Tonight's Movies: Hi De Ho (1947) and Boarding House Blues (1948) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

This weekend I caught up with Kino Lorber's terrific double feature collection of HI DE HO (1947) and BOARDING HOUSE BLUES (1948).

The set was released in conjunction with the Library of Congress. The first movie, HI DE HO, stars famed singer Cab Calloway, while the second film, BOARDING HOUSE BLUES, stars Jackie "Moms" Mabley.

These are '40s musicals which were produced and distributed by All-American for black audiences in big cities and the south. Many such films are now considered "lost," so those which survive are important pieces of both cinema and black history, especially as these films, such as the two in this set, often showcasded famous black performers of the era.

Kino Lorber also provides a short yet insightful introduction to BOARDING HOUSE BLUES by Ina Archer, plus half a dozen Soundies, which are listed at the end of this review. For anyone unfamiliar with Soundies, I invite checking out my 2023 review of Kino Lorber's Soundies: The Ultimate Collection, for which Archer also provided some of the introductions.

In HI DE HO, written by Hal Seeger, Calloway plays a character with his own name. His girlfriend Minnie (Jeni Le Gon) suspects he's having an affair with his business manager Nettie (Ida James), but the truth is he's true blue. (That doesn't stop him from smacking her around...Minnie gets it from a couple different characters in the movie, which is shocking viewed from 2025.)

A mobster, Boss Mason (George Wiltshire), tries to get Cab to switch from performing at the nightclub where Nettie made a deal to his own place...and when Cab refuses, he sends a hired gun (James Dunmore) looking for him.

Calloway is reasonably believable in the lead role, but as for the rest of the cast, I've seen lines delivered with more panache in school plays. I was a bit surprised at the weakness of Le Gon's performance, given she was memorably amusing the following year as Ann Miller's maid Essie in EASTER PARADE (1948). James is likeable, and I enjoyed her role in the charming finale.

Despite the weak acting, the film's 72 minutes speed by. The flat acting and mostly bare bones sets really don't matter given that the vast majority of the film is music -- and terrific music, too. It's like turning on a nonstop jukebox!

I thoroughly enjoyed it, including numbers seen late in the film by the singing group the Peters Sisters and an absolutely terrific tap dancing routine by the "Miller Bros. and Lois."

Most of HI DE HO's black and white print, taken from a 35mm camera negative, is great; where necessary, there are some moments cut in from a rougher 16mm print. Audio is excellent.

BOARDING HOUSE BLUES, also written by Seegar, is a longer film, running 90 minutes. The plot and acting might be even flimsier, as Moms Mabley and her tenants are threatened with eviction from their boarding house -- the bill collector (Emory Richardson) showing up is straight out of old-school melodrama -- but once again, there's such a wealth of great music so that the plot and weak acting doesn't matter very much.

There are some wacky moments early on involving a man in a monkey suit, but as the movie goes on, many performers get a chance to shine. A couple times I paused the movie so I could look up the backgrounds of people such as singer Anistine Allen or pianist Una Mae Carlisle. I did wonder why pretty Marie Cooke, a boarding house resident introduced as a singer, never performed.

My absolute favorite number was Bull Moose Jackson (seen here) singing the moody "Yes I Do" with Lucky Millinder and His Band. Fantastic stuff, and now I want to find more of his work.

The BOARDING HOUSE BLUES print from the original negative is extremely good, and again, the sound quality is excellent.

Both films were directed by Josh Binney. HI DE HO was filmed by Don Malkames, with BOARDING HOUSE BLUES filmed by Sid Zucker.

The set contains half a dozen Soundies as extras, Three of the Soundies star Cab Calloway: MINNIE THE MOOCHER (1942), BLUES IN THE NIGHT (1942), and WE THE CATS SHALL HEP YA (1945). I especially enjoyed BLUES IN THE NIGHT, simply because I love the song.

The other three Soundies star Lucky Millinder from BOARDING HOUSE BLUES: SHOUT! SISTER, SHOUT! (1941), HELLO BILL (1946), and I WANT A MAN (1946).

Besides all the great music, I also very much enjoyed gaining greater understanding of so-called "black cinema" of its era.  I highly recommend this set, especially for anyone who loves '40s jazz.

For anyone who didn't yet pick up Kino Lorber's Soundies set, I recommend getting  the two collections together to enjoy hours of musical greatness.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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