Quentin Tarantino has praised the 1942 comedy Mr Washington Goes to Town as a “diamond in the rough” among ‘race films’, a historical genre made largely outside Hollywood for Black audiences. His comments matter because they highlight an overlooked film and illustrate the breadth of the director’s long-standing interest in both mainstream and obscure cinema.

Tarantino, who developed his film knowledge through extensive viewing and work at Los Angeles video store Video Archives, said he generally does not enjoy many race films from the 1930s and 1940s. Directed by William Beaudine and Jed Buell, Mr Washington Goes to Town follows cellmates pursuing an apparent hotel inheritance and features Mantan Moreland as Schenectady Jones; Tarantino particularly praised its sight gags, physical comedy and an unexpected headless-character joke.