''The Black Network'' is an American short musical film released in 1936 that was directed by

Roy Mack Roy Francis McGillicuddy (August 27, 1888 – February 11, 1960), known as Roy Mack, was an American baseball team executive owner who co-owned the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League with his brother Earle Mack from through . Mack w ...

and released through Vitaphone. It is extant.

Synopsis

Nina Mae McKinney plays the star performer of a radio show who must contend with the wife of a sponsor who wants to take over her spot. The wife, Mezzanine, is more than willing to use her husband's shoe polish company to blackmail the show to do as she wishes. Ultimately Mezzanine's singing is so terrible that listeners complain and she is taken off the show, the status quo restored.

Cast

Nina Mae McKinney Nina Mae McKinney (June 12, 1912 – May 3, 1967) was an American actress who worked internationally during the 1930s and in the postwar period in theatre, film and television, after beginning her career on Broadway and in Hollywood. Dubbed ...

The Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of biological brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their u ...

* The Washboard Serenaders *

Babe Wallace Babe or babes may refer to: * Babe, a term of endearment * A newborn baby * An Physically attractive, attractive (especially female) person People Nickname * Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Babe Barna (1917– ...

Amanda Randolph Amanda E. Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress, singer and musician. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's ''The Laytons' ...

as Mezzanine Johnson

Production

''The Black Network'' went into production at the Brooklyn Vitaphone studios during December 1935, starting on December 7.

and

were announced as the film's stars; they had previously worked together in the 1932 Roy Mack film ''

Pie Pie Blackbird ''Pie, Pie Blackbird'' is a 1932 Vitaphone pre-Code short comedy film released by Warner Bros. on June 4, 1932, starring African American performers Nina Mae McKinney, the Nicholas Brothers (in their film debut, albeit uncredited), Eubie Blake, a ...

''. The film, which was created as part of the "Broadway Brevity" series, adapted a script written by A. Dorian Otvos and special songs were credited to Cliff Hess. Photography was by Ray Foster and the film was edited by Bert Frank.

Release

''The Black Network'' was released to theaters in 1936, where it was shown as a supplemental film alongside movies such as '' The Lion's Den'' and ''

Adventure in Manhattan ''Adventure in Manhattan'' (UK title: ''Manhattan Madness'') is a 1936 American screwball comedy thriller film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea. The screenplay was written by Sidney Buchman, Harry Sauber, Jack ...

''.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' praised ''The Black Network'', citing the actors' performances as a highlight while noting that the story was not original.

References

External links

*
''The Black Network''
at the

TCM Movie Database Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Network, The 1936 musical comedy films 1936 short films American short films African-American films