Stormy Weather

Bill Williamson is a former dancer, and looking at an article in a magazine he starts remembering his career. After coming back from the First World War he looked for stages, worked in clubs, and met the singer Selina Rogers. Their relationship starts and ends repeatedly over the years; Selina goes on tour and Bill stays in another city. The film brings them together again at the end, at a large show for soldiers. Andrew L. Stone's film is one of the few major studio productions in Hollywood with an entirely Black cast. The narrative is kept thin; the real matter is putting the stage performers of the period on record. Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Katherine Dunham and the Nicholas Brothers each do their own number. The Nicholas Brothers' dance to Jumpin' Jive is among the most cited tap sequences in cinema. Lena Horne sings the title song. The film entered the National Film Registry in 2001. Who it's for: Viewers who like classic musicals, jazz and tap, and the history of the American stage. Who it's not for: The narrative is weak and the characters are thin. Some passages also carry the racist conventions of representation of their period.