12/28/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Gone Are The Days! aka Purlie Victorious (1963) | Ruby Dee Ossie Davis

Gone Are the Days! (aka Purlie Victorious / The Man From C.O.T.T.O.N.) is a 1963 American comedy-drama film starring Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee and Godfrey Cambridge. It is based on the 1961 Broadway play Purlie Victorious, which was written by Davis. Continue reading

12/8/20 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Hallelujah (1993) Charles Lane, Dennis Haysbert, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones

Hallelujah is the extremely rare third feature by filmmaker Charles Lane (Sidewalk Stories) was produced for the 11th season of PBS’ American Playhouse. This drama focuses on one Christmas at the Messiah Church in Washington D.C., when a young preacher and, later in the day, a mysterious pregnant girl arrive at the church doors looking to begin new lives. Continue reading

11/27/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The First Moonwalk- Bill Bailey At The Apollo Theatre (1955)

Bill Bailey, brother of singer Pearl Bailey, is frequently credited with inventing the moonwalk because of a tap dancing move called backslide; making this one of the first ever moonwalks on film Continue reading

11/25/21 O&A NYC THANKSGIVING THROWBACK: March of the Wooden Soldiers- Laurel & Hardy

Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical film released on March 10, 1934. The film is also known by its alternate titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet (the 1948 European reissue title), March of the Wooden Soldiers and Wooden Soldiers (in the United States). Continue reading

11/23/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Cindy (1978)- Cinderella In Harlem

Cindy is a 1978 American musical television film that features an entirely African-American cast. Directed by William A. Graham, the film is an urbanized retelling of Cinderella. Continue reading

11/13/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: CARMEN and GEOFFREY

CARMEN and GEOFFREY, an intimate documentary, which was awarded Best Film at Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2009, follows the astonishing five-decade marriage and careers of two legends of the stage: Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder

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10/12/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Hello, Dolly!- Louis Armstrong & Barbra Streisand (1969)

HelloDolly!” won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1965, and Armstrong received a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, Male. Louis Armstrong also performed the song (together with Barbra Streisand) in the popular 1969 film HelloDolly! Continue reading

10/8/20 O&A NYC WaleStylez DANCE PARTY: FlexN Manchester – (Highlights film full)

For the final film about FlexN, hear from the dancers as they discuss their involvement and what the trans-atlantic collaboration meant to them. Following a call-out in January 2015, dancers from across the city-region worked with Reggie ‘Regg Roc’ Gray and other Flexers from Brooklyn to co-create the show – visiting the New York premiere of FlexN at the Park Avenue Armory along the way and culminating in seven sell-out performances at Granada Studios.

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9/28/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: New Orleans (1947) Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman- Musical Movie

It’s the Lowdown of Wicked Old Basin Street! And the Music That Made It Wicked! A gambling hall owner relocates from New Orleans to Chicago and entertains his patrons with hot jazz by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman & his Orchestra, and others. Continue reading