Straight to Heaven tells the story of singer Jimmy Williams whose father, Joe, loses his business and starts investigating the corrupt owners of a Harlem canned-food brand. Racketeers force local store owners to sell the rotten food, and when Joe is framed for murder, his wife (played by Nina Mae McKinney) is forced to find work. This poster, a cheaply printed window card similar to those used to advertise boxing matches, presents McKinney as the star of the film. She was one of a few major Black actresses in the film industry of this time who played into the role of the beautiful temptress; this kind of character stood in stark contrast to the Sapphire stereotype of the overbearing and loud Black woman. In a continuing effort to legitimize race films, producers frequently compared Black actors to white ones with similar performing styles. Advertising for Straight to Heaven positions 12-year-old actor Jackie Ward as “The Colored Bobby Breen,” referring to a white child star contracted to RKO Pictures.