Count Basie

This revealing biography, told in Count Basie’s own words, uncovers for the first time the private passions and ambitions that inspired the world-famous bandleader and pianist. Until now, little was known about Basie’s private and family life, but director Jeremy Marre uncovered a treasure-trove of home movies and photo albums that expose Basie’s remarkable relationship with his wife Catherine, whose pioneering support for African-American causes placed her at the side of Martine Luther King. Through Basie’s intimate footage and letters - and interviews with friends like Quincy Jones and Annie Ross - we discover the Count’s protective love for his disabled daughter Diane who ‘was never out of his heart and mind: the hidden core of his creative life’. Basie’s musical achievements were remarkable: the first African-American to win a Grammy, he brought the Blues to the big band podium. He was ‘the King of the Swing Kings’. We see rare performances with Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davies Jnr. and many others. But this film digs deeper, uncovering the inner motivation and passions that drove Basie’s career as he became a unique link between jazz and America’s turbulent social history.

The definitive story of Billie Holiday, the world's greatest and most controversial jazz singer, is now revealed through a wealth of never-before heard taped interviews and research undertaken by the journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl.

A music-filled extravaganza, featuring performances by a plethora of legendary artists of the 1950s, from the worlds of jazz, swing, pop, and more.

Jerry Lewis plays Cinderfella – a hard-working and honest lad mistreated by his wicked stepmother and his two boorish stepbrothers. But miracles do happen when his Fairy Godfather transforms the klutzy fella into an eligible, handsome bachelor.

Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong’s life from his perspective. From musical phenom to civil rights activist to world-renowned artist, this illuminating film shows sides of Armstrong few have seen.