St. Louis Blues is a 1929 American tworeel short film starring Bessie Smith. The early sound film features Smith in an AfricanAmerican speakeasy of the prohibition era singing the W. C. Handy standard, St. Louis Blues. Directed by Dudley Murphy, it is the only known film of Bessie Smith, and the soundtrack is her only recording not controlled by Columbia Records.
In 2006, this version was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Source: Wikipedia