After several years of only seeing the last hour of this movie, I finally watched the whole thing on Netflix Streaming. Nat King Cole plays the famous composer W.C. Handy and he's not bad. I especially was touched when his character's blindness caused him to bump into things. And non-musicians Juano Hernandez as his father Reverend Charles Handy and Ruby Dee as girlfriend Elizabeth, respectively, certainly hold their own when sharing scenes with singers Pearl Bailey and Eartha Kitt. Cab Calloway also effectively conveys his role as a hustling businessman though unlike the others, he doesn't do any singing which is too bad. The actual story is probably more colorful than what was presented here but it wasn't bad for what it was. And how enjoyable to see not only Ms. Bailey and Kitt do their thing but also Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson, too! And of course, Nat King Cole looks cool every time he's at the piano warbling Handy's tunes. It was also interesting to see Billy Preston as a young boy at the beginning as the child Handy and such musicians like Barney Bigard, Teddy Buckner, George "Red" Callender, Lee Young, and George Washington sitting in the band. Really, all I'll say now is St. Louis Blues is worth seeing for the number of musical icons in one film that are presented here.

Thanks to TCM for showing this extraordinary and constantly surprising film, one this film-lover was completely unaware of. It has everything to delight: the incredible line-up of musical super-stars in the first place, and the subtle but strong acting performances from each member of such a glittering cast (whether in a major or supporting role, as if part of a repertory company) did so much to delineate the fine story values that had social impact and tugged at the heart. The shining glimpses of greatness never ceased to entertain and astonish all the senses (ear, mind, eye . . .) in this gem of a film that has rarely been equaled from this musician's perspective.

Central to the story is the antagonism between W.C Handy and his disapproving father, Reverend Charles Handy. The usual plot turns ensue while W.C. wrestles with his conscience, on the one hand as an obedient and under-empowered son, and on the other as a first-class and inspired musician. The story's a bit of a clunker, and some of the acting a bit two-dimensional. The good Reverend hams it up for us, looking much younger than his apparent signs of extreme age - the limp and gray hair more theatrical than filmic - while Nat King Cole's W.C. Handy suffers from soap opera indigestion. However, Eartha Kitt delivers the films best lines (and attitude) in a beautifully understated performance. It doesn't hurt, either, that she looks like a million dollars while doing it. The movie has the look and feel of having had a decent budget, and the sound in the television screening I saw was flawless, which made the real point of the movie outstanding: the music. To see so much of black America's musical talent of the time, performing in a medium atypical for them, is pure joy. The arrangements and delivery are breathtaking, especially for Eartha Kitt and Nat King Cole, while other numbers from the cast of luminaries are shining examples of their work. It's extraordinary that there is, to date, no DVD available for this film and a shame that more people will not get a chance to see - and hear - this historic gem.

I really enjoyed this movie. And it was really nice seeing my all-time favorite singer, Mahalia Jackson, use her acting skills. Also, Pearl Bailey was very funny in this film- the protective aunt, as I would call her. Eartha Kitt was great and very believable- she really played the part! Nat "King" Cole, to me, still seemed a little shy on camera, but I was told that he was a shy individual. Young Billy Preston did very well with his acting and he "tore up" that organ- as he is already known for doing. There just aren't any words that I can use to describe my feelings for this video, except for it's awesome, great, and fantastic!I give it an A+++