MartinHafer This is a pleasant film about (in some ways) the life of W.C. Handy. Mostly it's watchable because the leading man, Nat King Cole, was very assured in this role and because his voice was heavenly. It also didn't hurt that you get to see performances by great Black performers such as Ertha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway (though Calloway never gets to sing in the film).Many of the real life incidents in W.C. Handy's life are present in this movie--and many are twisted an misrepresented for the sake of making an entertaining film. On one hand, Handy's father DID protest against his son playing 'devil music' and pushed him to only play church music. But on the other, in a VERY egregious manipulation of the facts, young Handy goes blind--possibly because he defied his father. In real life, while Handy DID go blind, it was at the age of 70 after he fell from a subway platform and hit his head!! In the film, it happens when he's in his 20s and only is restored when he plays church music once again!!! Utter clap-trap!! My advice is DON'T watch the film as history--watch it for its entertainment value. It's quite watchable and it's a shame Cole didn't get other starring roles, as he was very good.By the way, if you do watch this film, I also suggest you watch "The Waterboy" with Adam Sandler as well as "The Jazz Singer"! It's actually very, very funny how much these three films are alike--something you'd never expect!! In particular, it's just about the exact same plot as "The Jazz Singer"--but it's also a lot better!! Seriously. Also, the little kid who plays W.C. at the beginning of the film is Billy Preston--who later went on to some fame as a session musician with such stars as Sam Cooke and the Beatles (some call him the 'fifth Beatle' because of his work on their albums) and ultimately made a name for himself as a solo act.

tavm After several years of only seeing the last hour of this movie, I finally watched the whole thing on Netflix Streaming. Nat King Cole plays the famous composer W.C. Handy and he's not bad. I especially was touched when his character's blindness caused him to bump into things. And non-musicians Juano Hernandez as his father Reverend Charles Handy and Ruby Dee as girlfriend Elizabeth, respectively, certainly hold their own when sharing scenes with singers Pearl Bailey and Eartha Kitt. Cab Calloway also effectively conveys his role as a hustling businessman though unlike the others, he doesn't do any singing which is too bad. The actual story is probably more colorful than what was presented here but it wasn't bad for what it was. And how enjoyable to see not only Ms. Bailey and Kitt do their thing but also Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson, too! And of course, Nat King Cole looks cool every time he's at the piano warbling Handy's tunes. It was also interesting to see Billy Preston as a young boy at the beginning as the child Handy and such musicians like Barney Bigard, Teddy Buckner, George "Red" Callender, Lee Young, and George Washington sitting in the band. Really, all I'll say now is St. Louis Blues is worth seeing for the number of musical icons in one film that are presented here.

hcoursen I found the father-son estrangement contrived along conventional religion vs the devil lines, but moving nonetheless. I had forgotten what a good piano player Nat Cole was. Ertha Kitt is the heart of the film. She acts as she sings -- biting, precise, and all-knowing. I think the great Pearl Bailey is wasted here -- wonderful as the Aunt, but we only hear her singing a snippet of the title song. Cab Calloway was also much more talented than permitted to be here. I saw him as "Sportin' Live" in the post-WW II revival of "Porgy and Bess." We get a too brief taste of the great clarinet player, Barney Bigard, and an anachronistic appearance by Ella Fitzgerald singing "Beale St. Blues." The film provides a good definition of the blues as an authentic American musical and poetic form. This one, almost 50 years old now, has aged well. It makes one regret that more African-American based and performed films were not made when these great stars were available. Thanks again, TCM!

ol_yng_man I really enjoyed this movie. And it was really nice seeing my all-time favorite singer, Mahalia Jackson, use her acting skills. Also, Pearl Bailey was very funny in this film- the protective aunt, as I would call her. Eartha Kitt was great and very believable- she really played the part! Nat "King" Cole, to me, still seemed a little shy on camera, but I was told that he was a shy individual. Young Billy Preston did very well with his acting and he "tore up" that organ- as he is already known for doing. There just aren't any words that I can use to describe my feelings for this video, except for it's awesome, great, and fantastic!I give it an A+++