Harlem Double Feature: The Bronze Buckaroo (1939) / Midnight Shadow (1939) (DVD)

The Dallas-based Sack Amusement Company was for many years was the principal supplier of motion pictures with all-black casts. Their films exclusively played the circuit of theaters catering to African-American audiences. Sack movies were generally turned out by the same technical crews employed by such small independent studios as Monogram and PRC. Midnight Shadow and The Bronze Buckaroo conform to the narrative conventions of Hollywood B pictures. Both are fascinating curiosities that reveal a side of commercial American filmmaking long overlooked by even the most rabid fans of vintage movies.

The Bronze Buckaroo (1939, B&W): Singing cowboy Bob Blake rides the ranges of Arizona in search of the culprit who murdered the father of his friend, Betty Jackson. The Bronze Buckaroo stars former Duke Ellington Orchestra vocalist Herb Jeffries (billed here as Herbert Jeffrey). Starring Herb Jeffries, Lucius Brooks, Artie Young, Spencer Williams; Written and Directed by Richard C. Kahn.

Midnight Shadow (1939, B&W): Small-town beauty Margaret Wilson rejects her long-time suitor Buster Barnett after being swept off her feet by suave Prince Alihabad. The Prince is actually a charlatan interested in securing a Texas oil field owned by the Wilson family. When Margaret's father is murdered, amateur criminologist Junior Lingley seizes the opportunity to put his detective skills to the test. Starring Frances Redd, Buck Woods, Richard Bates, Clinton Rosemond; Directed by George Randol.

• western