NFR Project: Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies
1930s – 1950s
This is another listing of material to which I have no access. Fortunately, there’s an excellent explanatory essay on it from two who have undoubtedly seen all the footage – Tony Nicholas and Luisa F. Ribeiro. You can read it here.
The Nicholas Brothers were one of the top dance acts of the 20th century. Anyone who doubts this can look up their astonishing routine in Stormy Weather (1943). They were two of the most athletically gifted and imaginative dancers out there.
Which leads to the family home movies of them and their travels. In 1934, their father Ulysses purchased a 16mm camera and began recording their performances, vacations, and family gatherings. The result is evidently a treasure trove of unique experiences captured on the fly by what we might term these days a jet-setting family.
It is unique in that not many African-Americans were affluent enough to document their home life, as many white people were beginning to do with the advent of home-movie equipment. Evidently the resulting footage is a fabulous look into the life of one family.
The NFR is one writer’s attempt to review all the films listed in the National Film Registry in chronological order. Next time: Pups Is Pups.
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