"Consequences" - Lena Horne and Eddie Rochester

There's nothing like watching "Cabin in the Sky" to put things into perspective. The simplicity of the plot is designed so that everyone can identify with it. Unlike the symbolism of "Moby Dick", or "Heart of Darkness"; both of which explore the consequences of evil; this film lays it out in plain language.

The story, which centers around the character of Little Joe, is straightforward. Little Joe has been hurt in a fight while gambling and now the Devil has come for him. But an Archangel also shows up at his bedside to claim Little Joe's soul for Heaven.

What follows is an all out battle for Little Joe's soul, with the Devil giving it his all to make sure that Little Joe pays for his sins. But the Archangel has some tricks of his own which he is bound to try before he gives up.

In this scene Little Joe is being tempted; again; by Lena Horne's character. And he tries his best to resist her charms. One of the most remarkable things about this video is the contrast between Eddie Rochester's vocal and that of Ms. Horne's. It juxtaposes the rough and coarse nature of Little Joe's singing; and hence sinful ways; with that of Lena Horne's smooth and sultry performance, kind of seductive, like the Devil would be. In a way it is also emblematic of the difference between Little Joe and Petunia, played by Ethel Waters. Joe has to fight the Devil, while Petunia embraces the Lord. They are as different as night and day; save for one thing. They truly love one another.

And, in the end, the only thing which can save Little Joe from his fate is the love of his woman, Petunia, who who just loves Little Joe so much that she can't even bear the thought of Heaven without him there. Rather than follow her faith into the Heaven she has earned, she turns her back upon God, and her reward, choosing to go instead with Little Joe. Her love and commitment to him impress the Lord so much that he takes them both.

So, ultimately, Little Joe gets to Heaven on a pass from Petunia. And, she is being rewarded for her faith that everything would turn out okay. But, remember, it was really her love that saved Little Joe from "those old devil consequences".

Fats Waller in Sormy Weather - "Ain't Misbehaving" (1943)

Fats Waller, legendary piano player, recorded this version of “Ain’t Misbehavin”’ for the 1943 film “stormy Weather.” I like this version even better than Billie Holidays because of the fun Mr. Waller is having in the performance.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” is one of those older songs which crossed the bridge from blues to jazz before returning to its original format. There is also a great drum solo in this song  by Bob Rosen, who was from New York City.

Written by Fats Waller, collaborating with Harry Brooks on music and Andy Razaf  on lyrics, the song was first recorded in 1929. Waller’s original recording for Victor Records was later one of the highlights in the 1943 film “Stormy Weather.”  Eddie "Rochester" Anderson stated that Fats claimed the song had its origins while Fats was “lodging" in prison for back alimony; which is why he was not "misbehaving."

It has been recorded by most of the great jazz singers for the past 6 decades, including such luminaries as Anita O'Day, Billie Holiday, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Django Reinhardt, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Kay Starr, Frankie Laine, Art Tatum, Sonny Stitt, Sam Cooke, Johnnie Ray, Sidney Bechet, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Elkie Brooks, to name a few.

With the success of the 1978 musical of the same name, came renewed interest this old favorite. “Ain't Misbehavin'” is a musical tribute to the artists of the Harlem Renaissance created by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., with music by various composers and lyricists. It is named after the song by Fats Waller and his co-writers. Much of the action takes place in the Cotton Club, the premier nightclub in the 1920’s through the 1950’s. All of the best jazz acts in America performed there, creating a new genre known as “swing music” while they did. The show had a good run on Broadway, even being revived in 1988, and still touring today.

For the live film version of this song, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mF-QyvBqgs

"Cabin In The Sky" with Ethel Waters, Lena Horne and Eddie Rochester (1943)

This is one of those movies which I have watched quite a few times over the course of about 40 years. Each time it is more of a delight than the last time. It deals with the age old question of just what happens to us when we die. That it confines itself to the traditional interpretation of Heaven and Hell does nothing to diminish the pleasure the viewer can get from watching it.

Little Joe, played by Eddie Rochester, is married to Petunia, played with real heart and soul by Ethel Waters. Joe is a "sporting" man; in other words, he prefers drinking and gambling, along with the company of women other than his wife, to working hard and making something of himself. In spite of these faults, Petunia is very much in love with him.

He rewards this love by fooling around with Georgia Brown, played by Lena Horne, drinking and finally getting knifed in a gambling club, which begins an epic struggle between Heaven and Hell as to whom his soul belongs to. Satan argues that, since the man lived a life of sin, his soul is forfeit to the Devil, and accordingly, he shows up to claim his due.

But what about Petunia? She is a blameless person, who now finds herself with her heart broken at the loss of her love. She prays in such earnest that God sees fit to give him 6 more months in which to prove that he is worthy of both God's grace, and Petunia's love. This turn of events really ticks the Devil off, and he proceeds to place every obstacle he can find in Little Joe's path, in order to claim the soul he feels rightfully belongs to him.

The scenes in Heaven, with Louis Armstrong as the Trumpeter, and Kenneth Spencer as "The General", who works at the direction of God himself, are extraordinary. Rex Ingram, who as both Lucifer, and Lucius Ferry, Little Joe's "best friend" and gambling buddy, are reminiscent of Dorothy's awakening at the end of "The Wizard Of Oz", in that the characters she encountered in that magical place were all people she really knew here on earth.

Surrounded on all sides by temptation, and conciously unaware of the high stakes for which he is playing, Little Joe is torn between his love for Petunia and the "sporting" life. Will he fall prey to the Devil's tactics? Or will Petunia's love pull him through?

With a cast of the best of the African-American performers of the time, including Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Butterfly McQueen and Ruby Dandridge; whose beauty rivals that of Ms. Horne; and under the careful direction of Vincente Minnelli, this movie comes to life right off the screen. The "Shine" sequence, featuring John William "Bubbles" Sublett as Domino Johnson, and as himself, was choreographed and directed by the great Busby Berkeley, though he is uncredited in the film. If you have never seen this wonderful movie before, you should.

Here, courtesy of You Tube, is a 14 minute "short" synopsis of the film, which includes some of the most memorable scenes;

http://youtu.be/FvQ-zJc_u54