Rock-N-Roll Revue

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 35mm black and white compilation film of a variety of short musical 'Soundie' films made for music-film jukeboxes, and television, by the Snader Telescription and Studio companies in the 1950s. It consists of four 35mm prints (a-d). The film begins with a title sequence that announces each performer as a firework explodes behind their name. This is followed by a shot of a theater marquee with the title Basin Street Revue. A credit roll then displays the below the line contributors. Next, an announcer introduces the emcee, Willie Bryant, during a shot of a theater audience. Bryant emerges from behind a curtain as the audience applauds. As Bryant begins to speak, Nipsy Russell walks across the stage and interrupts Bryant with a joke about his mother-in-law. Bryant then begins his introduction of the show’s proceedings; he refers to the show as the “Harlem Variety Revue.

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