All-American News

All-American News was a film production company in the U.S. bringing newsreels and entertainment films to African American audiences.The first reels were produced in their headquarters in Chicago and premiered in November of 1942. The newsreels were shown in 150 black theaters from across the country. They were the first newsreels to ever be produced for black audiences. The intention behind them was to encourage African Americans to join and support the war effort as well as share their perspective on events taking place around the world. The films were typically 7 minutes in length and covered several topics with the main focus being progress and achievements of African American service members.

Emmanuel M. Glucksman, a former Universal short subject producer and exhibitor, lead production for All-American News films for African American audiences. He was paired with young African American filmmaker William D. Alexander, who worked on the newsreel production team, narrated, and interviewed. Claude Barnett, an experienced journalist also helped produce the films. Josh Binney directed some of the films. Some of these films included Chicago After Dark and Lucky Gamblers.

The Library of Congress has a collection of 35 All-American newsreels and films released from 1942 to 1945.

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