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Description
Lena Horne plays a rising club singer in this jazzy musical. Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and Dooley Wilson co-star.

Review
Stormy Weather is one of those '40s musical films that make the viewer wish the powers that be had just junked the supposed story line and filmed a straight revue instead. The screenplay is not really worse than many other such efforts, but it reeks of contrivance from the word go. The rise-and-fall romance between Lena Horne and Bill Robinson forms the core of the story, and it's slashed out in such broad strokes that there's no credibility to it. Fortunately, Stormy Weather spends a great deal more time singing and dancing than it does talking, and the talent on hand more than makes up for the shortcomings of the script. While some of the comedy is forced, there are no complaints about the musical numbers, with Robinson dancing across an assortment of drums in the "African Dance" and displaying his signature infectiousness throughout, and wonderful Ada Brown tearing up "That Ain't Right." The Nicholas Brothers employ enough splits and recoveries to make every viewer's eyes widen in wonder (and their thighs ache in compassion), Fats Waller delivers an insinuating "Ain't Misbehavin'" and Cab Calloway displays plenty of "hi-de-ho" magic. But it's Horne that one remembers most, from her delectable "There's No Two Ways About Love" through her lively "Diga Diga Do," and culminating in a torrid "Stormy Weather" that, even at this young age, she handles with an intimate understanding. The talents on display deserved a better script than they received, but they shine nonetheless. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

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20 Reviews 5 star:  (14) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (20 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: A fine musical, Jun 4 2004 By  Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews       This review is from: Stormy Weather (VHS Tape) Format: Black & White Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Video Release Date: May 20, 2003 Director: Andrew L. Stone Cast: Lena Horne Bill Robinson Cab Calloway Fats Waller Dooley Wilson Katherine Dunmam and her troope Nicholas Brothers Ada Brown and others This is an old Black and White, originally copyrighted in 1943, copyright renewed in 1971 by Twentieth Century Fox from a screenplay by Frederick Jackson and Ted Koehler. Lena Horne was young and beautiful, playing a singing star who met a soldier returning from the First World War (Robinson), and they fell in love, but she doesn't want to give up her singing career to get married and settle down. They go their own ways. The story continues through the beginning of the Second World War, when they finally finalize their dreams. No one ever sang Stormy Weather like Lena Horne. This film is great for the music and dancing, and because of the energy the cast puts into it. It is an out-and-out musical, with an all black cast. Fine entertainment. If the film were made today political correctness would prevent some of the language, because of "ebonics" rather than epithets or bad language, and the minstrel scenes with colored people using blackface in their acts would never be tolerated today, although they, too, were innocent. Too bad we've gone so far that we've lost our sense of humor in our attempt to placate the super-sensitivity of a few. Lena Horne has to be one of the great singers of the last century. Joseph (Joe) Pierre Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Where is the DVD?, Aug 26 2002 By A Customer This review is from: Stormy Weather (VHS Tape) This movie is a wonderful testament to the talent of African Americans who had great difficulty finding quality vehicles to show off their talent and genius. I've watched this movie many times and never tire of seeing these people whose CDs help fill my shelves-Lena Horne, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway. But CDs don't show Bill Robinson (Sammy Davis Jr. immortalized him in the song, "Bojangles") or the Nicholas Brothers. Please put this on DVD, with or without extras! Just get it there! Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   This picture will take you by storm, Jun 27 2007 By  Jenny J.J.I. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Northern Nevada) - See all my reviews    The plot of this story might be thin about the fictionalized life of Bill `Mr. Bojangles' Robinson, and his on again/off again romantic relationship with a love interest but I found it to be one of the single most exhilarating films I've ever seen. This all black film may not be a masterpiece in terms of its cinematic technique, but it captures more than a dozen performances, each of which can itself be termed a masterpiece. Horne rendition of "Stormy Weather" is singularly, powerfully erotic. Robinson is great and has several fantastic numbers (he's obviously getting old, but he still has a ton of energy). Many other great black performers grace the screen, among them Fats Waller Katherine Dunham, Ada Brown, and the Nicholas Brothers, who deliver a dance that equals anything either Astaire or Kelly accomplished. Dooley Wilson does not sing, but he has a very funny supporting role (the film delivers big time in laughs, including a very amusing blackface scene). As many hugely entertaining performances there are in the first three-quarters, the film shifts into high gear when Cab Calloway shows up. I absolutely love this guy, one of the weirdest and most original stylists that ever existed in America. But it's not just his appearance that ups the ante. The film has an amazing sense of pace, and it builds steadily to a musical finale which can only be described as orgasmic. It was thrilling to be able to see the talent actors and all the skills offered through their dancing and singing abilities. All of the dance numbers and costumes really represented the time period. The way the dancers moved were both creative and unique, especially indisputably impressive Nicholas Brothers. "Stormy Weather" is a testament to black art of the first half of the 20th Century, and the achievements must not be forgotten. Twentieth Century Fox really broke the mold with this movie in response to FDR's urging. It finally gave actors of color the chance to show off their tremendous talent also allowing them to have more of an equal role in society. Although there still were laws restricting the interaction between whites and blacks in films, it certainly brought them out the repetitive demeaning roles of slaves and servants. This may very well be the best place to go if you want to discover them. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers:  › See all 20 customer reviews...		Most recent customer reviews Black & White never looked so good. The 1943 Fox classic Stormy Weather introduced Lena Horne to the world and gave a wide range of delightful talent a chance to 'strut their stuff'. Read more Published on Jan 8 2004 by Craig During Outstanding This is wonderful. I wish these folks were around, young, and on the Radio and Screen today. Put this on DVD PLEASE, my VHS tape will wear out from introducing todays kids... Read more Published on Nov 23 2002 by Stephen J. Hawkins "If you buy the premise..." ...as my mother used to say, "you buy the bit." Because movies of the 1940's featuring black artists playing actual characters and not specialty acts were still a rarity (America... Read more Published on Nov 22 2002 by Chris Aldridge A Classic picture of African-American History Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, and Fats Waller. That line up alone is a historic line-up. Read more Published on Oct 25 2002 by rodog63jr