The Duke Is Tops (1938)

Director:

William L. Nolte

Writer:

Phil Dunham (writer)

Release Date:

1 September 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

A theatrical producer puts aside his own success to boost the career of a talented singer.

Plot Keywords:

Medicine Show | Theatrical Producer | Singer | Fraud | Theatrical Backer

Cast

Ralph Cooper	...	Duke Davis
Lena Horne	...	Ethel Andrews
Laurence Criner	...	Doc Dorando (as Lawrence Criner)
Monte Hawley	...	George Marshall
Willie Covan	...	Specialty Tap Dancer
Neva Peoples	...	Ella
Vernon McCalla	...	Mason (as Vernon McCallum)
Edward Thompson	...	Ferdie Fenton
Johnny Taylor	...	Dippy, 'Prince Alakazoo'
Ray Martin	...	Joe
Guernsey Morrow	...	Ed. Lake (as Guersney Morrow)
Charles Hawkins	...	Sam, the Stage Manager (as Charlie Hawkins)
Basin Street Boys	...	Speciality
Rubberneck Holmes	...	Specialty (as Rubber Neck Holmes)
Cats and the Fiddle	...	Speciality

Also Known As:

The Bronze Venus (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4215)

Company:

Million Dollar Productions

Trivia:

Lena Horne did not attend the June, 1938 NAACP charity premiere in Pittsburgh because she was not paid for her work.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Strange Frame: Love & Sax (2009)

Soundtrack:

Don't Let Our Love Song Turn Into A Blues

Lena Horne's screen debut

This all black film was Lena Horne's screen debut. Made for black audiences, it was re-released after the cross-over success of her two great 1943 films, Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. The Duke Is Tops is a typical film about stage performers, and it is certainly a B movie. Duke Davis (Ralph Cooper) and Ethel Andrews (Horne) are a songwriter/singer team. When Ethel gets bigger offers, Duke can't come with, so he breaks it off hard with her so she'll have no regrets. He travels to the South with an old friend who is selling cure-all elixirs from his wagon; meanwhile, without Duke's behind-the-scenes work, Ethel is a flop in New York. It's all fairly mediocre. Horne would become a much better actress in her later films. Fans of the singer will probably be disappointed anyways, as she is only in the film for about 15 minutes. Cooper is the star. But there are several wonderful musical performances that make the film much more worth watching than it otherwise would have been. For a much better film of the same time, definitely check out Stormy Weather, which is probably the pinnacle of the all-black films of this era. 6/10.