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St. Louis Blues is a 1958 American film broadly based on the life of W. C. Handy. It starred jazz and blues greats Nat "King" Cole, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, and Barney Bigard, as well as gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and actress Ruby Dee. The film's soundtrack used over ten of Handy's songs including the title song.
In conjunction with the film, Cole recorded an album of W. C. Handy compositions, arranged by Nelson Riddle, and Fitzgerald incorporated "St. Louis Blues" into her concert repertoire.
Original Release
04/07/1958
US Release
04/07/1958
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Nat 'King' Cole | W.C. Handy |
| Eartha Kitt | Gogo Germaine |
| Cab Calloway | Blade |
| Ella Fitzgerald | Singer |
| Mahalia Jackson | Bessie May |
| Ruby Dee | Elizabeth |
| Juano Hernandez | Rev. Charles Handy |
| Teddy Buckner | Musician |
| Barney Bigard | Musician |
| George 'Red' Callender | Musician |
Directors
Writers
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Nat 'King' Cole | W.C. Handy |
| Eartha Kitt | Gogo Germaine |
| Cab Calloway | Blade |
| Ella Fitzgerald | Singer |
| Mahalia Jackson | Bessie May |
| Ruby Dee | Elizabeth |
| Juano Hernandez | Rev. Charles Handy |
| Teddy Buckner | Musician |
| Barney Bigard | Musician |
| George 'Red' Callender | Musician |
| Lee Young | Musician |
| George Washington | Musician |
| Billy Preston | Will Handy as a boy |
| Pearl Bailey | Aunt Hagar |
| C. Bakaleinikoff | New York Symphony Conductor |
| Bill Baldwin | Attorney Mawson |
| Milas G. Clark Jr. | Boy |
| Walt Davis | Usher |
| Fay Fifer | Bit Role |
| Roy Glenn | Bull Neck |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Robert Smith | Producer |
