Hallelujah: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A musical film with the title Hallelujah. It consists of three (3) reels of black-and-white 16mm polyester film with variable-area optical sound.

The film, which has an all-black cast, follows a sharecropper named Zeke (Daniel Hayes) who, plagued with financial struggles and competing vices, flees his community and becomes a Baptist preacher following a physical altercation which results in his younger brother Spunk's (Everett McGarrity) accidental death. After reinventing himself as a preacher, Zeke begins a romantic relationship with Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey) but is ultimately seduced by Chick (Nina Mae McKinney), who was indirectly involved in his brother's death. Hot Shot (William Fountaine), Chick's longtime lover who had previously cheated Zeke out of a small fortune, runs off with Chick and both meet untimely deaths.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1929
• Directed by: King Vidor, American, 1894 - 1982
• Subject of: Daniel Louis Haynes, American, 1889 - 1954
• Subject of: Nina Mae McKinney, American, 1912 - 1967
• Subject of: William Fountaine, American, 1897 - 1945
• Subject of: Fanny Belle DeKnight, American, 1869 - 1950
• Subject of: Victoria Spivey, American, 1906 - 1976
• Subject of: Harry Gray
• Subject of: Milton Dickerson
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: polyester film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 30 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1100 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 37 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1300 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 3): 31 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1150 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Arkansas, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Musical films
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2017.55.52.1abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.