Black Gold (1936)

Black Gold is a gritty look back at the early days of oil exploration, when independents could still gamble on striking it rich through luck and hard work. Russell Hopton directed only one other film, having spent his career on the other side of the lens, acting in dozens of features in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Frankie Darro, only nineteen when Black Gold was shot, had already been in over eighty films and had at least that many still to come, the most notable being several inspired pairings with black comic actor, Mantan Moreland.

1936, B&W, 60 minutes