The story is about a guy named Nick Duquesne (Arturo de Córdova)....a white guy who loves New Orleans-style blues and operates a club in the poor part of the city, Storyville (the redlight district). Things are going just fine for Nick until a rich debutante falls in love with the music and the man...and her rich and conniving mother insists on putting a stop to all this 'nonsense' (i.e., hanging with black people as well as Duquesne...but mostly the black people). What's to become of Nick and his business?
While the story of white people slumming it in New Orleans is mildly entertaining (and somewhat reminscent of "Hairspray"), the reason to see the movie is NOT the story but for Louis Armstrong (playing himself) and Billie Holiday (playing a maid). Both perform and are marvelous...and the film is a great historical document...and some of the lesser-known musicians are fabulous as well.
While the story of white people slumming it in New Orleans is mildly entertaining (and somewhat reminscent of "Hairspray"), the reason to see the movie is NOT the story but for Louis Armstrong (playing himself) and Billie Holiday (playing a maid). Both perform and are marvelous...and the film is a great historical document...and some of the lesser-known musicians are fabulous as well.