Age Group:
Adults (ages 18+)- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will close on February 25, 2026 @ 6:00pm.
Program Description
Event Details
Join us for the showing of the historic 1926 feature film- The Flying Ace- with a live musical accompaniment by Cherry and Jerry!
About the duo:
With Jerry Rabushka on keyboard and Isaac Cherry on percussion, this wonderful local St. Louis duo plays ragtime, blues, and jazz music from the 1900s-1920s, including well-known hits from Scott Joplin, W.C. Handy, Irving Berlin, as well as lesser-known gems.
The St. Louis duo has toured throughout the region, appearing at libraries, museums, pubs and restaurants, special events, and more. Appearances include the Illinois State Fair, the George Washington Carver National Monument, the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago, and the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.
About the film:
"The Flying Ace is a 1926 black-and-white silent drama film directed by Richard E. Norman with an all-African-American cast of professional actors.
Actors include: Laurence Criner as Captain Billy Stokes, Kathryn Boyd as Ruth Sawtelle, Boise De Legge as Blair Kimball, Harold Platts as Finley Tucker, Lions Daniels as Constable Jed Splivins, George Colvin as Thomas Sawtelle, Sam Jordan as Dr. Maynard, R.L. Brown as Howard McAndrews, and Steve Reynolds as Peg.
The six-reel film, made by Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, was inspired by pilot Bessie Coleman, who was killed in an aviation accident the same year the film was released. Bessie Coleman was the first African-American woman and the first Native American to hold a pilot license. She is also the earliest known Black person to earn an international pilot's license, which was earned from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921.
In 2021, the film was selected for the preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
(Source: Wikipedia)
Disclaimer(s)
If you need accommodations for this class, please contact the Library as soon as you are able.
Food and/or drinks will be served at this class or event. Please contact the Library with any questions or concerns you have.
Please ask to see packaging at the event if you need allergy information.