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:
Basin Street Revue (1956) – Musical #802

Studio:
Studio Films

Director:
Joseph Kohn, Leonard Reed

Starring:
Host: Willie Bryant
As Themselves: Sarah Vaughn, Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, Paul Williams and his Orchestra, Jimmy Brown, Amos Milburn, Faye Adams, Charles ‘Honi’ Coles, Colly Atkins, Herb Jeffries, Cab Calloway, Martha Davis, Mantan Moreland, Nipsey Russell, Marie Bryant

Plot:
A musical review of the top performers of the time.

Trivia:
• Filmed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City.
• Nipsey Russell’s third film or TV credit
• Little Buck, The Larks, Count Basie, The Businessmen of Rhythm, Dinah Washington, Freddy and Flo, Nat ‘King’ Cole are all listed in the credits, but don’t appear in the film
• The third concert musical of this similar format. The other two that were released previously were “Rock n’ Roll Revue” and “Rhythm and Blues Revue.”

Highlights:
• Lionel Hampton
• The tap dancing of Charles ‘Honi’ Coles and Cholly Atkins
• Cab Calloway

Notable Songs:
• “Ding Dong Baby” performed by Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra
• “You’re Not the Kind of a Boy” performed by Sarah Vaughan
• “My Love is True” performed by Jimmy Brown with the Paul Williams Orchestra
• “We Just couldn’t Say Goodbye” performed by Martha Davis and Spouse
• “Lovey Dovey” performed by The Clovers
• “These Things I Offer You (For a Lifetime)” performed by Sarah Vaughan
• “A Woman is a Worrisome Thing” performed by Herb Jeffries
• “Calloway Boogie” performed by Cab Calloway

Sarah Vaughn

My review:
Sometimes, you may want to attend a concert without leaving your house. This week’s Musical Monday, BASIN STREET REVUE (1956) fits this bill.

Running at a brisk 40 minutes, this musical is essentially like watching a variety show concert. With host Willie Bryant introducing the acts, seven performances are performed on the stage of the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem.

If you’re wondering about a plot, there isn’t one, just all music—just like watching a televised variety show. It’s fantastic. In 2023, I reviewed Rhythm and Blues Revue (1955), and this is similar to the format of that musical.

For me, of the bevvy of performers who sang, the highlights were seeing xylophonist Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, Sarah Vaughn singing two songs, and Cab Calloway closing out the film with the energetic song, “Calloway Boogie.”

There’s also a fun comedic skit with Nipsey Russell and Mantan Moreland. This is a fun early glimpse at Russell early in his career. While Mantan Moreland may not be a name you’re as familiar with, you certainly know his face if you watch classic films.

Nipsey Russell and Mantan Moreland

However, this film may offer some disappointments, but not with the contents but rather wht it doesn’t include. In the opening credits and original 1956 promotional materials, the film touts performances from: Nat King Cole, Count Basie, Dinah Washington, Little Buck, The Larks, The Businessmen of Rhythm, and Freddy and Flo. Nat King Cole is even on the poster.

However, none of these performances are in the film—at least not in prints that are available today. I thought, perhaps, it was just the print I watched, but while researching, even the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture described the film as the print I reviewed. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any documentation on when or why these performances may have been cut. But for fans of Nat King Cole who were expecting to see him, this comes as a bit of a disappointment.

Despite these performances being edited out at some point, BASIN STREET REVUE (1956) is also so much fun. I really enjoyed the music and the fast moving pace of the performances.

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