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Next to Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams is the most
significant black film pioneer. In the late teens he was a songwriter for Fats Waller, and
in the twenties he played short parts in films. At this point he directed Midnight
Productions with the black silent film "Tendernight". However, with the advent
of sound he was one of the first black sound technicians in early Hollywood. His theatric
ability was recognized by white film director Cohen, and he participated in the first all
black talkie "Melancholy Dame", part of the "Birmingham Black Bottom"
series in 1928.
In the late thirties after numerous small roles he
starred in "Bronze Buckaroo" with Black cowboy singing star Herb Jeffries,who
was instrumental with development of cosmetics and blacks in the films.
In 1940 Spencer Williams once again owned his own
company, Amergo. He produced, directed, wrote, filmed, and acted in several films in this
time period. In "Son of Igagi", a black King Kong, he played the role of a
detective, which showed his great versatility over the decades.
The most reverent of all these race films, so called
because of the all black cast, was his film "The Blood of Jesus". In this film,
which has a documentary effect, Mr. Williams plays a born again Christian.
With the inception of
television he made another early transition for blacks. He played the stereotypical Andy
on the "Amos and Andy"show. It should be noted he supported Walter White of the
NAACP in the anti trust suits against Hollywood for the normalization of Black roles in
films. He was multi-talented, crossed many barriers, and had a successful, vital career
that covered five decades. Like Oscar Micheaux, he was Black star who made a difference.
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