Hearts in Dixie
Hearts in Dixie is a 1929 American pre-Code musical [drama film] starring Stepin Fetchit, was one of the first sound films, big-studio productions to boast a predominantly African-American cast. This film celebrates African-American music and dance. It was released by Fox Film Corporation just months before the release of Hallelujah!, another all-black musical released by competitor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The director of Hearts in Dixie was Paul [Sloane (director)|Paul Sloane]. Walter Weems wrote the screenplay, and William Fox was producer.
Synopsis
The film has no overarching storyline, consisting of a series of unconnected scenes celebrating the advent of sound technology in the context of "black music".Hearts in Dixie unfolds as a series of sketches of life among American blacks. Although the characters are not Slavery in [the United States|slaves], they are nevertheless racial stereotypes in terms of the contemporary white images of the period.
Cast
- Stepin Fetchit as Gummy
- Clarence Muse as Nappus
- Eugene Jackson as Chinquapin
- Bernice Pilot as Chloe
- Clifford Ingram as Rammey
- Mildred Washington as Trallia
- Zack Williams as Deacon
- Gertrude Howard as Emmy
- Dorothy Morrison as Melia
- Vivian Smith as Violet
- A.C.H. Bilbrew as Voodoo Woman
- Richard Carlyle as White Doctor
- The Billbrew Chorus