The great jazz singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne made multiple appearances onscreen, but mostly in discrete musical performances that could be lifted whole-cloth out of films when they were screened in the racist South. Thankfully, there was no editing her out of 1943’s Stormy Weather, an all-Black musical based loosely on the life of tap dancer and entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who plays himself. Standout scenes include the Nicholas Brothers’ exhilarating “Jumpin’ Jive” dance, where they do so many splits it’s a wonder they didn’t break themselves in two, and – naturally – Horne’s iconic take on the titular torch ballad, a picture of poise and anguish. – Kimberley Jones
