Dorothy Dandridge & Paul White: A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)

Here is a funny video clip with Dorothy Dandridge & Paul White performing the song A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal). According to the poster on Youtube, it's from a 1942 soundie. Source?

I sometimes dj the Bill Elliott version of this song from the soundtrack of the film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

What do you think of the video clip with Dorothy Dandridge? Please comment.

I've got a Gal in Kalamazoo: Orchestra Wives

I've got a Gal in Kalamazoo is a song that I think sometimes come out a little bit flat when I hear it on a recording, but that is not the case here in this scene from the 1942 movie Orchestra Wives.

You actually get two different but equally great versions (in their own way). First out is one with Glenn Miller's band in the background. In the film the name is somewhat modified to Gene Morrison's band, probably good for the budget so you don't have to change all the GM initials on the drums and the other things.

The real focus is however on the singers Tex Beneke and Marion Hutton and the vocal group The Modernaires.

The second version features the fabulous tap dancing Nicholas Brothers. I think their tap dancing influences their singing because I really like how they phrase the words. I think that kind of phrasing is of the same kind as the rhythms they create when they dance.

And, wow, who wouldn't like to be athletic like them? Those splits... :)

I've featured the Nicholas Brothers before on my blog.

What do you think of the two versions of I've got a Gal in Kalamazoo? Tell me.

Ginger Rogers dances Charleston in Roxie Hart

Ginger Rogers was quite a Charleston dancer, in fact that was how she started her career as a dancer and actress. Here is a scene from the film Roxie Hart (1942) where Ginger Rogers dances Charleston. The scene did however not make into Roxie Hart, maybe it was the production code for the movie industry that put a stop to that, I don't know.

The story is based on a true crime and has been made first into a silent movie: Chicago (1927) and of course the modern day remake: Chicago (2002) featuring Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart.

What do you think of Ginger Rogers dancing Charleston in Roxie Hart? Tell me.

"James Session" - Harry James and His Music Makers

The video clip of today is "James Session" with Harry James and His Music Makers from the film Private Buckaroo from 1942. The Jivin' Jacks and Jills are dancing to the music.



What do you think of the video clip with Harry James and His Music Makers? Tell me.

Jam session: Duke Ellington plays C Jam Blues

Here is a soundie called Jam Session with Duke Ellington where he plays the song C Jam Blues together with other great jazz musicians as Ben Webster, Sonny Greer, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Joe Nanton and Barney Bigard.



What do you think of C Jam Blues from 1942 with Duke Ellington? Tell me.

Louis Armstrong - Swingin' on Nothing

Swingin' on Nothing is one of my favorite swing songs. This video clip show Louis Armstrong and his orchestra playing Swingin' on Nothing together with singers George Washington and Velma Middleton.



In the clip George and Velma dances together and it looks like some kind of jig trot. Velma Middleton also dances by herself (in her own style).

What do you think of Louis Armstrong and his orchestra playing Swingin' on Nothing? Tell me.