Photograph of a theater marquee promoting Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A close-up color photograph captured by Melvin Van Peebles of a movie theater marquee promoting its showing of Van Peebles' film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. The image depicts a close-up view of the proper left panel of the marquee of the Loew's State Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The marquee appears along the lefthand side of the image, with only a portion of the marquee panel visible. Only "Angeles" of the "Los Angeles" across the top of the marquee appears in the image and the visible text on the marquee panel reads [SWEETBACK's / (B)ADASSS SONG / WAKE UP AND DIE]. Additional banners and posters promoting the film are visible on the theater's street level facade beneath the marquee. Along the righthand side of the image are portions of the sign, awning, and shop window of the neighboring Eastman Liquors. On the verso is a handwritten inscription in black ink reading [L. A. Downtown].

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