Hallelujah! (1929)

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

King Vidor (story)
Wanda Tuchock (scenario)
(more)

Release Date:

20 August 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama

Tagline:

HEAR AND SEE 100 JUBILEE SINGERS! (original poster - all caps)

Plot:

In a juke joint, sharecropper Zeke falls for a beautiful dancer, Chick, but she's only setting him up for a rigged craps game...

Plot Keywords:

Preacher | Brother | Cotton | Accidental Death | All Black Cast

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Daniel L. Haynes	...	Zekial 'Zeke' Johnson
Nina Mae McKinney	...	Chick
William Fountaine	...	Hot Shot
Harry Gray	...	Pappy 'Parson' Johnson
Fanny Belle DeKnight	...	Mammy Johnson
Everett McGarrity	...	Spunk Johnson
Victoria Spivey	...	Missy Rose
Milton Dickerson	...	Johnson child
Robert Couch	...	Johnson child
Walter Tait	...	Johnson child
Dixie Jubilee Singers	...	Group performers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Child (uncredited)
Evelyn Pope Burwell	...	Singer (uncredited)
Eddie Conners	...	Singer (uncredited)
William Allen Garrison	...	Heavy (uncredited)
Eva Jessye	...	Singer (uncredited)
Sam McDaniel	...	Adam (uncredited)
Blue Washington	...	Church Member (uncredited)

Directed by
King Vidor

Writing credits
King Vidor		(story)
Wanda Tuchock		(scenario)
Ransom Rideout		(dialogue)
Richard Schayer		(treatment)
Marian Ainslee		(titles) uncredited in sound version

Produced by
King Vidor	....	producer
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Gordon Avil		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Hugh Wynn
Anton Stevenson		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert A. Golden	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	sound recording engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Ruth Harriet Louise	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Henrietta Frazer	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Henry Thacker Burleigh	....	music arranger: "Go Down Moses (Let My People Go " and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") (uncredited)
Eva Jessye	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Fred M. Wilcox	....	assistant to director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (re-edit)

Runtime:

109 min | USA:100 min (Turner library print) (re-edited version) (re-release) | Argentina:106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Arkansas, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

An advertising poster for this film is pictured on one stamp of a set of five 42¢ USA commemorative postage stamps honoring Vintage Black Cinema, issued 16 July 2008. Other films honored in this set are Black and Tan (1929), The Sport of the Gods (1921), Princesse Tam Tam (1935), and Caldonia (1945).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Edge of Outside (2006)

Soundtrack:

Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)

Nina Mae McKinney- The First Black Movie Star

Nina Mae McKinney portrayed Chick in this movie. The untrained, natural singing, dancing, acting talent stole everyone's heart who saw this movie, even till this day she's still winning hearts. A great actress, after this movie people named her "The Black Garbo" and "The Dark Clara Bow". Being the first black actress, she had to represent her race well, and show that Blacks could act, and show Hollywood that Blacks could hold their own on the silver screen. Norma Shearer, John Gilbert, Irving Thalberg, and King Vidor was breath-taken by her acting, and after her you saw many white actresses copying her style, the hands on the hips and facial expressions. This movie isn't stereotypical at all, its about Black Life in the South, the music and styles of the time. Nina Mae was promised many more movies, but never did anything else, but singing apperances, shorts, and maid apperances. But she did get to show her acting in the independent black movies. If you ever get to see them, you won't be sorry. People say this movie was ahead of its time, maybe so, But Nina was lucky she got to show all her talents, singing, dancing, comedy, and acting. Even Blacks don't get to show all of that today. People say that Lena Horne opened the doors, thats false, Nina Mae McKinney did, representing the Black race well, and showing that we could act, open the doors for Blacks in the future in Hollywood.