Broken Strings

Back in the bad old days of racial segregation, black movie patrons often were not allowed into whites only theaters in the States. Not surprisingly, a small industry sprung up--black movies to be shown in blacks only theaters. Unfortunately, because the audiences were much smaller, there wasn't nearly as much money to be made with these black films...and the budgets were incredibly small. While these films today are interesting from a historical standpoint, you can't help but notice that the acting is often very suspect--as well as the direction. The usual Hollywood polish is missing and the films try hard but aren't particularly great films. An example of this is "Broken Strings"...a well intentioned movie that tries very hard but its shortcomings are obvious.

When the film begins, Arthur Williams (Clarence Muse) is doing a classical recital with his violin. He's brilliant and his future looks bright but he's soon in a traffic accident and his hand is injured...and his career is over. As a result, he's left making a few dollars giving violin lessons. However, he also has become a cranky jerk and is enraged when his young son begins playing swing music...and he forbids this. However, when a doctor is willing to try to repair Arthur's hand, the son goes to work performing in clubs...and he keeps it a secret. What's next? See the film.

The plot of "Broken Strings" is very much a reworking of "The Jazz Singer" and the film is entertaining. But even good actors (such as Muse who was a crossover hit in mainstream films) looked poor when delivering their lines...because the direction wasn't good and they didn't have the money to re-shoot scenes. It's a shame, as the film could have easily been better.

By the way, pay attention to the bratty, jerk-face kid, Dickie, who takes violin lessons--that's Stymie Beard of the "Our Gang" shorts.