Jan 30 2008
Louis Armstrong rises above it all
As promised, I am returning to Louis Armstrong tonight. This film short from 1932 “Rhapsody in Black and Blue” was made to show off Armstrong’s musical talents but displayed many racial stereotypes and has offended audiences of later decades. Here he is thirty years old, a rising star, and given his first opportunity to appear in film. Armstrong does his best to follow the directors instructions and gives a great performance, unapologetic for the silly things he is asked to do.
Armstrong is the centerpiece of a dream sequence and is dressed in a nonsensical costume, part rags part glitter and part leopard skin. He sings “Ill Be glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You” a popular novelty song which he had recorded the year before, and “That’s Why They Call Me Shine,” which was written by Cecil Mack in 1910, a few bars of “Chinatown My Chinatown” are featured in a trumpet solo. He mugs for the camera, fakes some unrecognizable accent for a moment and mumbles some of the lyrics unintelligibly. The mumbling actually became part of Armstrong’s regular act and may have already been so. When he starts to play his trumpet, Louis Armstrong is the man in charge. He is a masterful entertainer, enjoying his job and sharing his joy with his audience.
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