Film Club- Stormy Weather
Time: 12:00 pm
Stormy Weather is a 1943 American musical film considered one of the best Hollywood musicals with African-American casts.
Stormy Weather is based upon the life and times of its star, dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Robinson plays "Bill Williamson," a talented born dancer who returns home in 1918 after fighting in World War I and tries to pursue a career as a performer. Along the way, he approaches a beautiful singer named Selina Rogers, played by Lena Horne.
Other notable performers in the movie were Cab Calloway and Fats Waller (both appearing as themselves), the Nicholas Brothers dancing duo, comedian Miller, singer Ada Brown, and Katherine Dunham with her dance troupe.
The film's musical highlights include Waller performing his composition "Ain't Misbehavin'," Cab Calloway leading his band in his composition "Jumpin' Jive," and a lengthy sequence built around the title song, featuring the vocals of Lena Horne and the dancing of Katherine Dunham.
In 2001, Stormy Weather was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."