Customer Reviews

Stormy Weather [VHS]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vaguely based on the life of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson himself, STORMY WEATHER offers the story of a WWI vet who falls in love with a singer--and under her influence goes into show business, only to find that their careers draw them in different directions. As a story, it is pretty slim stuff... but as a collection of musical turns by some of the early 1940s best black talent, it simply can't be beat.

Robinson was, of course, one of the truly great dancers of his era. Made late in his career, this film doesn't really manage to capture the scope of his talents, but he remains a constant joy to watch. A very young and remarkably beautiful Lena Horne also offers several enjoyable songs, including one that she would go on to perform with increasing sophistocation and ultimately make entirely her own: the title tune "Stormy Weather." In addition to Calloway and Horne, STORMY WEATHER offers great performances by such under-filmed artists as Cab Calloway, Katherine Dunham, Fats Waller (performing his signature tune, "Ain't Misbehaving"), the brillant Nicholas Brothers, and Ada Brown, as well as the popular comic actor Dooley Wilson. Expect nothing from the story, but you won't be disappointed by this rare glimpse at some truly remarkable talents.

First thing...If this is what Harlem was like in the 40's it was jammin. First of all Lena Horne has to be the classiest woman alive (then and now). Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is great, giving just the right amount of humor and entertainment. And of course, nobody I mean NOBODY, was as bad as Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers (who Fred Astaire by the way fancied some of his tap dancing moves from - I saw it on numerous PBS specials that he was a major fan of theirs). Although it may have some stereotypical parts in it, it is wonderful to see a movie where black people were respectful to one another, classy dressers and had good times with one another.

The best part of this film? In a way it is very hard for me to pinpoint...I love when Fats Waller and Ida Wells start signing "Having yourself a Ball". My grandparents used to sing it and lord knows Fats and Ida are singing the hell out if it! But the absolute BEST part has to be the finale when Cab is signing "Jumpin Jive" and the Nicholas Brothers dance on that staircase. This was a fantastic all-black hollywood musical. Thank God for video and DVD!

Directed by Andrew Stone, this 1943 musical is one of the few musicals by a major studio to feature an all-black cast. The storyline is merely an excuse for all the musical numbers (and there are a LOT of them). Bill "Bojangles" Robinson plays Bill Williamson who meets lovely Selina Rogers, played by Lena Horne, just after he gets back from the First World War. Unfortunately their careers get in the way of their ever settling down together. "Stormy Weather" ends with a big all-star show hosted by Cab Calloway. Along the way Bill Robinson dances to "Rang Tang Tang" and several other songs, while Lena Horne sings "There's No Two Ways About Love," "Diga Diga Do" and the show piece title song, "Stormy Weather." Bill and Lena also do "I Can't Give you Anything But Love, Baby." Fats Waller does "Ain't Misbehavin'" and sings "That Ain't Right" (a Nat "King" Cole song) with Ada Brown. Cab Colloway conducts his "Rhythm Cocktail" and "Geechy Joe" and there is also the incredible Nichols Brothers (Fayard and Harold) dancing to "The Jumpin' Jive." "Stormy Weather" is a wonderful compilation of song and dance.

This delightful film is like a revue of song and dance numbers, held together by a thin plot, which is there simply as a frame for the wonderful music and fabulous talent, notably of Lena Horne, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and the protagonist who has the most screen time, Bill Robinson.
Among the others that are remarkable are The Nicholas Brothers and Ada Brown. There are several styles of music represented, from blues, the sultry ballads sung by Lena Horne, to scat singing and big band dance numbers. There's a priceless comedy routine where two men finish each other's sentences, and another treat is to see Katherine Dunham dance in two pieces along with her troupe; she was very popular decades ago, but sadly, not many remember her now.

The dances are staged by Clarence Robinson, and they are numerous, some corny, but all entertaining. Of the singers, Lena Horne is extraordinary. She could make a lame line of dialog sound convincing, make any song worth listening to with her mellow, lovely voice, dance with the best of them, and her sensual beauty has rarely been equaled. The songs she sings are:
"There's No Two Ways About Love, Baby"
"Digga Digga Doo"
"I Can't Give You Anything But Love"
"Stormy Weather".
The legendary Fats Waller sings his "Ain't Misbehavin'", and other songs include "Rhythm Cocktail", "That Ain't Right", and "Rang Tang Tang".
Directed by Andrew Stone, it has marvelous cinematography Leon Shamroy, and though not great in every aspect, it's a historical film that showcases the fantastic black talent of the mid 20th century, and as such it gets my highest rating. Total running time is 78 minutes.

This movie contains so many memorable musical and dance and sequences that you can (and I do) rerun just a musical and dance sequences over and over. I mean where else would you find so much talent in one movie. Not to mention the greatest dance routine ever filmed bar none. The Nicolas Brothers performed a routine that defies gravity. Yet with all the acrobatics, the style for which the pair are famous for is evident for all to see. The new tap folk with all thier improvisational skills lack that kind of style see Savion Glover. But to continue the wonderful talent Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Bill Robinson, Lena Horne I mean the list just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This movie is one of my all time favorites

There is so much good stuff in this movie! In addition to enjoying the stunning performances, you can see actual live footage of Jim Europe's 369th "Hell Fighters" Infantry Band in their triumphal march in New York after World War I interspersed with the movie's footage. Jim Europe, one of the founding fathers of jazz, was killed in 1919, so they had to use an actor to portray him in Stormy Weather. Much of the music featured at the beginning of the movie was material performed by Jim Europe. Another fun detail is that the middle sequence of the movie, in which Gabe (the bootblack) arrives as an angel to save the show from the balkiness of the chorus girls, is based on an incident that actually happened to Eubie Blake. And notice how the sequence with Cab Calloway starts out: Cab invites Bill "Bojangles" Robinson to participate in a benefit for the soldiers. When Cab and Bojangles first met in real life, Bo was trying to get Cab to participate in a benefit performance. Cab didn't want to do it, and they got into a fight. Cab finally did go along with it, and he and Bo became friends after that. The scene where Bojangles punches Chick Bailey is right in character, too. Bojangles loved to fight. Fats Waller's parting line, "One never knows, do one," was unscripted. It was one of his favorite lines, and he ended his recordings with it frequently, squeezing it in at the last second. Now, this isn't exactly a movie review, but these are details that have added enormously to my enjoyment of this movie.

"Stormy Weather" will bring a ray of sunshine into your life. It's an upbeat classic musical from the early fourties, and a huge breakthrough for African American Cinema. The musical numbers including, "That Ain't Right", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby", "My My, Ain't That Somethin'", will most definately have you wanting to 'Shout and Jump'. Lena Horne will at the very least, leave you mesmerized with her soulful rendition of "Stormy Weather", and her astonishing beauty. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dances his way through this charming story and heads up an amazing cast. Cab Calloway and Dooley Wilson among them.

Bill has the attention of the neighborhood kids as he tell the story of his return from WW1, trying to break into show business and his everlasting love for one woman... his buddy's sister, Selena(Horne). It happens, that Selena is a big star. She lands him a job in a big show, and he falls for her along the way, but must compete with another for her attention, and then again competes with the stage for her love. He never gives up and for years hopes to be reuinted with his love.

It is said that because of Robinson's popularity, bleachers had to be built to hold the fans watching him shoot his dancing scenes. And these were no ordinary fans, the bleachers were stars from other movie sets gathered to watch Bill, including the likes of Tyrone Power.

The music, the singing, the dancing, the talent, the jumpin and the jive, make this one captivating film. Let Bill and Lena tap and sing their way into your heart.

"Hi De Ho"...Cab Calloway...Enjoy...Laurie

more from the fabulous 40's:
Christmas Collector's Pack (The Bells of St. Mary's / It's a Wonderful Life)
The Outlaw [VHS]
and recommended for film buffs:
THE MOVIES: A Picture Quiz Book.

Watching this film, your heart aches because there's so much talent on display here that never got to work together at this length on film again, and you have a sudden sense of how much richer the golden age of Hollywood musicals could have been had African-Americans been given their due .... Anyhow, like everyone else I'm wowed especially by Lena Horne and by the Nicholas Brothers dance sequence. The latter is probably the single most amazing physical achievement in dance ever - you'll see it, not believe what you just saw, and then you'll be irresistably driven to show it to other people. Which is only fair; nobody should die without having seen this!

That's not at all what this treasure of a film is all about, especially today. Its main value, as I see it, is as a fine example of the multi-faceted mastery of show business forms achieved by Black performers of that Golden Era...I showed it to my children (ages 14, 12 and 10 at the time), and now it's one of their favorites, 'cause they were FLOORED by the joy of it all!

Get this film into your library as proof that no combination of jim crow, bigotry and lack of equal opportunity could keep these giants from rising, like cream in a milk bottle, to the very top. You and your children will be glad you did; I mean, come on! Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lena Horne, The Nicholas Brothers AND Cab Calloway in one flick?! Roll 'em, Pete!!!

Forget the story line. It's unimportant. Try to ignore the black stereotyping. It's there and it's not going to go away. But pay attention to the musical performances. The liner notes say there are more than 20. I didn't count, but the movie has one great performance after another, starting with the two leads, Bill Robinson and Lena Horne. The movie features a roster of famous black entertainers of the time.

World War I is just over and black troops are parading down Broadway. Among them are Bill Williamson (Robinson) and his best friend, Gabe (Dooley Wilson). Bill is a dancer and is determined to break into the big time. In a club he meets a new singer, Selina Rogers (Lena Horne). They strike sparks, but both are ambitious. Over the next 20-some years they will meet, break apart, create star careers for themselves and finally come together during a stage tribute for black soldiers on their way overseas during WWII. All this is told in flashback as Bill reflects on his career.

We're along for the ride, and a great ride it is. Among the performances to treasure is everything Robinson does. He was a great tap dancer with an infectious, happy disposition and a great smile. Lena Horne was 26 when she made this movie, one of her earliest. You can't get much better than Horne singing Stormy Weather, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Diga Diga Do or There's No Two Ways About Love. What a gorgeous woman. She has charisma, a great voice and she knows exactly how to put across a song.

There's Cab Calloway in padded shoulders and pegged pants doing his zoot routine to Geechy Joe, Ada Brown singing That Ain't Right with some back and forth with Fats Waller on piano, and then Waller doing a funny, coy, eye-batting version of his Ain't Misbehavin'. A singer I couldn't identify does a wonderful job with I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City, and a dancer I couldn't find a credit for does an athletic, fast routine to Your Nobody's Sweetheart Now. And there's more. The numbers just keep coming, from individual songs to all-out musical productions, including one powerful dance to Stormy Weather by Katherine Dunham and her troupe. Even the jazz band behind Waller has star musicians like Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Taps Miller and Zutty Singleton.

Put on your seat belt when Fayard and Harold Nicholas leap out of the audience toward the close of the show and do a startlingly athletic dance to Jumpin' Jive. They start out tapping and jumping into and out of the orchestra...then they speed things up. They leap and tap up a series of very tall steps to a high platform, then do leaps over each other, landing two steps at a time down in full splits, eight leaps in all, each time pulling themselves up only by the strength of their legs. It's an incredible routine, and it's full of style.

The DVD looks just fine. The case has two inserts. One is a set of reproduced lobby cards from Stormy Weather. The other is an informative insert about the major players. The disc commentary by Dr. Todd Boyd, professor of critical studies at the University of Southern California, gives much background on black performers in Hollywood, the limitations they had to deal with and the stereotyping that was commonplace. Lena Horne, for instance, was most often limited in her movies to doing special material which could be cut out when the films played in southern states.