1916BLACK ENTERTAINERS
SAME AS F-1104 BUT HIGHER QUALITY AND MORE COMPLETE
Silent film 1916 - "A Natural Born Gambler", starring vaudeville and pantomime star, Bert Williams. One of the first films ever made starring a Negro. With narration unseen about Bert Williams' career. Williams performs the only movie of one of his most famous pantomimes, "The Poker Game".
Entire movie repeats one more time but narration is slowed.
Silent film 1916 - "A Natural Born Gambler", starring vaudeville and pantomime star, Bert Williams. One of the first films ever made starring a Negro. With narration unseen about Bert Williams' career. Williams performs the only movie of one of his most famous pantomimes, "The Poker Game".
Entire movie repeats one more time but narration is slowed.
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| 01:00:02 2.12 |
Film title slates: A Natural Born Gambler starring Bert Williams - 1916 - with narration states this was one of the first films ever made starring a Negro.
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| 01:00:15 15.84 |
Black man bartender in the bar alone. He fills several empty liquor bottles lined up on the bar with gallon jugs of spirits. Just doing his job.
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| 01:00:29 29.28 |
Slate
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| 01:00:30 30.92 |
Small meeting room filled with Black men (apparently the back room of the bar). A sign, barely seen in bkgd hanging from fireplace in back of room, "De Library". A man in Blackface enters (played by the actor, Bert Williams), greets some folk and takes a seat. He is confronted by another man, seemingly arrogant, standing at the head of the room.
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| 01:00:40 40.73 |
Slate states man has not paid his dues.
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| 01:00:46 45.98 |
The two men are seen arguing at the front of the room. The Blackface man very sadly pays the dues and takes his seat. With unseen narration states that Bert Williams was a light skinned Negro, hence the "Blackface".
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| 01:01:33 93.05 |
Slate.
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| 01:01:36 96.44 |
Group of Black men in another meeting. Men standing, talking amongst themselves, shaking hands. Bert Williams' character in front of the room.
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| 01:01:48 108.37 |
The men suddenly gather around a table, appear to be arguing a bit and reach into their pockets.
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| 01:01:50 110.43 |
Men in the bar. Some are gathered around a small table in the bkgd.
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| 01:01:53 113.01 |
CU of the "Weekly Bugle" editorial column about "The Gambling Evil".
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| 01:01:55 115.75 |
Group of men are seen standing around a table gambling, throwing dice. Another man enters pointing to the newspaper he holds in his hands. Narrator unseen explains, a gambling 'clean-up' is underway. The men clear the room.
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| 01:02:34 154.27 |
Slate.
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| 01:02:38 158.68 |
Group of men again seen in "De Library". Bert Wiliams in Blackface, talking with a new character who counts out some cash. With unseen narration about the actor, Bert Williams' career.
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| 01:02:58 178.05 |
Williams' enters the bar, puts on his top hat, and talks with the bartender.
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| 01:03:11 191.39 |
Williams' sends a friend outside to watch for 'de cop'. He's on the look-out.
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| 01:03:13 193.54 |
Man with big white mustache and top hat outside the bar
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| 01:03:16 196.43 |
Inside the bar, men drinking, and Williams takes off his hat, fills it with cash and leaves.
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| 01:03:21 201.84 |
Men in back room sit around a small table gambling. Williams comes in, empties his top hat, sits down and joins in.
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| 01:03:37 217.47 |
Same man outside in front of the bar walking around with a cane.
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| 01:03:41 221.56 |
Back to the men gambling. Williams, smiling and laughing, deals the cards as others look on.
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| 01:04:04 244.76 |
Slate: The Town Sleuth on the lookout for gambling.
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| 01:04:05 245.79 |
Outside the bar, a man smoking casually enters walks by the unknowing lookout guy.
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| 01:04:10 250.76 |
Gamblers in the back room, still playing poker, large group of guys look on as game progresses. Williams reaches into his pocket and counts out a wad of cash and throws it on the table. Onlookers are fascinated.
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| 01:04:34 274.6 |
Meanwhile the sleuth enters the bar and sees doors to the back room.
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| 01:04:56 296.16 |
The lookout guy walks into the back room and warns the gamblers. They very quickly rush to cancel and clean up the game.
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| 01:05:02 302.42 |
Sleuth at the bar has a drink then is seen entering the back room.
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| 01:05:06 306.64 |
Men in the back room are now "innocently" having conversation and just hanging around as the sleuth enters.
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| 01:05:10 310.04 |
Slate
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| 01:05:18 318.93 |
Bert Williams in all innocence talking with sleuth. Sleuth leaves back room and exits the bar.
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| 01:05:36 336.77 |
Sleuth tips his hat to the onlooker outside and looks at his pocket watch
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| 01:05:40 340 |
In the back room, the gambling continues. The men cheat. A barefoot under the table, Williams places money in between the toes.
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| 01:06:24 383.99 |
CU hand placing a card in between the toes of his barefoot - the barefoot approach (to cheating)
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| 01:07:02 422.28 |
Outside, a large group of policemen led by the sleuth approach the bar and charge in swinging their clubs.
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| 01:07:06 426.91 |
Poor bartender sweeping up, helplessly looks on as the policemen charge into the back room.
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| 01:07:09 429.25 |
Policemen raid the game. The players led by policemen are led out of the bar and loaded one by one into the paddy wagon.
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| 01:07:33 453.33 |
Bert Williams' last one left in the back room picks up his top hat, puts it on, and cards and money fall out.
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| 01:07:45 465.53 |
Outside Williams is led to the waiting paddy wagon. He puts on his top hat and faints backwards into the arms of the police. They collectively lift him up and throw him into the wagon.
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| 01:08:01 481.04 |
Courtroom. The gamblers arrive, stand in front of the judge for arraignment.
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| 01:08:12 492.53 |
Great shot of Williams' Blackface - he stands in front of the judge with a lawyer. the judge bangs his gavel as the proud lawyer smiles.
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| 01:08:34 514.23 |
Slate: I'll give you three days to leave town
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| 01:08:37 517.5 |
Still in the courtroom, CU of Williams, the Judge and Lawyer. The Judge hands the lawyer the money from the gambling game as payment for his work. The laywer holding the cash smiles big! Williams frowns big.
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| 01:09:10 550.88 |
Slate: jail sentence
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| 01:09:19 559.48 |
Williams, standing alone in his jail cell, performs a pantomime of a poker game. Narrator unseen states this is the only movie of one of Williams most famous pantomimes.
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| 01:11:08 668.75 |
The End.
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| 01:11:10 670.83 |
Production slate.
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| 01:11:15 675.86 |
Entire movie repeats. Narration is slowed down,
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| 01:26:12 1572 |
End reel.
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