Paradise in Harlem


1h 27m 1940

Film Details

Also Known As
Othello in Harlem
Release Date
Jan 1940
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Jubilee Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
International Road Shows, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 27m
Film Length
7,846ft (9 reels)

Synopsis

Backstage at Harlem's Standard Cabaret, Lem Anderson, long typecast as a comedian, yearns to be a dramatic actor and play Shakespeare's Othello . After Lem witnesses the gangland killing of Slim Jewett, he is warned not to talk, and two of the gang, Ganaway and Spanish, follow him home, where his wife Emma is gravely ill. Hearing the strangers, Emma climbs out of her bed and dies. When the criminals warn Lem that his beloved nephew, Ned Avery, will be hurt unless he leaves town, Lem goes south, where he becomes a drunkard and loses his acting job. In Tennessee, singer Sneeze Ancrum and his partner find Lem asleep in a bar and offer him a part in a play, which Lem refuses because he does not want to play "Uncle Tom" anymore. When Sneeze telegraphs Ned, Ned sends for his uncle and arranges to cast him in a local church production of Othello . Meanwhile, the gang, angered by Lem's return, sends Ganaway to knock Ned unconscious as a warning to Lem. Later, the gang leader orders a reluctant Doll Davis to tempt Lem into a drunken escapade and disgrace him. Not realizing that Doll is widely known as a "bad" cabaret girl, Lem hires her for the play, and she entices him to her apartment. As Ganaway shoots Lem, the repentant Doll jumps in front of Lem, taking the bullet, but she escapes a fatal injury. Back at the Standard, Lem enters drunk and attacks Rough Jackson as a warning to the gang that he will not leave. The police arrest Lem and only release him long enough to do the play. At the hospital, Mamie urges Doll to confess, which she does in the presence of the police. At first, Othello is heckled, but when it becomes a musical production, the audience joins in and dances. Outside, in an alley, the gang leader and Milt face off in a shootout and both are killed. Lem is soon cleared of suspicion, and the play, a hit, is headed for Broadway.

Film Details

Also Known As
Othello in Harlem
Release Date
Jan 1940
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Jubilee Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
International Road Shows, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 27m
Film Length
7,846ft (9 reels)

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

This film began production under the title Othello in Harlem. According to a New York Times article, Paradise in Harlem was filmed in Fort Lee, NJ. Modern sources list actors Perry Bradford and Joe Thomas in the cast and Dave Goldberg as the co-producer. Modern sources also put the running time at 83 or 85 minutes. Although the onscreen credits claim that the picture was copyrighted in 1940 by Jubilee Pictures Corp., no copyright registration has been found. Jubilee Pictures Corp. was formed in 1940 by Jack Goldberg, and this film was the company's first release. Several songs performed in the picture were not acknowledged in the onscreen credits.