Stormy Weather: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A musical film with the title Stormy Weather. It consists of two (2) reels of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound.

The film, which has an all-black cast, chronicles the relationship between a dancer, Bill Robinson (as himself), and a singer Selina Rogers (Lena Horne) through a series of flashbacks. It opens with Bill Robinson dancing with a group of children on a verandah, when a young girl presents him with a magazine with a photograph of him on the front cover and a note addressed to him by Noble Sizzle. In response to the children's questions, Bill begins to recall his experience after returning from World War I and meeting Selina. Several performers appear throughout the film including Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, The Nicholas Brothers, F.E. Miller, Ada Brown, and Katherine Dunham. Close to the end of the film, Selina performs the eponymous song, “Stormy Weather," to music conducted by Cab Calloway and a dance performance by Katherine Dunham and her dance troupe.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1943
• Directed by: Andrew L. Stone, American, 1902 - 1999
• Subject of: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, American, 1878 - 1949
• Subject of: Lena Horne, American, 1917 - 2010
• Subject of: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Subject of: Fats Waller, American, 1904 - 1943
• Subject of: Katherine Dunham, American, 1909 - 2006
• Subject of: Nicholas Brothers, American
• Subject of: Ada Brown, American, 1890 - 1950
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 36 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1275 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 38 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1350 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Hollywood (Film)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Musical films
• Object number: 2017.55.53.1ab
• 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. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.