''Double Deal'' is a 1939 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

with an all-black cast (a genre at the time called "

race film The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for African American, black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race ...

s"), written by

Arthur Hoerl Arthur Hoerl (December 17, 1891 – February 6, 1968) was an American screenwriter and film director. Hoerl was born in New York, son of Louis Hoerl, a German immigrant silver polisher, and Teresa Hoerl. Arthur completed three years of hig ...

, produced by

George Randol George Randol (1895–1973) was an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer of films in the United States. In 1938 he was honored as an influential film executive in a newspaper writeup of the "Negro" film industry. Life and career Randol was ...

, directed by

Arthur Dreifuss Arthur Dreifuss (sometimes credited as Dreyfuss; March 25, 1908 – December 31, 1993)Sack Amusement Enterprises Alfred N. Sack (October 22, 1898 – March 1, 1969) was an American businessperson, newspaper publisher and the proprietor of film distribution, production, and the theater-owning business Sack Amusements in the United States.. He collaborated with ...

and

Astor Pictures Astor Pictures was a film distribution, motion picture distribution company in the United States from 1930 to 1963. It was founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 – 29 April 1956). Astor specialized in film re-releases. It later release ...

Corp.

Plot summary

Two men, Tommy McCoy and Dude Markey, are in love with Nita, a beautiful

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

/dancer. Markey robs a jewelry store and gives the haul to a local gangster. Later, he steals the jewelry from the gangster's safe and frames McCoy for the robbery in the hope that the gangster will kill him, thereby getting rid of his rival for the lovely Nita.

Cast

Monte Hawley Monte Hawley (25 October 1901 – 30 November 1950) was an American actor from Chicago, Illinois. Biography He began his entertainment career as one of the original Lafayette Players. He studied under Richard B. Harrison and, after moving to N ...

as Jim McCoy *

Jeni Le Gon Jeni LeGon (born Jennie Ligon; August 14, 1916 – December 7, 2012), also credited as Jeni Le Gon, was an American dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the first African-American women to establish a solo career in tap da ...

as Nita * Edward Thompson as Dude Markey *Florence O'Brien as Sally *

Freddie Jackson Frederick Anthony Jackson (born October 2, 1956) is an American R&B singer. Originally from New York, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well–known R&B/soul hits ...

as Tommy McCoy *

Buck Woods Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a United States, Canadian, or Australian dollar * An adult male animal in some species - see List of animal names - e.g.: ** Goat buck ** Deer buck ** Sheep buck * Derby shoes, nicknamed ...

* Maceo Bruce Sheffield as Murray Howard *Charles Hawkins *Jack Clisby *

Tom Southern Tom Southern, also known as Tommy or Thomas Southern, was an actor in American film and stage productions as well as a songwriter. He was a theater actor with the Lafayette Players. In 1933, he wrote several songs together with Lionel Hampton. Fo ...

*Vernon McCalla *Charles Gordon as Lanny *Arthur Ray * F.E. Miller as Nightclub Comedian *

Shelton Brooks Shelton Brooks (May 4, 1886September 6, 1975) was a Canadian-born American composer and performer of popular music and jazz. He was known for his ragtime and vaudeville style, and wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th cent ...

as Singer in Nightclub Floorshow *

Juanita Moore Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 – January 1, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Awards, Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Academy Award for ...

as Nightclub Patron

Soundtrack

- "Hole in the Wall" (Written by Shelton Brooks) *"Jitterbugs Cuttin' Rugs" (Written by Shelton Brooks) *"Gettin' in Right with You" (Written by

Peter Tinturin Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and

Harry Tobias Harry Tobias (September 11, 1895 – December 15, 1994) was an American lyricist. Like his younger brother Charles, he is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in New York City, United States, but raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, ...

)

External links

* * 1939 films 1939 comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American comedy-drama films Race films Films directed by Arthur Dreifuss 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language comedy-drama films {{1930s-comedy-drama-film-stub