- Directed by
- Drew, Robert, American, 1924 - 2014
- Produced by
- Gilbert, Anne, American, 1941 - 2012
- Subject of
- Ellington, Duke, American, 1899 - 1974
- Narrated by
- Morrow, Don, American, 1927 - 2020
- Subject of
- Armstrong, Louis, American, 1901 - 1971
- Mercer Ellington, American, 1919 - 1996
- Hodges, Johnny, American, 1906 - 1970
- Strayhorn, Billy, American, 1915 - 1967
- Morgan State University, American, founded 1867
- Owned by
- D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
- Date
- 1967
- Medium
- acetate film
- Dimensions
- Duration (Reel 1): 22 Minutes
- Length (Film): 800 Feet
- Duration (Reel 2): 28 Minutes
- Length (Film): 1000 Feet
- Caption
- This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
- Description
- A documentary film with the title On the Road with Duke Ellington. It consists of two (2) reels of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound.
- The documentary, which focuses on the last six years of Ellington’s life, shows scenes of the musician on the road and rehearsing for performances. It opens with Ellington receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Yale University, as voiceover narration by Don Morrow plays in the background. Other scenes from the film include footage of Ellington responding to interview questions in the back of a car; footage of him moving through an airport; footage of his friends and family singing "Happy Birthday" to him on his 68th birthday; a scene with him and Louis Armstrong backstage after one of his performances; a scene where he is rehearsing a new composition for Morgan State college where he will be awarded an honorary degree; him performing his morning routine in a hotel, the narrator reports that he does not drink coffee or tea, just hot water; a scene with him working on his new composition while on downtime; a scene in which he plays the piece that he had been composing, "Salute to Morgan State," at the college where he is the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree; a scene where he is recording "Rondolet" for RCA; scenes where he describes his childhood and his appreciation of women; his transition to becoming a master of ceremonies; scenes where he describes his relationship with Billy Strayhorn and footage from Strayhorn’s funeral; a scene where he performs "In the Beginning God" with a choir onstage. In the final scene, the narrator states that some of the footage that was not originally included in the film was later added, after which Ellington and his band performs "Take the A Train," which Ellington comments was written by Billy Strayhorn.
- Place used
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- DC Public Library Film Collection
- Classification
- Time-based Media - Moving Images
- Topic
- Composers (Musicians)
- Conductors (Musicians)
- Documentary films
- Film
- HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
- Instrumentalists (Musicians)
- Jazz (Music)
- Men
- Music
- Musicians
- Popular music
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.55.54.1ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




