As the World Rolls On

As the World Rolls On, also known by its working title The Heart of Jack Johnson,[1] is a 1921 drama film starring Jack Johnson.[2] It was an Andlauer Productions film.[3][4] It was advertised as featuring an "All-Star Colored Cast". The film features footage of National Negro League baseball games.[5] It is a 7-reel film.[6]

The storyline of the film features Johnson teaching physical fitness to a weak man and an attempt to frame someone for a crime.[7] Newspaper publisher Nelson Crews has a cameo in the film.[1] Filming was done in Kansas City, Missouri where the Andlauer production company was based, as well as St. Joseph, Missouri and Topeka.[1]

Production

The film was made by William Anthony Andlauer. He was a theater owner, photographer, and cinematographer.[8]

Historical significance

Up until 2013—when a film clip from 1919 was found in storage at a Georgia plantation—As the World Rolls On was the earliest known film to show African-American baseball players, containing "footage of an all-black Kansas team."[9]

Cast

• Jack Johnson as himself
• Blanche Thompson as Molly Moran
• Reed Thomas as Joe Walker
• Walter Simpson as Tom Atkins
• Versia Rice
• Sam Crawford as himself
• Bruce Petway as himself
• Rube Foster as himself
• Cristóbal Torriente as himself[1]

See also

• For His Mother's Sake (another film starring Johnson)

References

1. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com.
2. ""As the World Rolls On": Complete Story of Feature Picture in Which Jack Johnson Stars". The Chicago Defender. 20 August 1921. p. 7. ProQuest 491912149. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
3. Erickson, Hal (March 23, 2016). The Baseball Filmography, 1915 through 2001, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476607856 – via Google Books.
4. "As the World Rolls On". www.tcm.com.
5. "As The World Rolls On". September 8, 2015.
6. ""Its a Knockout" (Ad)". The New York Age. 10 September 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
7. Richards, Larry (September 17, 2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 9781476610528 – via Google Books.
8. "elmwoodce-a - pafn41 - Generated by Personal Ancestral File". www.elmwoodcem-kc.org.
9. Brown, Robbie (30 April 2013). "Antique film of black ballplayers surfaces, and their diamond is a plantation". New York Times. ProQuest 1815066681. Retrieved 22 January 2021.