| Minstrel Man | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joseph H. Lewis Edgar G. Ulmer (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Leon Fromkess (producer) Harry Revel (associate producer) |
| Written by | Irwin Franklyn Pierre Gendron Martin Mooney (story) Raymond L. Schrock (story) |
| Starring | See below |
| Music by | Ferde Grofé |
| Cinematography | Marcel Le Picard |
| Editing by | Carl Pierson |
| Release date(s) | 1944 |
| Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Minstrel Man is a 1944 American film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and produced by Producers Releasing Corporation. It was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Original Song and Best Original Score).
Production began in late 1943. Director Lewis was drafted during production; he was replaced briefly by Edgar G. Ulmer. The studio shut the film down until the scheduling conflicts of cast and crew could be resolved. Lewis was released from the army in March 1944, and completed the film.
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Singing star Dixie Boy Johnson (Benny Fields) and his wife Caroline (Molly Lamont) are jubilant over Dixie's headlining a Broadway show and Caroline's impending motherhood. On opening night, Caroline is rushed to the hospital and Dixie begs to leave the theater and join her, but producer Lew Dunn (Alan Dinehart) refuses. Caroline dies in childbirth and Dixie is shattered. He leaves the baby in the care of his friends, Lasses and Mae (Roscoe Karns and Gladys George), and drops out of sight. Presumed dead, Dixie stays under cover and takes an assumed name, as a shipboard entertainer. Years later, Lew Dunn grooms Dixie's daughter Caroline (Judy Clark) for stardom in a revival of Dixie's Broadway show. Dixie's former agent (Jerome Cowan) sees an opportunity to sue Dunn for damages, and arranges for Dixie to confront his daughter and his old friends.