Oft in the Silly Night
Oft in the Silly Night is an American short comedy film released in 1929. It was produced by Al Christie from a story by Octavus Roy Cohen, part of a series published in the Saturday Evening Post and adapted to film in Christie productions. Among the early "talkie" films featuring an African American cast, the film survives and is available online.
The plot has a chauffeur sneaking out with his employer's car and daughter.[1] The film and the series feature exaggerated "Negro" dialect and stereotypes.[2]
The film was re-released on the DVD Birmingham Black Bottom in 2003.[3]
Cast
[edit]- Edward Thompson as Temus Robinson
- Roberta Hyson[3] as Mezanine Conner
- Arthur Ray as Julip Conner
- Spencer Williams as Eli Rubb
- Laurence Criner as L. J. Criner[4]
See also
[edit]- "Oft in the Stilly Night", a poem by Thomas Moore and folk song adapted from it
References
[edit]- ^ "Exhibitors Herald World". Quigley Publishing Company. December 2, 1930 – via Google Books.
- ^ Lupack, Barbara Tepa (December 1, 2002). Literary Adaptations in Black American Cinema: From Micheaux to Toni Morrison. University Rochester Press. ISBN 9781580461030 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b McCann, Bob (December 21, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN 9780786458042 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Film Archive Oft in the Silly Night". 20's Jazz.
- "Oft in the Silly Night", pages 223-224, Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942, by Thomas Cripps
- Weird Wild Realm review - part of a review of 4 films packaged as Birmingham Black Bottom: The First All Black Cast Talkies
- Berkeley library brief discussion
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