Jail House Blues
Encyclopedia
Jailhouse Blues is a motion picture released by Columbia Pictures
. This musical
short film features Mamie Smith
, who was a top star in Black Vaudeville and a recording artist with Okeh Records
, although by the time Jailhouse Blues was made her contract with Okeh had ended.
, "Jailhouse Blues" and "You Can't Do It!" as custom recordings, evidently used for synchronization purposes.
Jailhouse Blues is often referred to as a "lost film," though technically it hasn't been; the visual element has been held at the Library of Congress for a long time, but no soundtrack disc was known. At one point a disc was located, but was destroyed accidentally in shipping. An intact disc was discovered in Australia in 2009 and, as of this writing (March 2011) the short is slated for preservation. Two short clips from Jailhouse Blues was shown on a 1961 DuPont Show of the Week broadcast, and this has served as the source of the widely circulated clips and audio from the film since.
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. This musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
short film features Mamie Smith
Mamie Smith
-External links:* African American Registry* with photos* with .ram files of her early recordings* NPR special on the selection on "Crazy Blues" to the 2005...
, who was a top star in Black Vaudeville and a recording artist with Okeh Records
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, although by the time Jailhouse Blues was made her contract with Okeh had ended.
Synopsis
Mamie is missing her man, and finds him in jail. She pleads through her singing for his release.Related History and Preservation Status
Two songs were prerecorded by Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
, "Jailhouse Blues" and "You Can't Do It!" as custom recordings, evidently used for synchronization purposes.
Jailhouse Blues is often referred to as a "lost film," though technically it hasn't been; the visual element has been held at the Library of Congress for a long time, but no soundtrack disc was known. At one point a disc was located, but was destroyed accidentally in shipping. An intact disc was discovered in Australia in 2009 and, as of this writing (March 2011) the short is slated for preservation. Two short clips from Jailhouse Blues was shown on a 1961 DuPont Show of the Week broadcast, and this has served as the source of the widely circulated clips and audio from the film since.