The Blacklist

Before there was Destinys Child, The Rockets, or The Supremes, there was The Dandridge Sisters. Listen to Part I of our two part episode on rollercoaster lives of The Dandridge Sisters: the girl group blueprint. Music credits: Crinoline Dreams Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Sad Trio" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The first Black kid in Talkies, the first Black kid to headline his own US tour, and then.... nothing. 

We're back. This season of The Blacklist focuses on the Black child stars of the 20s and 30s!

Our season finale. Thank you so much for listening.

One last trip through the silent era.

This week’s episode is a bit different as we talk about a group of performers who paved the way for legitimate drama in the Black community.

Today we discuss one of the most important film companies to ever exist.

This week, we discuss the first ever Black film production company, which was founded in my hometown!

This week, we conclude our discussion on D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.

Part one of our discussion on the film that sparked a revolution of sorts. Ironically, the film was released during Black History Month.

“African American cinema is a metaphor for the Black experience because it is a history of the struggle for inclusion.” — Mia Mask. Happy Black History Month! Enjoy the first episode of our new season!

The FINAL summer series film! Thank you so much for listening! Please check out our social media for updates! See you in 2019!!!!!!!!Also if you feel like donating to good people who do important work:https://www.filmpreservation.org/support/making-a-contribution

We’ve hit the streets of Paris!Correction:It’s D.W. Griffith not whatever I said.

We’re halfway through the summer series.

Another one!

Can you say “Summer Series”!

 A musical prodigy, a civil rights activist, and one the highest paid entertainers of the 30's and 40's all walk into a room. They're all Black and they're all one woman: Hazel Scott.

A woman who appeared in over 200 films in her career. A political activist, the first distinctive mammy figure, but her legacy is on the fringes of our memory. Why?

An activist for the Golden age. A woman caught between her skin and her identity; Forever plagued by the role that made her famous.

A Black woman who pulled herself from the pits of despair and poverty. A Black woman whose career spanned 70 years. The Mother to us all.

 A glamorous black movie star? In 1929? Let me tell you about about the Queen of the Night. The Black Greta Garbo: Nina Mae McKinney.   CORRECTION:  It's pronounced SWAN-nee not SWAY-NEE. Nick Schenck was head of MGM's parent company, Loews, not of MGM... Well technically, but you get it. Fred Astaire was not signed to MGM in the 20's and 30's but RKO. Shirley Temple was signed to Fox not MGM.

How does a Black woman make it to the Academy Awards? Through tons of trials and tribulations that's for sure!