Underworld

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A motion picture film with the title Underworld. It consists of two (2) reels of 16mm black-and-white acetate film with optical sound (2012.79.1.33.1a and 2012.79.1.33.1b). When recent college graduate Paul Bronson (Sol Johnson) moves from the South to Chicago, he becomes involved with Leroy Giles (Alfred 'Slick' Chester), a local gambler. He also begins dating Dinah Jackson (Bee Freeman), a singer who is seeing Leroy although she is married to Sam Brown (Oscar Polk), a nightclub owner. While living in Chicago, Paul reconnects with Evelyn Martin (Ethel Moses), a beauty parlor owner and acquaintance from his college days. One day, Leroy spots the duo having lunch and informs Evelyn, who instructs Leroy to drug and rob Paul and to kill Sam. Just as Dinah walks into the room, Paul wakes up to Sam's dead body and the murder weapon beside him; she accuses him of the murder.

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