St. Louis Blues: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A short musical film with the title St. Louis Blues. It consists of a single reel of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound. The film begins with a group of men arguing over a game of craps in the hallway of a building. A Janitor excoriates them for making a mess but is pacified with a small amount of money. A man named Jimmy and an unidentified woman approach the group and Jimmy joins the game. After winning a round, Jimmy and the woman enter an apartment in the building. The woman asks Jimmy what would happen if his significant other, Bessie, walked in and he tells her to not worry about it before embracing her romantically. The film cuts back to the hallway where Bessie has entered the building; the gathered crowd quiets as she enters. Upon going into her apartment, she discovers Jimmy and the woman; she immediately attacks the woman and kicks her out the apartment. Bessie then pleads with Jimmy not to leave her, but to no avail. Jimmy shoves her to the ground before exiting the apartment with his suitcase. Bessie begins singing "The St. Louis Blues" while seated on the floor. The film transitions to a nightclub where Bessie continues to sing with the accompaniment of a band and chorus while leaning against the bar. The patrons and staff of the club begin dancing during an upbeat instrumental interlude. Jimmy enters the club to the applause of the crowd and performs a brief tap dance routine. He calls to Bessie and the two embrace happily before dancing together. At the conclusion of the dance, Jimmy exits the club and Bessie sadly returns to the bar. She again sings "The St. Louis Blues" as the film draws to a close.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1929
• Directed by: Dudley Murphy, American, 1897 - 1968
• Written by: Dudley Murphy, American, 1897 - 1968
• Produced by: W. C. Handy, American, 1873 - 1958
• Subject of: Bessie Smith, American, 1894 - 1937
• Subject of: Isabel Powell, American, 1908 - 2007
• Subject of: Edgar Connor, American, 1893 - 1934
• Subject of: Johnny Lee Jr., American, 1898 - 1965
• Subject of: Hall Johnson, American, 1888 - 1970
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: short subjects
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film): 550 ft
• Dimensions: Duration: 15 min.
• Place filmed: Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Musical films
• Object number: 2012.79.1.39.2a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
• 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.