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10 movies and shows

Lady Sings the Blues

Lady Sings the Blues

Thu, 12 Oct 1972

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.

Why Do Fools Fall In Love

Why Do Fools Fall In Love

Fri, 28 Aug 1998

In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philly; one teaches school in a small Georgia town. Each claims to be the widow of long-dead doo-wop singer-songwriter Frankie Lyman, and each wants years of royalties due to his estate, money Levy has never shared. During an ensuing civil trial, flashbacks tell the story of each one's life with Lyman, a boyish, high-pitched, dynamic performer, lost to heroin. Slowly, the three wives establish their own bond.

Little Richard: I Am Everything

Little Richard: I Am Everything

Tue, 11 Apr 2023

The story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark

Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark

Tue, 13 May 2014

Take an in-depth look at the life and talent of the trailblazing musician who conquered racial barriers to leave an indelible mark on the jazz world.

Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

Wed, 06 Oct 1993

The story of a disabled beggar in Charleston,S.C. who falls in love with a prostitute, this is the first filmed version of Gershwin's opera which uses Gershwin's own orchestrations and practically all of the music, with only one major cut.

Josephine Baker: The Story of an Awakening

Josephine Baker: The Story of an Awakening

Thu, 22 Nov 2018

How did a poor little black girl from Missouri become the Queen of Paris, before joining the French Resistance and finally creating her dream family “The Rainbow Tribe”, adopting twelve children from four corners of the world? This is the fabulous story of the first black superstar, Josephine Baker.

Cow-Cow Boogie

Cow-Cow Boogie

Fri, 27 Mar 1942

Dorothy Dandridge and band perform "Cow-Cow Boogie".

Nina Simone: The Legend

Nina Simone: The Legend

Sat, 13 Jun 1992

The Legend, on Nina’s life and music, was made in France by Frank Lords and it is told in large part by Nina Simone herself. It is an honest portrayal based on her autobiography “I Put A Spell On You,” that shows Nina at her mightiest and at her most vulnerable.

Along the Navajo Trail

Along the Navajo Trail

Sun, 14 Oct 1945

A group of African American cowboys sing the title track.