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Jazz-era heart-throb Herbert Jeffrey is still up and around and looking fine. He gave an interview for a PBS documentary on African Americans in the early film business, (which we hope to offer as soon as it's out later this year). In it, he told of the original inspiration for his cowboy series.
One day when he and his band took a break from rehearsing for their next show, they happened upon a little boy in the alleyway. He was crying, since his friends had left him behind rather than let him be a cowboy for once, instead of an Indian.
Jeffrey realized how many cowboy serials were made without blacks in them. So he decided he could be a singing cowboy, just like Roy Rogers, and have a horse just like Trigger. So Jeffrey got a crew together and made a few cowboy movies, literally by the seat of his pants! Jeffrey would shoot a day's worth of scenes, then lie down in his costume for a nap until the sun came up - time to start again!
Unlike some studio co-productions of the day, which were compromised by stereotypes or marketed to white audiences, these films were fully independent. While the lack of money may show, the spirit lives on in the following videotapes.
These three are all that survive complete, and they are in the best condition considering the hardship and neglect they were put through since the time they were made. We think any of these would be a nifty deal and an unusual peek into cinema's little-known past:
60 min., B/W, $12.99
58 min., B/W, $12.99
60 min., B/W, $12.99
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