Black Movies, TV News Briefs
Ben Vereen Named "Entertainer Of The Year"
By Jesse H. Walker
"Big Blue Marble" spokes
person Melba Moore took time
out Irom her Broadway hit,
"Timbuktu" to entertain at
leception held by Committee
To Ke-elect Senator Carl
McCall. held at Lincoln Center
in the Vivian Beaumont
Theatre piorrenade.
For the second consecutive
year, as part of the Con
Edison-City University of New
York cultural and recreation
al programs,the Con Edison
Community Relations depart
ment co-sponsored the Lang
ston Hughes Choral Reading
Festival produced bv the City
College of New York English
Department.
First Artists-Warner Bros.'
"A Piece of the Action" and
CBS' "The Jeffersons" were
the big winners at the 11th
annual multimedia Image
Awards held for the first time
under the co-sponsorship of
the NAACP and its Beverly
Hills-Hollywood branch. Ben
Vereen was named Entertain
er of the Year in the affair
held at the Century Plaza
Hotel. But complaints by Don
Cornelius about a permanent
TV blackout on the affair were
weakened by one daily report
er who wrote "a comedy of
errors would most aptly des
cribe the awards evening as
the event stumbled along with
little direction."
msiory yuiz: were there
any black filmmakers during
the early days of silent films:
"Oscar Micheaux was the first
to complete a feature-length
film, "The Homesteader."
based on his experiences as a
frontiersman in South Dakota.
He was not however, the first
black to make a feature film.
The first was Booker T.
Washington's secretary.
Emmet Scott. He made a film
protesting and refuting D. W.
Griffith s "Birth of a Nation,"
which portrayed the black
during the Reconstruction as
corrupt and lawless. Scott ran
out of money and had to seek
white backers who insisted or
changes." From "Black Cult
ure Quiz. ' published by The
Sperry it Hutchinson Co., 330
Madison Ave.. .NYC 10017.
-Singe:· .\anc> Wilson, now
hospitalized with serious in
juries after an auto she was
driving ι Glided with roadside
equipment in Los Angeles,
ά as scneduled to appear with
tne Duk« Ellington Orchestra
to highlight the opening day of
ti.H βΐιη annual convention of
tue .National Dental Associa
'..on on July :«) in Washington.
Ij ' Only last week Mis*
Wilson thrilled a widely
enthusiastic SKO crowd at her
annual NYC appearance at
Αν··Γ>· Fisher Hall.· And LA
.Via;, or Thomas Bradley had
proclaimed it "Nancy Wilson
Week.' honoring her 25th
anniversary in show business.
Carol Tillery Banks, also
known as Carol O'Neal, wife of
actor Ron O'Neal, had the role
of "Cousin Angle." in "Love Is
Not Enough. " the dramatic
program development project
starring Bernie Casey and
seen last week on NBC-TV.
Red Randolph, whose Shali
mar by Randolph was once a
famous Harlem night spot,
has plans to open a downtown
place on West 46th Street
come September. He has
bought the whole building and
will be able to cater to private
parties and the like.
Saxman Harold Ousley is
really pleasing the crowds at
Jock's Place at Seventh Ave
nue and 138th Street these
weekends. And equally satis
fying is the singing of Sandi
Russell.
Nancy Wilson
''...Hospitalized
Marie Bryant, trie choreo
grapher who once sang Math
the Duke Ellington Band died
m ν· wê
Melba Moore
..."Timbuktu" star
May 23 at USC-County Medi
cal Center in Los Angeles
following a long illness. She
helped choreo the nitery acts
of Leslie Uggams and Wayne
Newton and worked with
Pearl Bailey in the stage
version of "Hello Dolly."
A "Salute to Women in
Jazz" will be offered June
26-29 in the Casa Blanca 2, a
club at Broadway and 52nd
Street, which once was the site
of the famed Birdland jazz
club. More than 30 women
jazz artists have already been
scheduled for the event,
among them Patti Brown,
Sue Evans, Janice Robinson,
Carol Sloan, Maxine Sullivan,
Sheila Jordan, J ο Ann Brack
een and Stella Marrs.
COMING JULY 4
CAROLINA JAM 3
—Featuring—
★ George Duke
"Dukey Stick" new hit single
★ Sun
Album "Sun Burn" New Single "Sun is Here"
★ Cameo
Album "We AU Know Who We Are" -
single "It's Serious"
★ Kool & The Gang
single "Superchick"
★ Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest will debut it's newest album
at the Carolina Jam. The album will be
released soon after the Jam on the 4th.
Over 20,000 people attended last year. It's an open air concert in a large,
green, grassy field.
Metrolin a Fairgrou nds
(M Highway 21 North
Tune: Gates Open 12 Noon
#8 In Advance
$10 At The Door
———— Tickets Outlets: 1
Musicland - Try on Mall National Hat Shop
Top Bananna Records The Soul Shack
Stereo Village - Freedom Village
Mother'β Finest