Hearts in Dixie

Hearts in Dixie, a 1929 American film starring Stepin Fetchit, was one of the first (All-Talking) sound films, big-studio productions to boast a predominantly African-American cast. This musical film celebrates African-American music and dance. It was released by Fox Film Corporation just months before the release of Hallelujah!, another all-black musical released by competitor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The director of Hearts in Dixie was Paul Sloane. Walter Weems wrote the screenplay, and William Fox was producer.^[1]

Hearts In Dixie
Directed by	Paul Sloane
Written by	Walter Weems
Starring	Stepin Fetchit Clarence Muse Eugene Jackson Bernice Pilot
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	March 10, 1929 (1929-03-10)
Running time	71 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Ad from The Film Daily, 1929

Synopsis

The film has no overarching storyline, consisting of a series of unconnected scenes celebrating the advent of sound technology in the context of "black music".

Hearts in Dixie unfolds as a series of sketches of life among American blacks. Although the characters are not slaves, they are nevertheless racial stereotypes in terms of the contemporary white images of the period.^[2]

Cast

• Stepin Fetchit: Gummy
• Clarence Muse: Nappus
• Eugene Jackson: Chinquapin
• Bernice Pilot: Chloe
• Clifford Ingram: Rammey
• Mildred Washington: Trallia
• Zack Williams: Deacon
• Gertrude Howard: Emmy
• Dorothy Morrison: Melia
• Vivian Smith: Violet
• A.C.H. Bilbrew: Voodoo Woman
• Richard Carlyle: White Doctor
• The Billbrew Chorus

See also

• African-American representation in Hollywood
• List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)