2 Classic Films: St. Louis Blues and The Hitchhiker
Thu, Jan 29
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These films tell a story of blues people in American culture. On the outskirts of every town there is someone looking for a ride and the blues was made by people living in places society deems outside of the norm. Check out how both of these films develop their blues.
Time & Location
Jan 29, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
https://maestro.tv/imagequilt/home-page
About the event
Watch these films that we are screening to relax and learn about film history. St. Louis Blues (1929) is a 16-minute musical short featuring Bessie Smith's only film appearance. She plays a woman devastated by her gambling lover, Jimmy (Jimmy Mordecai), who steals her money and abandons her for another woman. Set in a Prohibition-era speakeasy, Smith performs a powerful rendition of W.C. Handy’s song with the Hall Johnson Choir and Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is a 71-minute taut film noir thriller directed by Ida Lupino, based on the true-life murder spree of Billy Cook. It follows two friends, Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen, on a fishing trip to Mexico who are held hostage by Emmett Myers, a sadistic, psychopathic escaped convict who forces them to drive him to safety.