- published: 07 Mar 2014
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Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. (born March 1, 1927) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes and was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush Administration.
Born Harold George Bellanfanti, Jr., at Lying-in Hospital, Harlem, New York, Belafonte was the son of Melvine (née Love) – a housekeeper of Jamaican descent – and Harold George Bellanfanti, Sr., a Martiniquan who worked as a chef in the National Guard. From 1932 to 1940, he lived with his grandmother in her native country of Jamaica. When he returned to New York City, he attended George Washington High School after which he joined the Navy and served during World War II. In the 1940s, he was working as a janitor's assistant in NYC when a tenant gave him, as a gratuity, two tickets to see the American Negro Theater. He fell in love with the art form and also met Sidney Poitier. The financially struggling pair regularly purchased a single seat to local plays, trading places in between acts, after informing the other about the progression of the play. At the end of the 1940s, he took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York with the influential German director Erwin Piscator alongside Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur and Sidney Poitier, while performing with the American Negro Theatre. He subsequently received a Tony Award for his participation in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac.
John Henry and The Railroad
Johnny Cash-Legend of John Henry's Hammer
Ballad of John Henry
Joe Bonamassa - Ballad of John Henry - Official Music Video
"JOHN HENRY THE STEEL DRIVING MAN" by Andrey Zolotukhin 2001
Harry Belafonte John Henry
Tennessee Ernie Ford sings "John Henry"
Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry (Live @ Hammersmith)
They Might Be Giants - John Henry (full album) TMBG
John Henry
Paul Robeson - John Henry (lyrics in description)
John Henry - Woody Guthrie
Actors: Linnea Quigley (actress), Tom Gore (actor), Judith O'Dea (actress), Paul Gibson (actor), James Pronath (director), James Pronath (editor), Kyle Berg (producer), James Pronath (writer), James Pronath (producer), Christopher D. Fisher (actor), Steven Grove (composer), Steven Grove (producer), Eliza Farren (actor), Brad Greer (actor), Rusty Cage (actor),
Genres: Sci-Fi,Actors: Frank Pesce (producer), Michelle Page (actress), Carlos Pratts (actor), Danny Chambers (actor), James Zimbardi (actor), James Zimbardi (director), James Zimbardi (producer), Woodrow Hancock (actor), Woodrow Hancock (producer), Woodrow Hancock (director), Marisa Dzintars (actress), Margaret Paul (actress), Jessica Ullo (actor), Joey Jarmillo (actor), James Harvey (actor),
Plot: Watertown is tribute to Frank Sinatra based on his album from 1970 entitled 'Watertown'. We wanted to honor Mr. Sinatra and the writers, by creating this film with a truthful and nostalgic interpretation without it being a period piece. While we set the film in modern day, it is shot in black and white with a classical influence. We are hoping to appeal to Sinatra fans of all generations.
Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, Short,Actors: Lee Simonds (actor), Bryan McKeon (actor), David Coscarelli (producer), David Coscarelli (director), Felicia Terrat (producer), Thomas Avalon (editor), Alex Dempsey (actor),
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Short,Actors: Spicy Mac (director), Raphaello (writer), Spicy Mac (writer), Spicy Mac (costume designer), Raphaello (producer), Dave Vescio (actor), Gerald Webb (actor), Emmanuel Delcour (actor), Kyle Rea (actor), Raphaello (actor), Spicy Mac (producer), Marlene Mc'Cohen (actress), G. Larry Butler (actor), Raphaello (editor), Spicy Mac (editor),
Genres: Drama, Short,Actors: Don Cheadle (actor), Martin Lamb (editor), Penélope Middleboe (editor), Christopher Grace (writer), Aidan Hickey (writer), Aidan Hickey (director), John Spillane (composer),
Genres: Animation, Family,Actors: Anna Paquin (actress), Pat Hingle (actor), Laurence Rosenthal (composer), Susan Hegarty (miscellaneous crew), Andy Stahl (actor), Alfre Woodard (actress), Fielder Cook (director), Enrico Colantoni (actor), Lou Criscuolo (actor), Peggy Farrell (costume designer), Paul LaMastra (editor), Joanne Pankow (actress), Sheila Allen (miscellaneous crew), Bass Hampton (miscellaneous crew), David W. Rintels (producer),
Genres: Drama, Romance,Actors: Scott Wilson (actor), Catherine O'Hara (actress), Patrick Swayze (actor), John P. Ryan (actor), Nick Stahl (actor), Burgess Meredith (actor), Oliver Platt (actor), Mike Moroff (actor), Scott Glenn (actor), William H. Macy (actor), Joe Grifasi (actor), Stephen Lang (actor), Jared Harris (actor), Joe Roth (producer), Roger Birnbaum (producer),
Plot: A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community. When Daniel Hackett sees his father Jonas gravely wounded by the villainous Stiles, his first urge is for his family to flee the danger, and give up their life on a farm which Daniel has come to despise anyway. Going alone to a lake to try to decide what to do, he falls asleep on a boat and wakes to find himself in the wild west, in the company of such "tall tale" legends as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Calamity Jane. Together, they battle the same villains Daniel is facing in his "real" world, ending with a heroic confrontation in which the boy stands up to Stiles and his henchmen, and rallies his neighbors to fight back against land grabbers who want to destroy their town.
Keywords: 1900s, angry-mob, axe, axe-throwing, bar-fight, belgian-horse, black-horse, boy, boy-horse-relationship, calamity-janeActors: Delbert Mann (director), Bill Cobbs (actor), Lane Smith (actor), Pearl Bailey (actress), Sherry Hursey (actress), Dwier Brown (actor), Dana Hill (actress), Howard E. Rollins Jr. (actor), Dwight Adair (miscellaneous crew), Karl Messerschmidt (miscellaneous crew), Carson McCullers (writer), Benjamin Bernouy (actor),
Genres: Drama,Actors: Julie Harris (actress), Rhea Mitchell (actress), Gail Bonney (actress), Henry Sylvester (actor), Arthur Franz (actor), Al Ferguson (actor), Wheaton Chambers (actor), Jack Gargan (actor), Hugh Beaumont (actor), Ralph Montgomery (actor), Dickie Moore (actor), Margaret Bert (actress), Gil Perkins (actor), Edward Anhalt (producer), Charles Perry (actor),
Plot: In a small Georgia town, twelve year old tomboy Frankie Addams feels unconnected to the world, a fact troubling to her. Her unconventional views for a twelve year old girl make her an outcast among her peers, which she in turn blames for her situation rather than anything of her own doing. Her only real friend is John Henry, her younger next door neighbor, although she doesn't see him as a friend since she doesn't consider him a peer. As her widowed father is all consumed with running his small business, Frankie is largely left to the care of their housekeeper, Berenice. Berenice tries to provide as much true guidance to Frankie and what Frankie considers her problems, although Berenice has her own troubles looking after her wild foster brother, Honey Camden, her only surviving family. In addition, Frankie largely sees Berenice's advice as the rantings of a large, crazy black woman. Frankie believes that she has finally found her place in life upon the return to town and announcement by her older enlisted brother Jarvis that he is getting married to a woman named Janice. Immediately upon seeing Jarvis and Janice together, she falls in love with "them", believing she can be a "member" of "them" by leaving town with them immediately following the wedding. Frankie even wants to change her name to Jasmine to feel more connected to them as they will all then have a name "Ja__". Two negative situations following the wedding - one in reaction to her finding out that she can't go with Jarvis and Janice - may however put Frankie in the right direction to truly finding her place in life.
Keywords: 1940s, adolescence, adolescent, adult-as-child, african-american, attempted-rape, automobile-accident, bar, based-on-novel, based-on-playActors: Jack Lambert (actor), Frank Austin (actor), Jack Kenny (actor), Ray Bolger (actor), Chet Brandenburg (actor), Rand Brooks (actor), Morris Ankrum (actor), William Hall (actor), Jack Clifford (actor), Tex Cooper (actor), Victor Cox (actor), Vernon Dent (actor), Edward Earle (actor), Preston Foster (actor), Norman Leavitt (actor),
Plot: On a train trip West to become a mail order bride Susan Bradley meets a cheery crew of young women traveling out to open a " Harvey House " restaurant at a remote whistle stop to provide good cooking and wholesome company for railway travellers. When Susan and her bashful suitor find romance daunting, Susan joins the Harvey Girls instead. The saloon across the street with its alluring worldly-wise women offers them tough competition, fair and foul, and Susan catches the eye of the Ned Trent, the distant but intense proprietor of the bar.
Keywords: based-on-novel, burning-building, female-protagonist, gun, love-letter, mail-order-bride, old-west, railway-station, restaurant, saloonJohn Henry he could hammer,
He could whistle, he could sing
He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.
When John Henry was a little baby,
Sittin' on his daddy's knee
He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel,
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said hammer be the death of me
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said hammer be the death of me
When John Henry's fam'ly needed money,
Said he didn't have but a dime
If you wait 'til the red sun goes down
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
I'll get it from the man in the mine
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
I'll get it from the man in the mine
Well John Henry went to the Captain
Said the captain, what can you do
I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
I can pick and shovel too
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
I can pick and shovel too
Well John Henry said to the captain,
Oh a man ain't nothin' but a man
'Fore I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
I'd die with my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
Die with my hammer in my hand
Well the captain said to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
Gonna whup that steel on down, Lord, Lord
Whup that steel on down
Shaker why don't you sing,
I'm throwin' twelve pounds from my hips on down,
Just listen to the cold steel ring,
Just listen to the cold steel ring
The man that invented the steamdrill,
Thought he was mighty fine,
John Henry made his fifteen feet,
The steamdrill only made nine,
The steamdrill only made nine
Well the Captain says to John Henry
I believe this mountains cavin' in
John Henry said to the Captain,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind
Well John Henry said to the captain,
Looka yonder what I see,
Hole done choke, drill done broke,
And you can't drive steel like me, Lord, Lord
Can't drive steel like me
Oh no, you can't drive steel like me, no no
Can't drive steel like me
Well John Henry drove into the mountain,
His hammer was strikin' fire
He drove so hard he broke his poor heart
And he laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
Laid down his hammer and he died
He laid down his hammer and he died, Great God
Laid down his hammer and he died
Well John Henry had a little woman,
And her name was Polly Ann
she walked down the tract
there they looked back
polly ann drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
polly ann drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
Oh they took John Henry to the White House
And they buried him in the sand
Every locomotive come roarin' by
Says there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
There lies a steel drivin' man
Says there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord