Film clip of "Sheik of Araby" from Tin Pan Alley

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 film clip with a performance of "Sheik of Araby" from the film Tin Pan Alley. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. The footage opens with several women dancing on stage. Their routine terminates with them sitting around a man (Billy Gilbert) underneath a canopy. Shortly afterwards, two veiled women (Alice Faye and Betty Grabble) enter the stage dancing as they sing the jazz song "Sheik of Araby." Billy Gilbert then joins the women's performance and the trio sing and dance on the stage. The audience applauds at the end of their performance.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗