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Clarence Muse
Acting

Clarence Muse
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1889-10-13,Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first Negro to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years appearing in more than 150 movies. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Alexander and Mary Muse, he studied at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and received an international law degree in 1911. He was acting in New York by the 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance with two Harlem theatres, Lincoln Players and Lafayette Players. Muse moved to Chicago for a while, and then moved to Hollywood and performed in Hearts in Dixie (1929), the first all-black movie. For the next fifty years, he worked regularly in minor and major roles. While with the Lafayette Players, Muse worked under the management of producer Robert Levy on productions that helped black actors to gain prominence and respect. In regards to the Lafayette Theatre's staging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Muse said the play was relevant to black actors and audiences "because, in a way, it was every black man's story. Black men too have been split creatures inhabiting one body.". Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show performer, vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also wrote songs, plays, and sketches. In 1943, he became the first African American Broadway director with Run Little Chillun. Muse was also the co-writer of several notable songs. In 1931, with Leon René and Otis René, Muse wrote "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", also known as "Sleepy Time Down South". The song was sung by Nina Mae McKinney in the movie Safe in Hell (1931), and later became a signature song of Louis Armstrong. He was the major star in Broken Earth (1936), which related the story of a black sharecropper whose son miraculously recovers from fever through the father's fervent prayer. Shot on a farm in the South with nonprofessional actors (except for Muse), the film's early scenes focused in a highly realistic manner on the incredible hardship of black farmers, with plowing scenes. In 1938, Muse co-starred with boxer Joe Louis in Spirit of Youth, the fictional story of a champion boxer which featured an all black cast. Muse and Langston Hughes wrote the script for Way Down South (1939). Muse performed in Broken Strings (1940), as a concert violinist who opposes the desire of his son to play "swing". From 1955-56, Muse was a regular on the weekly TV version of Casablanca, playing Sam the pianist (a part he was under consideration for in the original Warner Brothers film), and in 1959, he played Peter, the Honey Man, in Porgy and Bess. He appeared on Disney's TV miniseries The Swamp Fox. Other film credits include Buck and the Preacher (1972), The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) and as Gazenga's Assistant, "Snapper" in Car Wash (1976). His last acting role was in The Black Stallion (1979).

Filmography

6.808

Love Crazy
1941-05-23

Invisible Ghost

5.268

Invisible Ghost
1941-04-25

Shadow of a Doubt

7.5

Shadow of a Doubt
1943-01-12

The Talk of the Town

7.316

The Talk of the Town
1942-08-20

Secrets of a Nurse

5.5

Secrets of a Nurse
1938-12-02

Buck and the Preacher

6.265

Buck and the Preacher
1972-03-17

3.667

The Wrecker
1933-07-10

Man Against Woman

5

Man Against Woman
1932-11-15

Flying Down to Rio

6.301

Flying Down to Rio
1933-12-22

5.452

Black Moon
1934-06-15

6.5

The Black Swan
1942-12-04

The Flame of New Orleans

6.563

The Flame of New Orleans
1941-07-07

5.973

Car Wash
1976-10-22

Murder Over New York

6.225

Murder Over New York
1940-12-13

The Black Stallion

7.008

The Black Stallion
1979-10-13

Winner Take All

5.4

Winner Take All
1932-07-16

Hollywood on Parade No. A-12

0

Hollywood on Parade No. A-12
1933-06-29

6.3

Apache Drums
1951-04-01

Laughing Irish Eyes

10

Laughing Irish Eyes
1936-03-04

6.023

Broadway Bill
1934-11-30

Two Smart People

6.636

Two Smart People
1946-06-04

Laughter in Hell

3.667

Laughter in Hell
1933-01-12

She Wouldn't Say Yes

6.417

She Wouldn't Say Yes
1945-11-29

God Is My Co-Pilot

7.2

God Is My Co-Pilot
1945-04-07

6.063

Riding High
1950-04-12

6.357

Way Down South
1939-07-21

X Marks the Spot

6.5

X Marks the Spot
1931-12-13

7

Lena Rivers
1932-03-27

Among the Living

6.133

Among the Living
1941-12-12

From Hell to Heaven

7.833

From Hell to Heaven
1933-02-24

6.333

Caribbean
1952-09-01

Kisses for Breakfast

6.333

Kisses for Breakfast
1941-07-05

5.5

Massacre
1934-01-20

6.667

Secret Service
1931-11-14

7

Election Day
1929-01-12

O'Shaughnessy's Boy

6.2

O'Shaughnessy's Boy
1935-09-27

5.75

High Hat
1937-01-01

4.867

Daniel Boone
1936-10-16

7

Jungle Menace
1937-09-01

Welcome Stranger

6.857

Welcome Stranger
1947-06-13

So Red the Rose

7.667

So Red the Rose
1935-12-20

5.5

Jungle Queen
1945-01-22

The Mind Reader

6.25

The Mind Reader
1933-04-01

Spirit of Youth

6.143

Spirit of Youth
1938-04-01

5

The Toy Wife
1938-06-10

The Sky's the Limit

6.364

The Sky's the Limit
1943-07-13

Is My Face Red?

5

Is My Face Red?
1932-06-17

The Woman from Monte Carlo

6.333

The Woman from Monte Carlo
1932-01-09

7

Night World
1932-05-04

Washington Merry-Go-Round

7.5

Washington Merry-Go-Round
1932-10-15

7

Prestige
1932-01-22

Fury of the Jungle

7

Fury of the Jungle
1933-10-23

Hearts in Dixie

5

Hearts in Dixie
1929-01-02

4.778

Broken Strings
1940-03-25

The Custard Nine

8

The Custard Nine
1921-11-06

6.679

Hallelujah
1929-08-20

New York Nights

5.5

New York Nights
1929-12-28

9

Guilty?
1930-03-03

Outside the Law

5.25

Outside the Law
1930-09-18

9

Derelict
1930-11-22

7.333

Deep South
1937-01-01

The Last Parade

9

The Last Parade
1931-01-31

6.1

Hell's Highway
1932-09-23

If I Had a Million

6.617

If I Had a Million
1932-11-18

6.65

Frisco Jenny
1933-01-14

The World's Greatest Athlete

5.5

The World's Greatest Athlete
1973-02-14

Mysterious Crossing

10

Mysterious Crossing
1936-12-27

Alice in Movieland

6.375

Alice in Movieland
1940-03-03

6.25

Porgy and Bess
1959-06-24

Huckleberry Finn

7

Huckleberry Finn
1931-08-07

The Life of Jimmy Dolan

6.2

The Life of Jimmy Dolan
1933-06-03

The Thoroughbred

5.417

The Thoroughbred
1930-08-09

6

Red Hot Tires
1935-02-02

Double Indemnity

8.092

Double Indemnity
1944-07-06

The Great Dan Patch

5.5

The Great Dan Patch
1949-07-22

A Very Honorable Guy

6

A Very Honorable Guy
1934-04-18

After the Dance

6.5

After the Dance
1935-06-25

6

Spendthrift
1936-07-22

The Personality Kid

4.429

The Personality Kid
1934-06-06

7.167

Alias Mary Dow
1935-05-01

6.7

Safe in Hell
1931-12-12

The Secret Witness

4.25

The Secret Witness
1931-12-12

4.2

Sporting Blood
1940-07-11

6.6

Rain or Shine
1930-08-15

5.5

Dirigible
1931-02-01

7.667

Swing High
1930-05-18

5.8

Jamaica Run
1953-04-21

6

Jungle Safari
1956-01-01

6.714

Kid Millions
1934-11-10

The Sun Shines Bright

6.5

The Sun Shines Bright
1953-05-02

4.833

A Likely Story
1947-04-18

7.6

Scarlet Street
1945-12-25

Stars on Parade

8

Stars on Parade
1944-05-25

7

Jungle Terror
1946-06-01

That Gang of Mine

5.769

That Gang of Mine
1940-09-23

In the Meantime, Darling

6.75

In the Meantime, Darling
1944-09-22

The Green Pastures

6.313

The Green Pastures
1936-08-01

4.5

Harmony Lane
1935-10-22

The Las Vegas Story

5.974

The Las Vegas Story
1952-01-30

My Favorite Brunette

6.639

My Favorite Brunette
1947-03-19

Attorney for the Defense

6.25

Attorney for the Defense
1932-05-21

7

The Peanut Man
1947-06-01

Watch on the Rhine

6.858

Watch on the Rhine
1943-08-27

San Diego I Love You

6.8

San Diego I Love You
1944-09-29

7.333

Chad Hanna
1940-12-25

6.5

Maryland
1940-07-19

6

Honey
1930-03-29

An Act of Murder

6.864

An Act of Murder
1948-12-05

Adam Had Four Sons

5.9

Adam Had Four Sons
1941-03-27

5.8

Big City Blues
1932-09-18

The Soul of a Monster

5.455

The Soul of a Monster
1944-08-17

6.167

The Wet Parade
1932-03-26

The Cabin in the Cotton

6.333

The Cabin in the Cotton
1932-09-26

Passing Through

6

Passing Through
1977-08-06

7.25

Katie Did It
1950-11-26

Tough as They Come

9

Tough as They Come
1942-06-05

7.667

The Racket Man
1944-01-18

The Fighting Sheriff

10

The Fighting Sheriff
1931-05-15

5.9

Belle Starr
1941-09-12

Flesh and Fantasy

7.1

Flesh and Fantasy
1943-10-29

Heaven Can Wait

6.9

Heaven Can Wait
1943-08-05

Gentleman from Dixie

8

Gentleman from Dixie
1941-09-02

A Dream for Christmas

7.333

A Dream for Christmas
1973-12-24

6.963

Without Love
1945-03-22

3.833

Twin Beds
1942-04-30

6.167

Muss 'em Up
1936-02-13

A Royal Romance

7

A Royal Romance
1930-03-17

She Couldn't Say No

5.706

She Couldn't Say No
1954-02-15

5.292

The Death Kiss
1932-12-05

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

6.7

Sherlock Holmes in Washington
1943-03-24

Honeymoon Lodge

8

Honeymoon Lodge
1943-07-23

8

Over the Wall
1943-12-25

7.5

East of Java
1935-12-01

The Broken Earth

4.5

The Broken Earth
1936-04-16

My Forbidden Past

5.5

My Forbidden Past
1951-04-25

6.492

Unconquered
1947-10-10

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

0

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
1975-04-19

6.745

Show Boat
1936-05-17

9

Zanzibar
1940-03-08

7

Jam Session
1944-04-13

Joe Palooka in the Knockout

8

Joe Palooka in the Knockout
1947-09-20

7.333

Prison Train
1938-10-17

Johnny Come Lately

6.952

Johnny Come Lately
1943-09-03

Strictly in the Groove

9

Strictly in the Groove
1942-11-20

Tales of Manhattan

6.459

Tales of Manhattan
1942-08-05

5.986

White Zombie
1932-07-28

Beautiful Dreamer

0

Beautiful Dreamer
1935-12-12

The Thin Man Goes Home

7.108

The Thin Man Goes Home
1944-12-24

6.1

Silver River
1948-05-20

Follow the Boys

5.727

Follow the Boys
1944-05-05

Lux Video Theatre

6.714

Lux Video Theatre
1950-10-02

The 20th Century Fox Hour

6

The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955-10-05

8.5

Casablanca
1955-09-27

Four Star Playhouse

6.818

Four Star Playhouse
1952-09-25