Classic American Motion Pictures

Legendary blues singer Bessie Smith finds her gambler lover Jimmy messin' with a pretty, younger woman; he leaves and she sings the blues, with chorus and dancers. Cast: Bessie Smith, James P. Johnson, Alec Lovejoy, Jimmy Mordecai, Thomas Morris, Isabel Washington, Bernard Addison, Hall Johnson Choir Director: Dudley Murphy Photography: Walter Strenge Producer: W. C. Handy Editor: Russell G. Shields Distributor: RKO Pictures Release Date: November 5, 1929 Running Time: 16 minutes Murphy, Dudley, et al. St. Louis Blues. 1929. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/mbrs00063365/

A lengthy drought plagues the people of the West, creating a "dust bowl," which is catastrophic for farmers and cattlemen alike. Roy Rogers runs for Congress and when he wins the election, he brings federal assistance to help his home county. Cast: Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnett, Carol Hughes, Maple City Four Director: Joseph Kane Producer: Sol C. Siegel Photography: Jack Marta Film Editor: Lester Orelbeck Musical Director: Alberto Colombo Production Company: Republic Pictures Release Date: April 20, 1938 Running Time: 54 minutes Songs: Send my mail to the county jail, When a cowboy sings a song, Back to the backwoods, Rogers for Congressman Marta, Jack, et al. Under Western Stars. 1938. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/mbrs02023537/