Hi-De-Ho (1947 film)


Hi De Ho is a 1947 American musical race film directed by Josh Binney that was released by All American Entertainment and had an African-American cast.
The film stars Cab Calloway. He performs a number of songs in the film, including a capella versions of "Minnie was a Hep Cat" and "St. James Infirmary" with his orchestra. The orchestra also provides incidental music for the other performers. Featured in the movie are the singers the Peters Sisters and the tap dancers Miller Brothers and Lois.

Plot

Cab Calloway is an up and coming jazz musician putting together a band and looking forward to making it big as a band leader. His girlfriend Minnie is upset that Cab has retained the services of a female band manager to help him promote his band and get his first big break. His band manager gets him a chance to audition his small eight-piece band before a local owner of a new club which needs to sign a big band for its opening. Minnie becomes suspicious and jealous that Nettie, as Cab's new female band manager, is doing good things for Cab and is winning points with him. When Cab auditions with his small band, the new club owner is impressed but says he needs a full band for his club opening to be successful. Cab gets the job when he says that he can easily recruit more band members, and he opens for the new club for its opening at the end of the week.
When Cab hits it big, Minnie gets intensely jealous and goes to a local "fix-it" man Boss Mason, who uses gun man Mo the Mouse as his 'assistant'. Minnie starts to play both sides of the fence in wanting to be his girlfriend, while also trying to keep Cab in place so that his relations with Nettie have no chance to blossom. When Boss Mason gets too close to Cab, Cab must defend himself against Mo the Mouse before the bullets fly.

Cast