Minnie The Moocher and Many, Many More

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 documentary film with the title Minnie The Moocher and Many, Many More. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound. The film follows Cab Calloway around Harlem as he reminisces about the famous musicians and entertainers that passed through the neighborhood in the 1930s and 1940s. Calloway explains the significance of each artist and recounts a personal anecdote of his experiences with them. Clips from various performances appear throughout the film. The film begins with a clip of a dramatized performance of Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train." The clip is intercut with a head and shoulders interview with Cab Calloway explaining why Harlem became a mecca for black entertainers. The title credits then play over the musical clip. The film then cuts to Cab Calloway emerging from the subway at 145th St. and Lenox Ave.

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