Harlem Rides the Range (1939)

★★★★ · Herb Jeffries, The Singing Black Cowboy · Poohbah70 · 2019-11-16

First of all, this is a good all black cast movie, meant to be shown to black audiences. If it were a white cast film, many of the characters and much of the humor would today be considered racist. The film was written and directed and features Spencer Williams, Jr., a pioneer in the world of black films, who is best known as Andy in the brilliant TV show "Amos and Andy." So, it is interesting to find out that the same demeaning black characterizations considered racist in white films are used in black films and evidently were found entertaining by black audiences. Then we have the great Herb…

★★★ · :) · classiccinemaonline.com · 2008-02-15

I would love to show this film on Classic Cinema Online, but it's so dark. Is there a way to lighten it?

★★ · COMME CI COMME CA · Jersey Shore · 2010-07-08

I liked the storyline though the racial stereotypes, as with any early Hollywood feature, are blatantly evident. For example, the light-complexioned character Blake, speaks well whereas the darker-complexioned sidekick does not and he behaves like a classic, frightened buffoon. The "attractive" woman is also of a light-complexion which allows her to be cast as a sort of love interest.