Duke Ellington

AKA: Edward Kennedy Ellington, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
0.1758

1899-04-29

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Biography

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

Crew Roles

Anatomy of a Murder
Original Music Composer
So Long
Original Music Composer
The Turning Point
Music
Assault on a Queen
Original Music Composer
Daybreak Express
Music
Change of Mind
Original Music Composer
Cabin in the Sky
Music
Sophisticated Ladies
Musical
The Bankbus
Music
Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
Original Music Composer
On the Road with Duke Ellington
Music
The Vampire
Music
A Smattering of Spots
Music
Paris Blues
Original Music Composer
Music
Cast RolesCast Roles Played = {71}

Pie Eye (uncredited)

1959-07-01 7.849

Anatomy of a Murder

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler par ...
Genre :Crime, Drama, Mystery

Duke Ellington

1934-05-18 5.5

Murder at the Vanities

Shortly before the curtain goes up the first time at the latest performance of Earl Carroll's Vanities, someone is attempting to injure the leading lady Ann Ware, who wants to marry leading man Eric L ...
Genre :Music, Mystery, Comedy

Piano Player

1934-09-21 5.7

Belle of the Nineties

Cabaret entertainer Ruby Carter shifts her operations to New Orleans and becomes exceedingly popular with the local men. ...
Genre :Comedy, Drama

Self (archive footage)

1941-11-07 6

Birth of the Blues

Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle ...
Genre :Music, Romance

Self

2014-01-13 0.5

Duke Ellington & Sarah Vaughan Live At The Berlin Philharmonic Hall 1989

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra plus Sarah Vaughan & Her Trio live in Berlin. Featuring: Duke Ellington (piano), Sarah Vaughan (vocals), Harold Ashby (saxophone), Harry Carney (saxophone), Paul Gonsalv ...
Genre :Music

Self - Piano

2007-05-21 0

Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington Live in '58

Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington features the earliest-known filmed full-length concert by one of the 20th Century's greatest songwriters and bandleaders. Filmed at Amsterdam's famed Concertgebouw, this 80- ...
Genre :Music

Duke Ellington

1929-12-08 6.3

Black and Tan

Duke Ellington plays hot jazz in a fictional story that finds him down on his luck; he tries in vain to dissuade his friend, dancer Fredi Washington, from working with heart trouble even though it mea ...
Genre :Music, Drama

Self (archive footage)

2021-09-02 0

Duke Ellington in Isfahan

This short documentary by writer and archivist Ehsan Khoshbakht tells the story of Duke Ellington's concert tour of the Middle East in 1963 and the development of one of the most beautiful jazz standa ...
Genre :Documentary

Self

1974-12-31 0

On the Road with Duke Ellington

Documentary portrait of the legendary jazz bandleader. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2000. ...
Genre :Documentary

Self

1933-01-31 5.6

A Bundle of Blues

Duke Ellington and his orchestra play two jazz compositions plus 'Stormy Weather' (sung by Ivy Anderson). ...
Genre :Music

Self

1935-09-12 6.6

Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life

A rising nineteen-year-old singer by the name of Billie Holiday made her screen debut in this musical landmark, which features Duke Ellington and his orchestra performing his symphonic jazz piece “A R ...
Genre :Music, Drama

Duke Ellington

1937-04-26 5

The Hit Parade

Agent Pete Garland is fired by society singer Monica Barrett after he got her a new radio contract, because she thinks her lawyer friend Teddy Leeds fits in better with her social status. To get even, ...
Genre :Music

Self

1947-10-30 1

Date with Duke

Duke Ellington at the piano conducts a group of puppet perfume bottles playing his "Perfume Suite." ...
Genre :Animation

Self

1991-01-01 0

The Lou Rawls Show with Duke Ellington

With a unique style that encompassed soul, jazz and pop, Lou Rawls established himself as one of the premier voices of the modern musical age. This outstanding episode of his self-titled variety show ...
Genre :Music

Self - Piano

1942-01-01 6.2

Jam Session

Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'. ...
Genre :Music

Duke - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (uncredited)

1943-02-04 7

Reveille with Beverly

Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the DJ for an early morning show before the soldiers at a nearby army camp assemble for reveille. Beverly, wi ...
Genre :Comedy, Music, Romance, War

Himself

1942-01-01 8

Bli-Blip

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra perform "Bli-Blip" with Marie Bryant and Paul White ...
Genre :Music

Self

1952-02-03 6

Mood Indigo

Duke Ellington Orchestra performs "Mood Indigo" for Snader Telescriptions. ...
Genre :Music

Self

1952-02-03 0

Sophisticated Lady

Duke Ellington Orchestra performing "Sophisticated Lady" for Snader Telescriptions film. ...
Genre :Music

Himself

2005-10-25 0

Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection

This remarkable DVD includes rare TV and film performances, an especially rare radio interview with Mike Wallace, an audio-only rehearsal session with pianist Jimmy Rowles, audio interviews with frien ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Self

2004-06-30 4.2

The Story Of The Blues

The story of The Blues traces the four main traditions of blues music: Form Blues, Blues, Urban Blues and Blues Electric. The blues has evolved and diversified, and filtered into a surprising variety ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Self (archival)

2024-04-27 0

Steve e il Duca

In 1999, on the occasion of the centenary of Ellington's birth, Franco Maresco commissioned Steve Lacy to perform ten songs by the Duke, which were recorded and filmed in Palermo. In 2024, twenty year ...
Genre :Documentary, Music

Himself (archive footage)

2007-01-01 0

Alice Babs - Swing It!

This documentary film features plenty of archival material, also showing Alice Babs from her private side: as a vivacious lady who has held on to her happy and "up-beat" nature into old age. ...
Genre :Documentary

Self (archive footage)

2004-01-01 6

The Harlem Renaissance

Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the soulful music of the period, along with the challenges many of the genre's artists faced when trying to ...
Genre :Documentary, Music, History

Self

1952-06-01 0

Solitude

Genre :Music

1942-01-01 0

I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good

1942 Short restored in true form ...
Genre :

1942-01-01 0

Flamingo

Restored film directed by Josef Berne, released in 1942 ...
Genre :

1943-01-01 0

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

Restored Film released in 1943, directed by Jay Bonafield ...
Genre :

1949-01-01 0

Symphony In Swing

Restored film directed by Will Cowan in 1943 ...
Genre :

1950-01-01 0

Salute to Duke Ellington

Short directed by Will Cowan as tribute to Duke Ellington ...
Genre :

Self

2004-01-01 0

Improvisation

Improvisational jazz performance filmed in 1950 by Gjon Mili plus Duke Ellington Trio filmed in July 1966, Count Basie at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977, Joe Pass 1979, Ella Fitzgerald 1979, and Osca ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Self (uncredited)

1941-02-20 7.8

Hot Chocolate

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at their best along with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performing for this "Hot Chocolate" musical short. ...
Genre :Music

Self

1966-02-04 0

The Strolling '20s

Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier travel down memory lane to see what life was like back in the 1920s. Harry Belafonte introduces this musical, written by poet and playwright Langston Hughes, which p ...
Genre :Music, Comedy, TV Movie

Self

2000-01-01 0

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1929-1943

Joined by the likes of saxophonist Ben Webster and trumpeter Cootie Williams, jazz giant Duke Ellington demonstrates in this collection of performance clips (spanning the years 1929-43) precisely why ...
Genre :Music

Self (archive footage)

2018-05-04 7

The Jazz Ambassadors

The Cold War and Civil Rights collide in this remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race. Beginning in 1955, when America asked its greatest jazz artists to travel the world as cultural ambassadors ...
Genre :Documentary

Self - Piano

2008-08-12 6

Jazz Evolution

Genre :Music

Self (archive footage)

1956-01-01 7

Jazz Ball

A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats from the 1930s to the 1950s. ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Duke Ellington (uncredited)

1943-03-24 6.578

Cabin in the Sky

When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where he learns that he will be sent back to Earth for six months to prove that he deserves to be in heaven ...
Genre :Music, Fantasy

Self

2003-11-11 0

Duke Ellington: Live At The Tivoli Gardens

Call him the Duke of Denmark, as this is the second superb Ellington performance recorded in that country to be released in 2003 alone. It's also an appropriate follow-up to The Intimate Duke Ellingto ...
Genre :Music

Self (archive footage)

2003-10-04 6.5

Piano Blues

Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Self

2003-06-17 0

The Intimate Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington's fifty year career was full of accomplishments as a highly original pianist, arranger, prolific composer and leader of a timeless orchestra. On occasion he recorded with a small group ...
Genre :Music

Self (archive footage)

2002-02-08 8

It's Black Entertainment

A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Williams traces the struggles and triumphs of the super ...
Genre :Documentary, Music

Self (archive footage)

1975-04-19 0

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

Ossie Davis narrates a history of "race films," films made before 1950 which catered to a primarily black audience. ...
Genre :Documentary

Self (archive footage)

2019-04-24 6.5

The Apollo

The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment. ...
Genre :Documentary

Orchestra Leader

1930-10-02 5.3

Check and Double Check

Amos and Andy trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party. ...
Genre :Comedy

Self

2005-04-19 0

Duke Ellington: The Big Band Feeling

This 1952 recording includes 2 performances of Duke and his Orchestra, one on Jan. 7, 1952 and one on Aug. 12, 1952. 12 of his signature pieces are featured including Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, The ...
Genre :Music

Piano Player (uncredited)

1934-06-08 5.3

Many Happy Returns

Gracie Allen assumes the "management" of the shop owned by her papa Horatio Allen, turning it into a radio station and then an aviary---with the usual Gracie Allen logic---while distracted Papa is try ...
Genre :Comedy

Self - Musician (archive footage)

2019-02-25 7.7

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the Un ...
Genre :Documentary, History, TV Movie

Self (archive footage)

2022-01-09 6.8

Charlie Parker: Bird Songs

In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker nicknamed Bird just died, at 34. His death will be the ransom of a life that was not denied to the ex ...
Genre :Documentary, Music

Self (archive footage)

2024-09-11 7.5

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle ...
Genre :Documentary, History, Music

Self

1967-06-16 0

Duke Ellington: Love You Madly

Profile of Duke Ellington featuring performances and interviews with the legendary bandleader. The performance footage was recorded in a number of places from The Basin St. West Jazz Club, the 1965 Mo ...
Genre :Music, Documentary

Self

2014-05-24 0

Jazz Legends in Their Own Words

A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from the golden age of jazz. Featuring some of the greatest names in American music, including the godfather of N ...
Genre :Documentary, Music

Self (archive footage)

2024-09-12 0

I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story

An aspiring singer is tasked with promoting the music catalogue of his great-grandfather, the famous songwriter Jimmy McHugh, recorded by everyone from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. While licensing these song ...
Genre :Documentary, Music

Himself

2019-02-15 0

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Live

In this concert from his great European tour Duke gives a big band concert to be remembered in Brussel’s Marni Theatre. Featuring star soloists Money Johnson on trumpet, Paul Gonsalves on saxophone, a ...
Genre :Music

Self

1966-05-01 8

Duke Ellington at the Côte d'Azur with Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Miro

The rather dusty black-and-white footage, dating from the summer of 1966, opens with bikinis, beach umbrellas and Foster Grant-shaded sophisticates strolling La Croisette. The scene then shifts to a s ...
Genre :Music

Himself

1966-01-01 7

The First World Festival of Negro Arts

"This documentary film covers a 24-day arts festival in Dakar, Senegal that highlighted Black contributions to the cultural heritage of mankind and was attended by an extraordinary cast of over 2,000 ...
Genre :Documentary

Self

1962-10-01 6.2

The Merv Griffin Show

Genre :Talk

Self (archive footage)

2001-01-09 8

Jazz

Jazz is a ten part series that explores the evolution – and the genius – of America’s greatest original art form, focusing on the extraordinary men and women who could do something remarkable – create ...
Genre :Documentary

Self - Guest

1956-06-24 5.6

The Steve Allen Show

Genre :Comedy

Self

1957-07-29 7

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

Tonight Starring Jack Paar is an American talk show hosted by Jack Paar under The Tonight Show franchise from 1957 to 1962. It originally aired during late-night. During most of its run it was broadc ...
Genre :Talk

Self

1948-06-20 6.8

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was ...
Genre :Comedy, Talk

Self

1972-01-12 8

Le Grand Échiquier

Genre :Reality

Self

1951-06-06 6

German Film Award

Genre :Reality

Self

1948-01-01 9

Bambi

The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities ...
Genre :Reality

Self (archive footage)

1959-02-04 0

Discorama

Genre :Talk

Self - Guest

1968-06-06 6.8

The Dick Cavett Show

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks. ...
Genre :Talk

Self

1959-01-12 7.3

The Bell Telephone Hour

“The Bell Telephone Hour” was a musical variety show that aired on “NBC” TV from 12 January 1959 to 14 June 1968 that showcased the best in Broadway, Classical, Concert, Jazz and Popular music each we ...
Genre :

Self

1950-02-02 6.9

What's My Line?

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions. ...
Genre :Family, Comedy

Self

1961-12-11 5.4

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went in ...
Genre :Comedy, Talk

Self

1957-12-07 6

Aktuelle Schaubude

Genre :News, Talk

Self

0

What's Happening

A weekly investigative public affairs show that began in 1969, produced by WTIC television in Hartford, CT. ...
Genre :