No Time for Romance is a 1948 musical directed by Corney Cook. The film was noted for having an all-Black cast and for being one of the few all-Black films to be filmed in color during the era.[1][2]

No Time for Romance
Directed byCorney Cook
Written byVivian Cosby
Produced byByron O. Anderson
StarringEunice Wilson
Bill Walker
Austin McCoy
CinematographyPaul Cantonwine
Music byAustin McCoy
Release date
  • 1948 (1948)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000

Plot

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A struggling L.A. nightclub performer (Eunice Wilson) and bandleader (Austin McCoy) have a shot at success with their new song, "A Lovely Day."[3]

Cast

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Production

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Shot in Burbank, California, for a budget of around $60,000,[4] No Time for Romance was intended to be the first feature of six produced by Norwanda Pictures, a motion picture company owned and operated by Black filmmakers.[5] However, it appears that the company folded shortly after making No Time for Romance, although the 1948 western Sun Tan Ranch—which features many of the same actors—appears to also have been a Norwanda Pictures production.[3][6][7][8]

Release

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The film showed in a few Black theaters in Los Angeles but was mostly forgotten about until the producer's daughter discovered the film in the family attic in 1983.[3] The film was released on VHS in 1991.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "30 Sep 1948, 14 - California Eagle at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  2. ^ "King Cole Trio on Ciggie Show". The California Eagle. 19 Aug 1948. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ^ a b c d "No Time for Romance". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  4. ^ "Sepia Firm Finishes First Film". California Eagle. 26 Aug 1948. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  5. ^ "Norwanda Productions to Release First All-Sepia Full-Length Pic". The California Eagle. 14 Oct 1948. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  6. ^ Leyda, Julia (2016). American Mobilities: Geographies of Class, Race, and Gender in US Culture. Columbia University Press.
  7. ^ Richards, Larry (2015-09-17). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1052-8.
  8. ^ Cripps, Thomas (1993). Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507669-1.