Killer Diller
by Josh Binney
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jackie ""Moms"" Mabley,usty Fletcher,Butterfly McQueen,George Wiltshire,Freddie Robinson Nat ""King"" Cole TrioDirector: Josh Binney
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-12-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Alpha Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Killer Diller
Movie Review: Great entertainment !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I for one REALLY liked this movie. Oh, sure, these Hollywood musicals from the 1940s never had much of a plot--and this movie is no exception. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the singing and dancing in "the show" within the show even if the plot is razor thin!
The action begins in a theater on the day of an important show. The theater manager, Mr. Dumdom (George Wiltshire), gives a beautiful string of pearls to his fiancée, Lola (Nellie Hill). When Lola goes missing after Dusty Fletcher's magic trick goes bad, Dumdom calls in the police. The police play the equivalent of a black Keystone Cops group who are about as clueless as anyone could ever get. They follow Dusty Fletcher the magician all over the theater without much success at catching him and solving the puzzle of the whereabouts of Lola and the missing pearls.
Will the cops ever retrieve the missing pearls and Lola? Will magician Dusty Fletcher go to jail? What about the Mr. Dumdom's secretary, Butterfly (Butterfly McQueen), who is wooed by Dusty the magician? Will they marry? How does Jackie "Moms" Mabley manage to control the house when things go really wrong? No spoilers here--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out the answers!
Although there is a plot, it is razor thin as I mentioned before. The real value of Killer Diller rests in the show that Mr. Dumdom puts on for the crowd at the theater that evening. You get great entertainment that impressed me greatly! There's a rather young Nat "King" Cole playing piano and singing as part of the King Cole Trio; Moms Mabley does her standup comedy act; Beverly White belts out songs about being independent and free of marriage and The Clark Brothers do an awesome impersonation of The Ink Spots and they tap dance, too! The Andy Kirk Orchestra plays some great jazz and the show concludes with the beautiful Varietiettes young ladies dancing all over the stage. There's even more entertainment; but I'll leave the other parts out so you will get some very pleasant and entertaining surprises!
Overall, this movie gives us a rare look at how hard African Americans worked early on in the history of cinema. The acting may not always be the best; but the show stopping numbers rank a perfect score of 10 in my book! The image quality is not the best; apparently they did the best they could with film that had not been carefully preserved.
I highly recommend Killer Diller for persons who want to learn about the fine contributions African Americans made early on in motion pictures; and people who enjoy musicals with singing and dancing will enjoy this movie, too.
Great job, everyone!!!
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