It's a treat to see anything of Cab Calloway's work. Much of it here would not be readily available on film, so that's a plus. Even as an actor, he was promising.
The balance, with the exception of a few bits here and there, is hideous - too much horrible acting in one place. Without singling anybody out, the line readings - and they were mostly readings - were just plain bad. In 1947, Hollywood just didn't have much depth of black acting talent, and this is proof. (Unless someone was just casting their friends - always possible - these "actors" just need to find another line of work.) The technical work ranged from average to embarrassing. The musical numbers were mostly just stage shots but handled okay. The acting scenes were often badly blocked, badly lit, badly miked. Nobody since to early days of one-camera silents used back and forth pan shots for conversations. Yet here they are.
All in all, a good gig for Cab alone. The rest of it - phew!
The balance, with the exception of a few bits here and there, is hideous - too much horrible acting in one place. Without singling anybody out, the line readings - and they were mostly readings - were just plain bad. In 1947, Hollywood just didn't have much depth of black acting talent, and this is proof. (Unless someone was just casting their friends - always possible - these "actors" just need to find another line of work.) The technical work ranged from average to embarrassing. The musical numbers were mostly just stage shots but handled okay. The acting scenes were often badly blocked, badly lit, badly miked. Nobody since to early days of one-camera silents used back and forth pan shots for conversations. Yet here they are.
All in all, a good gig for Cab alone. The rest of it - phew!