{{Short description|1940 American short film}} {{italic title}} '''''Harlem Hotshots''''' is an American short film from 1940 produced by Sack Amusements.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmDwDwAAQBAJ&dq=harlem+hotshots+dance&pg=PA229 |title=Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926–1959 |first=Graham |last=Webb |date=July 13, 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476681184 |via=Google Books |language=en}}</ref> The 20 minute film is a musical.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Cyr |first=Helen W. |url=https://archive.org/details/filmographyofthi0000cyrh_z0k5/page/144/mode/2up |title=A Filmography of the Third World: An Annotated List of 16mm Films, Volume 1 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-8108-0940-6 |location=Metuchen, NJ |pages=144}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Harlem Hot Shots |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/jots.200015973/ |access-date=2021-11-13 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> One poster for the film includes a skyline of buildings and street sign for Lenox Avenue and 125th Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.new.oscars.org/Details/Archive/70249576 |title=ACADEMY COLLECTIONS &#124; details |website=collections.new.oscars.org}}</ref> The film was reissued in 1986 as part of ''Jazz Classics, No. 110; Harlem Harmonies Volume 1, 1940–1945''.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpQVuUAc1y8C&dq=dance+of+the+bellhops+stringbean+jackson&pg=PA68 |title=Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress |first=Rebecca D. |last=Clear |date=November 14, 1993 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=9780788114366 |via=Google Books |language=en}}</ref>

== Performances == The film includes Leon Gross and his Orchestra playing "The Swingeroo Stomp", " Dear Old Southland", and "I Found a New Baby", as well as Cora Harris singing "Heaven Help That Heart of Mine". "Dance of the Bellhops" is performed by Stringbean Jackson and the Red Lily Chorus.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmDwDwAAQBAJ&dq=cora+harris+singer&pg=PA229 |title=Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926–1959 |first=Graham |last=Webb |date=July 13, 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476681184 |via=Google Books |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpQVuUAc1y8C&dq=the+swingeroo+stomp&pg=PA51 |title=Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress |first=Rebecca D. |last=Clear |date=November 14, 1993 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=9780788114366 |via=Google Books |language=en}}</ref>

== Cast == * Cora Harris and her orchestra<ref name=":0" /> * Lena Horne<ref name=":0" /> * Stingbean Jackson * Leon Gross (also known as Archibald) and his orchestra<ref>{{cite book |last=Clear |first=Rebecca D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpQVuUAc1y8C |title=Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress |publisher=Diane Publishing |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-7881-1436-6 |pages=68 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Stratemann |first=Klaus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCY5AQAAIAAJ |title=Negro Bands on Film: Big bands, 1928–1950 |publisher=Verlag Uhle & Kleimann |year=1981 |isbn=978-3-922657-18-7 |location=Lübbecke, Germany |pages=123 |language=en}}</ref> * The Red Lilly Chorus<ref name=":0" /> * Teddy Wilson and his orchestra

== Later influences == A 1953 film of the same name compiles the work of rhythm & blues and jazz musicians including Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, and Bill Bailey. It runs 50 minutes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogle |first=Patrick |url=https://archive.org/details/facetsafricaname00ogle/page/196/mode/2up |title=Facets African-American video guide |date=1994 |publisher=Facets Multimedia, Inc. / Academy Chicago Publishers |isbn=978-0-89733-402-0 |page=197 |language=en}}</ref>

''Harlem Hotshots'' was also the name of a jazz group fronted by Freddie Webster.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 1950 |title=Ebony |page=28 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_ebony_1950-01_5_3/page/28/mode/2up |access-date=2021-11-08 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=B. Lee |title=I Want a Bowlegged Woman: The Greatest Hits, 1945–1955 |journal=Popular Music and Society |date=15 April 2019 |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=2–3 |doi=10.1080/03007766.2019.1598749 |s2cid=194641264 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03007766.2019.1598749?journalCode=rpms20 |issn=0300-7766 |language=en|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== See also == * ''Dirty Gertie from Harlem, U.S.A.''

== References == {{reflist}}

== Further reading == {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last1=Horak |first1=Jan-Christopher |editor-first1=Barbara |editor-last1=Lupack |title=Early Race Filmmaking in America |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-69275-3 |edition=1st |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315692753-19/preserving-race-films-jan-christopher-horak |chapter=Preserving Race Films |doi=10.4324/9781315692753 |language=en |archive-date=2021-11-12 |access-date=2021-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112165513/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315692753-19/preserving-race-films-jan-christopher-horak |url-status=dead }} * {{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=George William |title=Black Cinema Treasures: Lost and Found |year=1991 |publisher=University of North Texas |isbn=978-0-929398-26-6 |page=152 |language=en}} * {{cite journal |last1=Limbacher |first1=James L. |title=Blacks On Film |journal=Journal of Popular Film |date=1 October 1975 |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=358–378 |doi=10.1080/00472719.1975.10661788 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00472719.1975.10661788?journalCode=vzpf20 |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 November 2021 |issn=0047-2719 |language=en }} {{refend}}

== External links == * {{IMDb title|tt0830903}}

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Category:1940 musical films Category:1940 short films Category:1940 films Category:Films set in Harlem