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All-American News

{{Short description|Film production company}}

File:All American News.png

All-American News was a film production company in the U.S. bringing war propaganda newsreels and entertainment films to African American audiences.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2019/02/all-american-news-the-first-african-american-newsreel/|title=All-American News: The First African American Newsreel | Now See Hear!|date=February 15, 2019|website=blogs.loc.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-screening-room/?fa=contributor:all+american+news,+inc|title=Search results from National Screening Room, Available Online, All American News, Inc|first=|last=|website=Library of Congress}}The first of its reels were produced in their headquarters in Chicago in the fall of 1942.{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Amanda |date=2019-02-15 |title=All-American News: The First African American Newsreel {{!}} Now See Hear! |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2019/02/all-american-news-the-first-african-american-newsreel/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Library of Congress}} The newsreels were shown in black theaters and that in place of other newsreels, 150 theaters from across the country asked to receive their weekly reels.{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Amanda |date=2019-02-15 |title=All-American News: The First African American Newsreel {{!}} Now See Hear! |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2019/02/all-american-news-the-first-african-american-newsreel/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Library of Congress}} They were the first newsreels to ever be produced for a black audience. The intention behind them was to encourage African Americans to join and support the war effort as well as share their perspective on events taking place around the world.{{Cite web |title=All-American News |url=https://cpl.org/citation/all-american-news/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Cleveland Public Library |language=en-US}} The films were usually about 7 minutes and covered several topics with the main focus being progress and achievements of African American service members.{{Cite web |title=archives.nypl.org -- All-American News moving image collection |url=https://archives.nypl.org/scl/23923 |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=archives.nypl.org}}

Emmanuel M. Glucksman was a film industry veteran who produced All-American News films for African American audiences.{{Cite web|url=http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nr98005062/|title=Glucksman, E. M. (Emanuel M.) [WorldCat Identities]}} He was paired with young African American filmmaker William D. Alexander, who worked on the newsreel production team, narrated, and did interviews, and Claude Barnett, an experienced journalist who also helped produce the films.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YQvCbc5pBcC&q=claude+Barnett+%22all-american+news%22&pg=PA3|title=Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers|first1=Spencer|last1=Moon|first2=Linda|last2=Allen|date=November 21, 1997|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313298301|via=Google Books}} Josh Binney directed some of the films. Some of these films included Chicago After Dark and Lucky Gamblers.

The Library of Congress has a collection of 35 All-American newsreels and films released from 1942 to 1945.{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Amanda |date=2019-02-15 |title=All-American News: The First African American Newsreel {{!}} Now See Hear! |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2019/02/all-american-news-the-first-african-american-newsreel/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=The Library of Congress}}

Films

=Chicago After Dark=

File:Chicago after dark.jpg

Chicago After Dark is a 23 minute American comedy film from 1946. It was directed by Josh Binney.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ffa32e1|title=Chicago after Dark (1946)|website=BFI}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGDwDwAAQBAJ&dq=chicago+after+sark+1946&pg=PA106|title=Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959|first=Graham|last=Webb|date=July 10, 2020|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476639260 |via=Google Books}} A poster for the film advertised it as "An All-American Streamlined Feature" with "Lollypop Jones and a cast of all colored stars." The Museum of the Moving Image has a lobby card from the film.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-21 |title=Museum of the Moving Image - Collection - Collection Spotlight_Race Movies |url=http://www.movingimage.us/collection/racemovies |access-date=2022-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321181356/http://www.movingimage.us/collection/racemovies |archive-date=2016-03-21 }} It was an All-American News production.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sTGSCgAAQBAJ&dq=chicago+after+dark+1946&pg=PA221|title=African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography|first=Larry|last=Richards|date=September 17, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476610528|via=Google Books}}

The film is part of the Black Film Center collection at Indiana University.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQ49DAAAQBAJ&dq=chicago+after+sark+1946&pg=PA203|title=Early Race Filmmaking in America|first=Barbara|last=Lupack|date=May 26, 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317434252 |via=Google Books}} In 2000, Chicago After Dark featured at the Harlem Week Black Film Festival; according to the festival, it was the film's first showing in forty years.{{Cite news |date=August 10, 2000 |title=Harlem Week 2000 Black Film Festival |volume=91 |work=New York Amsterdam News |issue=32 |url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/3455856 |access-date=2022-07-06 |via=EBSCO}} The plot description read, "A lady escapes from the 'nut' house in this comedy classic."

Cast

  • Lollypop Jones
  • Allen McMillen
  • Artie Belle McGinty
  • Tops & Wilda (Thomas Lee and Wilda Crawford)
  • Edgar Lewis Morton
  • James Dunsmore{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/mopic/findaid/blckfilm.html|title=Black Films: Paper Print Collection: Guides & Finding Aids (Motion Picture and Television Reading Room, Libraryof Congress)|website=www.loc.gov}}

=Lucky Gamblers=

File:Lucky gamblers.jpg

Lucky Gamblers is a 1946 American action comedy short film. It was advertised as having an "all-colored cast of stars".{{cite book |last=Koszarski |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncQIEAAAQBAJ |title="Keep 'Em in the East": Kazan, Kubrick, and the Postwar New York Film Renaissance |date=2021-07-20 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-55387-2 |pages=117 |language=en}} It was an All-American News production, directed by Josh Binney.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmDwDwAAQBAJ&dq=lucky+gamblers+1946+sybio+lewis&pg=PA330|title=Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959|first=Graham|last=Webb|date=July 13, 2020|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476681184|via=Google Books}} The film follows the character of Lollypop Jones' who begins working at the 7-11 club as a waitress when she hears gamblers plotting to take ownership of the club and she steps in to try stop the plot.{{Cite web |title=Lucky Gamblers (1946) - Movie |url=https://www.moviefone.com/movie/lucky-gamblers/E0C9bGW9kwbvxeWzKN4VO2/main/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Moviefone |language=en}}

;Cast

  • Sybil Lewis (actress)
  • Lollypop Jones{{cite book |last=Sampson |first=Henry T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4n1ZAAAAMAAJ |title=Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films |date=1995 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-2605-2 |pages=601 |language=en}}
  • J. Augustus Smith

Filmography

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |last1=Fielding |first1=Raymond |title=The American Newsreel: A Complete History, 1911-1967, 2d ed. |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0794-8 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCYkCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA111}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Otfinoski |first1=Steven |title=African Americans in the Visual Arts |date=2014 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-0777-6 |page=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BcWHdpRoDkUC&pg=PA1}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Wilkman |first1=Jon |title=Screening Reality: How Documentary Filmmakers Reimagined America |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-63557-105-9 |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJykDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT136}}
  • [https://archive.org/search.php?query=%22All-American%20News%22 All-American News] at Internet Archive.org
  • {{cite web |title=New Newsreel |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher149unse#page/n83/mode/2up |work=Motion Picture Herald |publisher=Quigley Publishing Co. |page=9 |date=November 14, 1942}}
  • {{cite web |last1=Wiley |first1=Chelsea |title=Watch This Incredible 1945 Video Of A Tuskegee Airman Returning Home To Columbus From World War 2 |url=https://www.columbusnavigator.com/earl-sherard-tuskegee-airman/ |website=Columbus Navigator |date=October 23, 2018}}
  • {{cite web |title=All-American News To Make Features |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher165unse#page/n763/mode/2up |work=Motion Picture Herald |publisher=Quigley Publishing Co. |page=40 |date=December 21, 1946}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Sampson |first1=Henry T. |title=Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films |date=1995 |publisher=Scarecrow press |location=Metuchen, N.J. |isbn=0810826054 |page=224 |url=https://archive.org/details/blacksinblackwhi0000samp/mode/2up}}

Category:Film production companies of the United States

Category:Propaganda film units

Category:Propaganda in the United States