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Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen
One Dime at a Time
by Susan Delson
Published by: Indiana University Press
418 Pages, 72 b&w illus.
- eBook
- 9780253058560
- Published: December 2021
$34.99
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In the 1940s, folks at bars and restaurants would gather around a Panoram movie machine to watch three-minute films called Soundies, precursors to today's music videos. This history was all but forgotten until the digital era brought Soundies to phones and computer screens—including a YouTube clip starring a 102-year-old Harlem dancer watching her younger self perform in Soundies.
In Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen: One Dime at a Time, Susan Delson takes a deeper look at these fascinating films by focusing on the role of Black performers in this little-known genre. She highlights the women performers, like Dorothy Dandridge, who helped shape Soundies, while offering an intimate look at icons of the age, such as Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole. Using previously unknown archival materials—including letters, corporate memos, and courtroom testimony—to trace the precarious path of Soundies, Delson presents an incisive pop-culture snapshot of race relations during and just after World War II.
Perfect for readers interested in film, American history, the World War II era, and Black entertainment history, Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen and its companion video website (susandelson.com) bring the important contributions of these Black artists into the spotlight once again.
Part 1: Follow the Money
Introduction: Turning on a Dime
1. Circa 1940: Race and the Pop-Culture Landscape
2. Risky Business
3. Starting in Hollywood, Heading to Harlem
Part 2: Follow the Music
4. Going to War
5. Encounter and Improvisation: Reimagining the City
6. Rural Reverb
7. Romance, Relationships, Legs
8. One Performer, Ten Soundies: Another Look at Dorothy Dandridge
9. Visual Music: Big Bands, Combos, Solo Musicians
10. Backing into Integration
11. Unplugged, with an Afterlife
Acknowledgments
Part 3: Following Up
Appendix 1: Directory of Black-Cast Soundies
Appendix 2: Performers and Their Films
Appendix 3: Makers and Their Films
Bibliography
Index
Susan Delson is author of Dudley Murphy, Hollywood Wild Card and editor of Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals. Her writings on art and culture appear in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. She is an arts journalist and film historian based in New York City.
"Benefiting from her new research and fresh thinking, Delson's detailed study of the Soundies phenomenon is a timely addition to the history of how Black performers in America have used music and performance to excel and advance despite a culture of racism that has long bracketed their achievements."
~Ron Magliozzi, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art
"Seldom do the contents of a book about African American history surprise me. Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen, however, was a revelation. Anyone interested in 20th century America and African American history will be fascinated by this book. It's a terrific read."
~Shane White, author of Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire
"Essential. In this comprehensive work, Delson locates soundies within cinema history. The book provides a fascinating exploration of performers, musicians, and filmmakers who contributed to these productions. Most revealing is Delson's assessment that soundies created images "that boldly contradicted Hollywood's usual depictions of Black people, in images of success, competence, and style" (p. 5)—a direct contrast to studio productions. According to Delson, soundies were historically significant because they impacted the social and cultural fabric of a racially divided America; they played a role in advancing the country's racial politics even when the country seemed reluctant to do so. This definitive study includes rarely seen photos and lists of performers, filmmakers, and titles. A fascinating resource for those interested in film, jazz, performance, WW II, race, Black film history, and socio-cultural history broadly."
~C. B. Regester, Univ. of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, Choice
""Delson's catalog of Soundies is delightfully exhaustive and accompanied by detailed descriptions.""
~Margaret Kuo – California State University, Long Beach, California History
- Outstanding Academic Title
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