Miracle in Harlem: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 16mm release print of the feature film Miracle in Harlem. It consists of two reels of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with variable-area optical sound.

The film is about a woman, Julie Weston (Sheila Guyse), who is suspected of killing a real estate tycoon. It opens with a church service in which a choir sings “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” After the service, Julie’s aunt, Aunt Hattie (Hilda Offley), walks to her candy kitchen where she is greeted by Julie and Julie’s paramour, Bert (William Greaves). Bert and Julie attempt to convince Aunt Hattie to expand and modernize her candy kitchen. However, Aunt Hattie expresses her hesitation toward their proposal. At one point in the film, a man informs Julie that she no longer owns the candy shop or the recipes to which Julie responds that, Mr. Marshall “will never get away with this. The film ends with detectives solving the murder.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1948
• Directed by: Jack Kemp
• Written by: Vincent Andrew Valentini, American, 1895 - 1948
• Subject of: Sheila Guyse, American, 1925 - 2013
• Subject of: Hilda Offley, American, 1894 - 1968
• Subject of: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
• Subject of: Sybil Lewis, American, 1919 - 1988
• Subject of: Kenneth Freeman, American, 1917 - 1991
• Subject of: John L. Criner, American, 1898 - 1965
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration: 69 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film Reel 1): 1350 Feet
• Dimensions: Length (Film Reel 2): 1200 Feet
• Place depicted: Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Race films
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2015.167.15.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Randall and Sam Nieman
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.