THE NOTORIOUS ELINOR LEE (1940) MISSING SOUND | Gladys Williams | Drama, Black Cinema | B&W

The Notorious Elinor Lee is a 1940 race film directed, written, and co-produced by the African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.

MISSING SOUND AFTER 20 MINUTES!!!

SYNOPSIS
Elinor Lee, a gangster’s moll living in the Harlem section of New York City, has signed up-and-coming boxer Benny Blue to a 10-year contract. Lee and a pair of corrupt fight promoters scheme to build up Blue as a potential champion, with the goal of betting against him when they force him to take a dive in a championship fight. To control Blue, Lee conspires to hire Fredi, an old friend of Blue and an escaped convict hiding from the law, to be his sweetheart and manipulate him for Lee and her partners.

The plans are derailed when Blue loses a key fight to a German boxer. However, he works to regain his standing in the sport and is able to meet the German in a rematch after two years have passed. Lee and her partners bet against Blue, but they are financially ruined when Blue prevails in the fight and comes out the winner.

CAST & CREW
Gladys Williams: Elinor Lee
Robert Earl Jones: Benny Blue
Carman Newsome: Norman Haywood
Edna Mae Harris: Fredi Welsh
Vera Burelle: Sherry Johnson
Eddie Lemons: Brownlee
Columbus Jackson: Crocker Johnson
Laura Bowman: Benny's mother
Madeline Donegan: Mary
Amanda Randolph: Mary's mother
Robert Paquin: Reporter
Oscar Polk: Blakely (as O.W. Polk)
Charles La Torre: Farbacher (as Charles LaTorre)
Don De Leo: Feretti (as Don DeLeo)
Abe Simon: Hererra
Sandy McDonald: Bradley
Harry Kadison: Max Wagner
Lew Hearn: Joe Grim
Jack Effrat: Chief Reporter
Harry Ballou: Announcer
Sam Taub: Commentator
Lew Goldberg: Referee
Juano Hernandez: John Arthur
Rubberneck Holmes: Dancer (as 'Rubberneck' Holmes)
Ralph Brown: Dancer
Kenneth Freeman: (as Kenn Freeman)
Fred Palmer and His Orchestra

Directed by: Oscar Micheaux
Writing Credits: Oscar Micheaux
Produced by: Hubert Julian, Oscar Micheaux, Alfred N. Sack
Music by: Jack Shilkret (uncredited)
Cinematography by: Lester Lang
Editing by: Leonard Weiss
Sound Department: Nelson Minnerly (sound)
Music Department: Jack Shilkret (musical director)
Release date: January 1940 (United States)
Country of origin: United States
Language: English
Filming locations: Biograph Studios, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Production companies: Micheaux Film, Sack Amusement Enterprises
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes

NOTES
Production:
"The Notorious Elinor Lee" was filmed at Biograph Studios in The Bronx, New York. Time magazine covered the film's production, describing filmmaker Micheaux as a "thickset, mild-mannered, chocolate-colored producer."

Robert Earl Jones played Benny Blue, Edna Mae Harris portrayed Fredi, and Gladys Williams, also seen in Micheaux's "Lying Lips," starred as Elinor Lee. Oscar Polk, known for his role as the servant Pork in "Gone with the Wind" (1939), and Juano Hernandez, the Puerto Rico-born star of "Intruder in the Dust" (1949), had smaller roles.

Hubert Julian, the pioneering African-American aviator, served as an associate producer. While plans were announced to produce a series of films with Micheaux, including a biography on Julian's aviation career, they only collaborated on "The Notorious Elinor Lee."

Release:
The film premiered in Harlem on January 15, 1940, with Julian as the master of ceremonies. Dressed formally in a top hat, white silk gloves, and an Inverness cape, Julian advised the audience not to expect Hollywood perfection, stating, "Don’t expect the perfection of a Hollywood picture, but know that we’ve done our very best."

"The Notorious Elinor Lee" marked Micheaux’s second-to-last film production, followed by his final feature, "The Betrayal" (1948).