Betty Hutton - "Murder, He Says"

Jive talk was the slang language of the 1930's and 1940's. Here is video clip with some of the expressions from the swing era.

Betty Hutton sings the song "Murder, He Says" in which she is rather annoyed with the way her lover speaks when they get into an intimate situation.

According to the YouTube poster this clip is from "November 1943 for the Armed Forces Radio Service show "Command Performance" (episode 92)". I suspect that this video clip appeared in the movie Strictly G.I.

Films like Strictly G.I. were made to boost the morale for the American troupes in World War II.

What do you think of Betty Hutton belting out "Murder, He Says"? Please comment.

Hit That Jive Jack with Joe Carroll

Hit that jive, Jack is one of the classic swing songs. The song is written by Johnny Alston and Skeets Tolbert. Just like Route 66, it was a big hit by the Nat King Cole Trio but here is another version by jive talking Joe Caroll on vocals from a soundie.

According to the post on Youtube the band is called "The Tramp Band". The post continues:

This is from 1943; personnel should be identical or similar to their scene in Stormy Weather: Carroll and Pinky Johnson up front, Nick Aldrich piano, Johnny Cousin guitar, Ebenezer Paul bass, Willie Jones drums, Alvis Cowans washboard. Female dancer Nicky O'Daniel played Caldonia in Louis Jordan's film Caldonia a couple years later.

Anyone who can confirm this?

Also, it seems to be hard to find information about the composers Johnny Alston and Skeets Tolbert. Do you know where to find more info about them?

What do you think of the video clip with Joe Carroll singing Hit That Jive Jack? Please comment.

Drum Boogie with Gene Krupa from Ball of Fire

Here is a great video with Gene Krupa playing Drum Boogie from the film Ball of Fire.

Ball of Fire was made in 1941 and features Gary Cooper as Prof. Bertram Potts who is researching slang words for an article in an encyclopedia. He meets the singer Sugarpuss O'Shea played by Barbara Stanwyck who teaches him about slang words while she is hiding from mobsters.

What do you think of this video clip with Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Krupa performing Drum Boogie? Tell me.

"Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)"

Here is video clip from the film Doll Face from 1946 where Perry Como and Martha Stewart sings "Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)". Hubba-hubba is an American slang expression that is used to express approval, pleasure, or excitement. The song contains a lot of jive talking and slang expressions.

You will also notice that the film is made very close after the World War 2 and in the beginning of clip they mention the bombing of Japan in a way that maybe is not particulary political correct nowadays. So with this fair warning, take a look at the video clip.



What do you think of the video clip? Tell me.

Red Nichols - Everybody Loves My Baby

Sometime I come across jazz musicians whose name I've heard but haven't really listened to. One of those was trumpeter Red Nichols, here is a video clip with Red Nichols & His Five Pennies playing "Everybody Loves My Baby".




The video clip with Red Nichols & His Five Pennies is the last part of a soundie from 1935. My favorite quote from the video (hilarious):

"Oh, Red, Please don't sing,
Pick up your horn, and play that thing!"

What I think is interesting in this clip is the mix between hot jazz and swing. One thing that is also noticeable is the slang words in the lyrics "she's my sheba, I'm her sheik". Those slang words became popular one decade earlier in 1921 when the silent movie "The Sheik" starring Rudolph Valentino was released. That film also inspired the jazz standard "Sheik of Araby".

What do you think of Red Nichols? What other recordings of Red Nichols should I listen to? Tell me.

Man, That's Groovy with Jimmy Dorsey and Helen O'Connell

A while ago I wrote about a PBS documentary about soundies. In the trailer for the documentary I spotted a soundie that I really liked: the song Man, That's Groovy with Jimmy Dorsey and singer Helen O'Connell. Enjoy this video clip.



In "Man, That's Groovy" Helen O'Connell sings about the slang words used in the 1930s called jive talk.

All the cats are solid senders and especially Jimmy Dorsey when he takes off with his clarinet. Helen O'Connell is a solid canary and this song makes me want to be a rug cutter. Jack, do you collar this jive?

If that last paragraph was hard to understand, you should check out Cab Calloways jive dictionary.

What do you think of this video clip with Jimmy Dorsey and Helen O'Connell? Tell me.

Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson - Keep the Beat!

Do you think school should be more fun? Well then, take a look at this video clip with Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson performing Keep the Beat! from the movie Junior Prom from 1946.



Jive talking Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson looks kind of wacky when he plays the piano but the music is swinging with a boogie woogie rhythm with bop scatting in the breaks. He is supported by the Abe Lyman Orchestra. In the video clip there is some swing dancing and even a minuet(?).

I just love the opening line of the video clip:

"and now my dear little zombies... "

I bet your teacher didn't say that to you. Or?

What do you think of this video clip with Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson? Tell me.