A 1929 two-reel musical starring Bessie Smith (in her only filmed performance). One of the first films to star an all-Black cast, though it was filmed by a white director and the Black actors are cast in roles which reinforce negative racial stereotypes (philandering men, lots of drinking and gambling, lighter skin being associated with beauty, etc.).
A great essay about St. Louis Blues from LOC.gov
In 1914, newspaper cartoonist Windsor McCay created Gertie the Dinosaur, of the first example of American animation. These are excerpts from his unfinished 1921 sequel, Gertie on Tour.
A dramatized short film about an Italian immigrant arriving in America and trying to learn English and assimilate.