One of the most significant of the Tyler Race Films is The Blood of Jesus, written by and starring Spencer Williams. As with many of Williams’ films, this is a study of the continuing conflict between good and evil, holiness and godlessness, church and juke joint. Williams filmed it with a largely amateur cast and…Continue Reading The travels of The Blood of Jesus
Does Fondren have ghosts? Some say yes. As far as we know, the only entities haunting Hamon late at night are SMU students. Let’s get on with the second installment of Collecting the macabre….Continue Reading Pictorial: Collecting the macabre, Part 2
In the spirit of Halloween, we’ve gathered here some of the most macabre items from Central University Libraries’ special collections….Continue Reading Pictorial: Collecting the macabre, Part 1
Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who died July 10th, was best known for his roles in films such as “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Funny Girl,” and “Doctor Zhivago.” But Sharif also made a name for himself in Dallas as a bridge player over the last half of the 20th century, joining his group the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus…Continue Reading The late Omar Sharif’s time in Dallas
In 2011, the National Film Preservation Foundation awarded Hamon’s G. William Jones Film and Video Collection a grant of $31,000 to support the preservation of the Yiddish-language film Catskill Honeymoon (1950, directed by Joe Berne). We are happy to announce that the NFPF has now made the film available for viewing on its website….Continue Reading The National Film Preservation Foundation Now Streaming Jones’ Catskill Honeymoon
This week Oak Cliff’s historic Texas Theatre will be hosting three nights of black cinema. On Thursday, February 19th at 7:30pm, the theatre will be screening Spencer Williams’ The Blood of Jesus (1941), a film from SMU’s Tyler, Texas Film Collection. Following its screening of The Blood of Jesus, on Friday, February 20th at 8pm and Saturday, February…Continue Reading The Blood of Jesus at Texas Theatre: 2/19 @ 7:30pm