7th & T documentary film collection

The film “7th &T” documents the culture and life of the neighborhood that surrounded the Howard Theatre as well as showcasing the importance of the Howard Theatre within Washington D.C.’s Black community. The film includes interviews with community members who reminisce about their experiences going to shows at the theater. Scholars are interviewed to discuss the broader history of the theater as space within “Black American culture.” The film also includes many performances from Washington musicians. The filmmakers used archival materials as well as live action. The film was produced by TeleScope International and directed by David Herman and broadcast on PBS in 1987.

The film covers the opening of the Howard Theatre in 1910 to its closing in 1970. Many famous musicians performed at the theater such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Lena Horne, Lionel Hampton, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick, and Marvin Gaye. The Howard Theatre reopened in 2012.

David Herman (1950-2014) worked as a freelance photographer before becoming a cameraman. He became an independent filmmaker in 1985 both producing and directing documentaries. He worked as a biodynamic farmer and with adults with learning disabilities.