Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935)

Starring:

• Duke Ellington
• Billie Holiday

Storyline
Duke Ellington plays his symphonic jazz piece ('A Rhapsody of Negro Life') with his orchestra against slice-of-life background scenes. The four movements: 1) The Laborers, 2) A Triangle: Dance, Jealousy, Blues, 3) A Hymn of Sorrow, 4) Harlem Rhythm. 

New Orleans (1947)

Starring:

• Louis Armstrong
• Billie Holiday 
• Arturo de Córdova 
• Dorothy Patrick 
• Marjorie Lord 
• Irene Rich 
• Bill Walker 
• Shelley Winters 
• John Alexander

Storyline
Music's greatest legends re-enact the birth of jazz in this song-filled tribute to the town where it all began: New Orleans! Arturo de Cordova stars as Nick, the proprietor of a Bourbon Street gambling joint, and artistic haven for African-American musicians. When he falls for an opera-singing socialite, Nick realizes that only through music will he gain respectability, and launches a campaign to bring jazz to the highbrow American stage. 

A refreshing rediscovery, New Orleans is especially noteworthy for its lack of racial stereotypes, as well as the high caliber of performances delivered by its stellar cast, including Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Kid Ory, Meade Lux Lewis and more. Perhaps the film's most memorable number is "Farewell to Storyville", a haunting blues melody sung by Billie Holiday as she leads a procession of black musicians exiled from the city -- a sequence that beautifully captures the melancholy and grace of Holiday's inimitable performance style. Other musical highlights include Holiday's rendition of "New Orleans", Armstrong's "Endie" and "Where The Blues Were Born", and their duet "The Blues Are Brewin". Also included in this DVD are two musical shorts from Paramount Studios (A Rhapsody In Black And Blue featuring Armstrong and Symphony In Black with Holiday and Duke Ellington) as well as an essay on the making of New Orleans, which originated as a project for Orson Welles.

Betrayal (1948) [Lost Film]

Starring:

• Leroy Collins
• Myra Stanton 
• Harris Gaines 
• Alice B. Russell 
• Yvonne Machen

Storyline
Martin Eden, a young black who builds an agricultural empire in South Dakota, falls in love with a white woman. At first he rejects her, feeling that intermarriage would be unwise. In spite of his feelings, he marries her. Years of marital misunderstanding follow, combined with poverty and hardship. Finally, it is learned that the white woman is actually part Negro after all, and the marriage takes a turn for the better. A theme which Micheaux lived and tried to relate on many occasions in his books and films.  

**This film is considered lost until notified otherwise**

Boogie Woogie Blues (1948)

Starring:

• Hadda Brooks

Storyline
A 10-minute performance film featuring famous songstress Hadda Brooks, accompanying herself on the piano. Songs include "Don't Take Your Love From Me", and "Don't You Think I Ought To Know".  

Citation: G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, Southern Methodist University