Harlem Double Feature: Dirty Gertie From Harlem U.S.A. (1946) / Sepia Cinderella (1947) (DVD)

Dirty Gertie From Harlem U.S.A. (1946, B&W): Dancer Gertie La Rue is the toast of Harlem, but she's been two- timing her beau, Al, the man who put her in the spotlight. Fearing Al's retribution, Gertie drags her entire show troupe out to the remote island of Rinidad, where she hopes to lay low for a while. She's also managed to make her self imposed exile a lucrative one, setting up a residency at Diamond Joe's nightclub. While Gertie drinks, cusses, and flirts her way across Rinidad, dark clouds are gathering overhead; local revivalist Jonathan Christian is on a moral crusade to have her deported.

A native of Harlem, Francine Everett was a multi-talented performer, acting, singing, and dancing her way across stage and screen. A stand- out in race films , Francine appeared in several of the genre's best pictures, including Paradise in Harlem, Big Timers, and Ebony Parade.

Starring Francine Everett, Don Wilson, Katherine Moore, Alfred Hawkins; Screenplay by True T. Thompson; Directed by Spencer Williams.

Sepia Cinderella (1947, B&W): Bob Jordan is an aspiring songwriter with a melody stuck in his head. Naive in the ways of love, he's having some trouble writing the lyrics for his would-be hit. Barbara, a fellow musician and secret admirer, helps him finish the romantic ballad. "Cinderella" becomes an instant smash, and as Jordan's career takes off, lovelorn Barbara can only watch as her man slips away. Fame is a fickle thing, though, and Bob's flirtation with the fast life is short. Loveless and jobless, his agent has a brilliant idea to get his career back on track - a Cinderella contest. The gimmick is simple; at Jordan's next show, every available woman in the audience will bring a single slipper. The owner of the slipper that Bob selects will be invited upstage to join him in performing a duet of his signature song. The big night arrives, and Barbara happens to be in the audience. Will he finally make the right choice?

Sepia Cinderella is carried by a pair of notable actor/musicians. Billy Daniels rose to fame as a recording artist and nightclub performer, and would later go on to act and sing in three long running Broadway musicals. Sheila Guyse was a popular singer and star of numerous stage productions, though she only made a few appearances in film.

Starring Billy Daniels, Sheila Guyse; Screenplay Vincent Valenti; Directed by Arthur Leonard.

• drama