It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Reet, Petite, and Gone (1947) – Musical #702

Studio:
Astor Pictures

Director:
William Forest Crouch

Starring:
Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five, June Richmond, Milton Woods, Bea Griffith, Lorenzo Tucker, Pat Rainey, Vanita Smythe, David Bethea

Plot:
Sklyer Jarvis (Jordan) is on his death bed and remembering his lost love. He wants his son, bandleader Louis Jarvis (also Jordan), to marry Honey Carter (Griffith), the daughter of Skyler’s former girlfriend. The marriage is the only way Louis will inherit his father’s fortune. Unfortunately, Skyler’s unscrupulous lawyer (Tucker) tries to change Skyler’s will and keep the couple apart.

Trivia:
• First feature film of June Richmond
• Only feature film of Bea Griffith and Pat Rainey
• The title comes from the name of Louis Jordan’s song of the same title.
• Final film of Lorenz Tucker and David Bethea

Highlights:
• Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five performing multiple songs

Notable Songs:
• “Texas and Pacific” performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
• “All for the Love of Lil” performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
• “Tonight, Be Tender To Me” performed by Bea Griffith and Bea Griffith
• “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’” performed by Pat Rainey, Louis Jourdan & The Tympany Five
• “The Green Grass Grew All Around” performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
• “I’ve Changed Completely” performed by June Richmond
• “Wham Sam (Dig Them Gams)” performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
• “Let the Good Times Roll” performed by performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five

My review:
Light on plot but heavy on the music, REET, PETITE AND GONE (1947) is an excellent songbook of bandleader Louis Jordan’s music.

In just 66 minutes, this film boasts and impressive 13 songs!

The plot aspect follows the death of Jordan’s father, who wants his son to marry a specific woman before inheriting money. However, an unethical lawyer tries to hide this fact from Jordan and steer him towards another woman.

In between searching for the perfect love mate, Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five perform several excellent songs.

REET, PETITE AND GONE (1947) is known as a “race film,” starring an all-Black cast for segregated audiences. Produced between the dawn of film through the early 1950s, these films were produced outside of major Hollywood studios.

Compared to other race films, REET, PETITE AND GONE doesn’t still include stereotypes. It mainly focuses on music.

This is a brisk film that’s lots of fun, particularly of all the excellent songs.

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