Caldonia (film)

Caldonia is a two reel American musical short film directed by William Forest Crouch and released by Astor Pictures in 1945.[1] The film stars jazz musician Louis Jordan and was produced by his manager Berle Adams. The film includes four songs performed by Jordan and his band, "Caldonia", "Honey Child", "Tillie" and "Buzz Me", which were also released individually by the Soundies Distributing Corporation of America.[2]

This article is about the short film. For the song, see Caldonia.
Caldonia
Directed byWilliam Forest Crouch
Produced byBerle Adams
Screenplay byJohn A. McGee
StarringLouis Jordan
Edited byLeonard Weiss
Distributed byAstor Pictures
Release date
August 1, 1945
Running time
18 minutes

In 2008, a poster for the film was included on a U.S. postage stamp in a set of five, celebrating Vintage Black Cinema.[3]

Synopsis

Louis Jordan and his band are on the way to Hollywood to make a film, but producer Richard Huey (Felix Paradise) and Jordan's girlfriend Caldonia (Nicky O'Daniel) convince him to remain in Harlem, promising that he'll will have a great movie career. The shoot gets foreclosed and Jordan loses his Hollywood contract as well as his girlfriend.

Production

The film was financed by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and cost "approximately $3,000 to produce." It was filmed in the winter of 1944 in New York.[4]

Reception

The success of the Caldonia gave Jordan's film career a boost, leading to other film roles. Billboard (June 8, 1946) noted:

Louis Jordan's use of the film short, Caldonia, as an exploitation medium, differs from most ork promotional stunts in that it is in itself a direct source of revenue… So successful is Caldonia, and so promising the forthcoming 60-minute feature Beware, that Jordan's manager, Berle Adams, has arranged for the leader to make two features a year for Astor Pictures. The Astor trick, which sets Jordan's flickers apart from the usual run of band shorts and features, is in its distribution. Astor has its own distrib set up… and can plant the Jordan movie directly ahead of him in practically every town he plays.[5]

Cast

Although Cab Calloway, Doc Cheatham, Milt Hinton, Ben Webster have credited appearances according to some sources such as IMDb, they do not appear in the film.[4]

The cast includes:

  • Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five:
    • Louis Jordan, alto and tenor sax, vocal and bandleader
    • Eddie Roane, trumpet
    • William Austin, piano
    • Al Morgan, string bass
    • Alex "Razz" Mitchell, drums
  • Nicky O'Daniel (Caldonia)
  • Richard Huey (Felix Paradise)
  • Sam "Spo-De-O-De" Theard
  • George Wiltshire
  • Roxie Joynes (Performer)
  • Raymond Kaalund (Tap dancer)
  • Taylor & Harris (Dance team)
  • The Three Sun Tan Girls (Singers)
  • Joan Clark (Josie)
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References
  1. Clear, Rebecca D. (1993). Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress. DIANE Publishing. pp. 20. ISBN 978-0-7881-1436-6. Nicki O'Daniel.
  2. Pitts, Michael R. (2019). Astor Pictures: A Filmography and History of the Reissue King, 1933-1965. McFarland. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4766-3628-3.
  3. "2008 42c Vintage Black Cinema: Caldonia". Mystic Stamp Company.
  4. "Louis Jordan and "Caldonia"". www.jazz-on-film.com. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  5. "Louis Jordan's "Caldonia," "Beware" Pix, a 3-Way Payoff". Billboard: 35. June 8, 1946.
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