegee Airman, actor, and activist: A Father's Day tribute to my dad".
- ^ Reid, John Howard (July 1, 2012). Great Movie Musicals on DVD. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781105860447 – via Google Books.
External links
edit- Murder with Music at IMDb
- Murder with Music is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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