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 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 entrance and a portion of the marquee of the Loew's Holly Theater in Hollywood, California. The portion of the marquee visible has red text on a white background reads [(V)AN PEEBLES / "SWEET SWEETBACK'S / BAADASSSSS SON(G)"]. The marquee appears above the street entrance of the red brick building, which also displays posters for the film on either side of the door. Two individuals can be seen walking in front of the theatre on a sidewalk painted with white stars. A handwritten inscription on the verso reads [Hollywood].

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