Killer Diller (1948)

Killer Diller is a 1948 American musical comedy race film directed by Josh Binney and released by All American. Academic and comedienne Eddie Tafoya wrote that "Killer Diller is really more concerned with showcasing black talent appearing at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater than it is with providing audiences with a satisfying story." The movie features The Clark Brothers (tap dancers), Nat King Cole, Moms Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Butterfly McQueen, the Andy Kirk Orchestra and the Four Congaroos (dancing the Lindy Hop). René J. Hall was the film's arranger. Plot: An all-Black comedy and dance revue with stars of stage and screen. Synopsis: African American musical variety show featuring The Nat King Cole Trio, the Clark Brothers and other musical and comedy acts. Storyline: A theater owner needing a magician wants to see the magic act and the magician obliges by making the girlfriend disappear not to mention the police who come to investigate. A chase begins, which gets paused as the show must go on. What follows are some dynamite musical and comedy acts including Nat King Cole, the Clark Brothers and Moms Mabley as part of an African American musical variety show. Production: It was shot at the RKO Pathé studio. The acts were performed and filmed before a live, segregated audience, with African Americans seated in the balcony. Review: Film Threat reviewer Phil Hall wrote: "It suffers from all of the vices that were prevalent in the race films: painfully low budgets, inadequate direction, uneven performances and wobbly writing. But that is just for the narrative section of the movie. The rest of "Killer Diller" is blessed with an extraordinary cast of talented performers who went far above and beyond the limitations of their material." We do not own the rights to any of this film. This film is being used for historical and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Black Excellence:    / @blackexcellence-w2t