African American Women on the Band Stand

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An Afternoon at the Archives with Pearl Bowser

Celebrated film producer and historian Pearl Bowser will present a collection of rare clips from full-length films and shorts from the John Baker Jazz on Film Collection courtesy of the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. Bowser, who since 2000 has consulted with the Museum, will draw from its collection of over 700 hours of film spanning from the 1920s to the early '70s. A wealth of visual evidence of African-American culture, the collection includes over 3,000 'soundies' -- the forerunner of MTV-style music videos.

She will screen and discuss such cinematic gems as Nina Mae McKinney in her first film role in Hallelujah (1929), Lena Horne as a daydreaming barmaid in Boogie Woogie Dream (1943), Billie Holiday performing “God Bless the Child” (1950) with the Count Basie Sextet and Jeni LeGon dancing and singing with Bill Robinson in Harlem is Heaven (1932). Also see clips of the legendary Bessie Smith , The Vogues of 1938, The Sweethearts of Rhythm, Victoria Spivey, Theresa Harris, Betty Carter and many others. This one time only program offers a unique look at the contributions of African American women in jazz.

This progra is presented in Collaboration with Film at International House and the Black Lily Film and Music Festival which celebrates women in the cinema and music industries.

Click here for more info about the Black Lily Film and Music Festival.

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Pearl Bowser is an internationally-acclaimed film scholar, film curator and archivist. She programmed numerous festivals and touring programs of African American and African films including “From Harlem to Hollywood,” “Journey Across Three Continents” and “Celebration of Black Cinema.” She is also the author of several important texts including "Oscar Micheaux and His Circle" (Indiana University Press, 2001) and the producer of the documentary Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies (1994).