Policy Man, is a 1938 American feature film in black and white, and is now a lost film.[3][4] It was advertised as having an "all colored cast",[5] featuring Ethel Moses, Jimmie Baskett, and Count Bassie.[3][6] It was directed by Irwin Franklyn, and produced by Irwin Franklyn and Hazel Franklyn.[1][7]

Policy Man
Directed byIrwin Franklyn
Produced byIrwin Franklyn,
Hazel Franklyn
StarringEthel Moses,
Jimmie Baskett,
Count Bassie,
Ann Harleman,
Henry Wessels
Color processblack and white[1]
Production
company
Creative Films Corporation[1]
Distributed bySack Amusement Entertainment[1]
Release date
  • July 1, 1938 (1938-07-01)[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

About

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Policy Man was an urban crime film that portrayed sophisticated African Americans in Harlem.[3][8] It included in its plot a person involved in a numbers game lotteries (or a gambler), and the numbers racket (or illegal gambling).[2] It was a popular film in northern cities in the United States.[8]

The cast included Ann Harleman, Henry, Wessels, Ethel Moses, Jimmie Baskett, and Count Bassie.[1] The film features musical groups The Plantation Club Chorus (or N.Y. Plantation Club Chorus), The Al Taylor Orchestra, The Savoy Lindy Hoppers, and The Big Apples.[9]

It was one of a series of Creative Films Corporation produced urban crime films, all directed by Irwin Franklyn.[3] Advertising materials for the film are extant.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Richards, Larry (2015-09-17). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-4766-1052-8.
  2. ^ a b Schlabach, Elizabeth Schroeder (September 15, 2012). "Policy, Creativity, and Bronzeville's Dreams". Along the Streets of Bronzeville: Black Chicago's Literary Landscape. Vol. 1. University of Illinois Press. pp. 73–. doi:10.5406/illinois/9780252037825.003.0003. ISBN 9780252095108 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d Koszarski, Richard (2008). Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff. Rutgers University Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-8135-4293-5.
  4. ^ "The Policy Man (1938)". Frankie Manning Foundation. 3 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Roosevelt". The Pittsburgh Press. 1938-07-11. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  6. ^ "Negro films". The Palmetto Leader (newspaper). July 30, 1938. OCLC 28640893.
  7. ^ "Hallejua Star Receives Long Time Contract (Image 1)". Twin-City Herald (newspaper). July 30, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-27 – via Chronicling America, National Endowment for the Humanities.
  8. ^ a b White, Shane; Garton, Stephen; Robertson, Stephen; White, Graham (May 15, 2010). Playing the Numbers: Gambling in Harlem Between the Wars. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674051072 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Film, Video: Policy Man". Library of Congress.
  10. ^ "Policy Man (1938) [Lost Film]". Department of Afro-American Research, Arts, and Culture (DAARAC).