Seven more classic films of the '50s & '60s (some rarely seen, all by great directors) with classic jazz scores composed by and featuring jazz musicians—real and fictional—on screen, off screen, and (in most cases) both.
Curated by Ed Cardoni
An underrated and unjustly forgotten film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. as cornetist "Adam Johnson," Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Lola Falana, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Peter Lawford, Ja'net Dubois & Johnny Brown (who would both go on a decade later to co-star in TV's Good Times), Louis Armstrong as "Willie 'Sweet Daddy' Ferguson" (the grandfather of Tyson's character, "Claudia"), Kai Winding (trombone) as the other brass in Adam's band, and Mel Tormé (vocals) as himself. Musical team: Benny Carter (composer/songwriter) & Nat Adderly (dubbing cornet for Sammy Davis Jr.). Featuring a brilliant opening credit sequence drawn and animated by John & Faith Hubley. Suggested by composer, multi-woodwind performer, and bandleader Vinny Golia, who saw the posters for last spring's series when he played at Hallwalls most recently on April 6, 2013 with Paul Smoker (trumpet), Adam Lane (bass), & Phil Haynes (drums).
No relation to Mickey One director Arthur Penn, this film's director Leo Penn was, however, the father of actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn (1965–2006) and musician Michael Penn, composer of film scores for Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), and others.
"Leo Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1921, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants.…He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II as a B-24 Liberator bombardier with the 755th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, stationed in England as part of the Eighth Air Force. [During the post-War period,] he supported the Hollywood trade unions and refused to [name names] to the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was blacklisted, and Paramount refused to renew his contract. As a result Penn was not able to work as a movie actor. He found acting work in television, but CBS ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting. Barred from acting in film or TV, he became a director."
Licensed for public exhibition through Rialto Pictures.
(Leo Penn, 1966, 99 min.)