In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves did something no history book could: he gathered the surviving legends of the Harlem Renaissance in Duke Ellington’s Harlem home, poured the drinks, and let the cameras roll. Painters, poets, journalists, and musicians who hadn’t seen each other in decades laughed, argued, and remembered the movement they built together.
Then the footage sat in the can for what seemed like its final resting place.
William passed before he could finish it. His wife and longtime producer, Louise Greaves, spent her final years fighting to restore it, and she passed before it was done too. The baton went to David Greaves, William’s son, who was behind one of the four cameras that day, and his daughter Liani Greaves. Together, they finally brought Once Upon a Time in Harlem to the screen.
I sat down with David and Liani to talk about carrying their family’s legacy across the finish line, what David remembers (and doesn’t) from that day in 1972, the remarkable Regina Andrews, and the stories that didn’t make the final cut. Watching this film felt like being a fly on the wall at a party I wish I’d been invited to. This conversation is the next best thing.