Excerpts from Social Dancing in America

This is the third part of an interview with Ralph G. Giordano who recently published his book Social Dancing in America: A History and Reference Volume 2 Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000.

[Part 1: How come you wrote a book about social dancing in America?]
[Part 2: Which dances do you write about in the book? ]

Part 3: Can you share some interesting facts about Lindy hop?

I can give you some excerpts from the book:

"Most Americans only saw the Lindy Hop in newsreels of the Harvest Moon Ball competitions and movies such as A Day at the Races (1937), Buck Privates (1941), Hellzapoppin’ (1941), Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942), Groovie Movie (1944) a nine-minute movie short, and Killer Diller (1948). Each provides some of the best acrobatic performance and smooth style versions of the dance ever filmed.

The acrobatic aerial dance movements were eye-catching stellar performances by the best professional Lindy Hop dancers in the country. They were extremely fast paced and choreographed for maximum effect on the movie scene and definitely not for simple enjoyment on a social dance floor."

"The comedy A Day at the Races, starring the Marx Brothers did well at the box office. At the time, the Marx Brothers were one of the top Hollywood box office attractions. Scenes in the movie offer an excellent contemporary singer Alan Jones singing in the "crooning" style made popular by Bing Crosby. In various dance scenes Groucho Marx performs a Tango, Fox Trot, Rhumba, and Charleston.

The film also has an ensemble dance scene between Harpo Marx and some African American children and another scene of African Americans adults performing the Lindy Hop. Unfortunately a large segment of America did not get to see either the Harpo scene or the Lindy Hop scene. Since these scenes involved "racial mixing," they were censored out of distribution copies throughout the south and other areas of the United States. (At that time, this was a common practice of all Hollywood movies).

Copies with deleted scenes continued to air well into the 1970s on television stations. It was not until the very late 20th century that the movie was shown intact. By that time the age of the movie regulated it to specialty cable stations dedicated for movie buffs that regulated the segregation to obscure trivia status."

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off from the movie Shall We Dance

Often at swing dances you hear "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, but I think it's good to sometimes trace the song back to its orgin.

"Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" was written for the movie Shall We Dance from 1937 with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by George Gershwin. In the video clip above you see Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance to the song on roller skates.

When you see the film, the song's introduction makes much more sense than it does when played "stand alone", that's why I most times cut the intro and start playing at "You say either, I say either".

By the way, don't confuse this movie with Shall We Dance from 2004 starring Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon or the original Japanese version of Shall We Dance (1997) which people say is the better one (I haven't seen the latter).

What do think of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dancing to "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off"? Tell me.

Watch the Birdie - Hellzapoppin

Usually you will hear the song Watch the Birdie sung by Anita O'day but it first appeared in the movie Hellzapoppin'. Here is a video clip from Hellzapoppin' with Watch the Birdie, the song is sung by Martha Raye.



Before I knew about this clip I always felt like there where something more to the story than what was told in the lyrics, now having seen the clip from Hellzapoppin' (1941), the lyrics make perfect sense.

In this clip there is lindy hop dance sequence where Betty (Martha Raye) dances with Dean Collins. When experienced lindy hoppers think of Hellzapoppin they mostly think of another famous dance sequence from this movie with Frankie Manning, Norma Miller and Al Minns and the rest of the dance troupe Harlem Cangeroos. Therefor I thought it would be nice to show some other swing dancing from that movie.

The Anita O'day version of Watch the Birdie is a great one (Gene Krupas Orchestra is playing), but be careful when you are djing it if you got a lot of beginning dancers on the dance floor because it has some tricky breaks in it.

And while we are talking about birds and photography (well, kind of...), I must show you a cartoon that is played at every Christmas Eve on Swedish television at 3 o'clock. It, together with some other cartoons, has been shown for 30 years, it's a modern tradition.



What do you think of Watch the Birdie (both the Hellzapoppin' and Anita O'day version)? Tell me.

Glen Grey and the Casa Loma Orchestra

Glen Grey and the Casa Loma Orchestra is an orchestra that is somewhat forgotten nowadays but they sounded great. Here is a video clip from a short movie featuring the band playing the songs "Hep And Happy", "Broom Street" and "Darktown Strutters' Ball".

The dancers in the clip are Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan doing a version of the Shim Sham as well as dancing lindy hop in a Hollywood style. Just look at Jewel McGowan doing those swivels. Wow.

You can find out more about the movie with Glen Grey and the Casa Loma Orchestra at Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

What do think of the video clip with Glen Grey and the Casa Loma Orchestra? Tell me.

Dance Movie Blogathon

Ferdi On Film has declared this week a Dance Movie Blogathon where partipants blog about dance on film.

My own small contribution will be a link to my archive of posts about films and movies.

Enjoy!

Frankie Manning book interview

Frankie Manning is interviewed in the latest podcast of Yehoodi radio about his upcoming autobiography: Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop.

In the interview Frankie tells some stories from his life, he talks about segregation and when he was enlisted in world war II. Despite such serious topics he somehow always stays positive, laughing like just he can.

Since Frankie also has sold movie rights for book, he also talks little about who might play him in a movie. (Update: That's a joke, folks, don't start any rumors)

The segment starts 14:30 into the podcast, if you want to jump directly to the interview, it's 18:45.
Download the podcast (22 MB, mp3)

Preorder Frankie Mannings autobiography from Amazon.

Read my earlier post about the Frankie Manning book.

What do you think after listening to the interview? Tell me.

Swing Fever: Swing dancing

Here is a scene from the movie Swing Fever from 1943. Kay Kyser and his orchestra plays the song "One Girl and Two Boys".

According to the Internet Movie Database it's Jeanne Phelps-Veloz who dances swing together with Don Gallaher and Lennie Smith in a Hollywood style.

If you like the song you can hear a modern version by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra on the album Live at the Hollywood Palladium. Bill Elliott has btw also another album called Swing Fever.

What do you think about the dancing in the film Swing Fever? 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.

Jerry Lewis - Errand Boy

Jerry Lewis is great comic actor when it comes to adapting his expressions to fit the music. Here is a video clip with Jerry Lewis from the movie "Errand boy" where he imagines what it's like to be the boss. He mimes to the song "Blues in Hoss Flat" by Count Basie.



More info about the film Errand boy at Internet Movie Database.

If you like this clip, you'll also like Jerry Lewis in the film Cinderfella.

What do you think of the video clip with Jerry Lewis from the film Errand Boy? Tell me.

"Crazy Riffin" - Betti Mays, Big Sid Catlett

Here is a video clip from the movie Boy! What a Girl! where Betti Mays sings the song "Crazy Riffin" which is played by Big Sid Catlett's band.



The film "Boy! What a Girl!" is from 1947 and you can hear that the band has bop influences as well as Betti Mays has when she scats. That's bop phrases alright, but the tune still swings. Other jazz musicians as bass player Slam Stewart and drummer Gene Krupa also appears in the movie.

There is a group of dancers called The International Jitterbugs that I've heard is in the film, I haven't seen any clip of them, do you know anything about those dancers? Tell me.

What do you think of this video clip with Betti Mays and Big Sid Catlett's band performing the song "Crazy Riffin"? Tell me.

Cyd Charisse - Frankie and Johnny

Recently the great dancer Cyd Charisse passed away. Cyd Charisse was one of the stars in the era of movie musicals in the 1940's and 1950's. Read her obituary in NY Times.

Here is a video clip from the film Meet Me In Las Vegas from 1956 where Cyd Charisse dances to the song Frankie and Johnny sung by Sammy Davis Jr.

I love the precision and quality in the dancers movements. What a great choreography. It's credited to Hermes Pan according to the Internet Movie Database (but the poster on Youtube says Eugene Loring).

Last summer I posted a clip where Cyd Charisse dances in the film Party Girl.

What do you think of the dance scene with Cyd Charisse? Please comment.

The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America

It seems like there is going to be a movie made about Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald and the Savoy Ballroom called The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music That Changed America. Check out the video clips.

The documentary features interviews with Frankie Manning and Norma Miller.






(via Charlie)
What do you think of the movie? Please comment.

It's time to dance Madison

When I looked at the stats of this blog today, I once again saw a increased interest in dances from 1961. In January I asked "What is so interesting about dances from 1961?" Well, aparantly it's a clue in a crossword and the solution is "Watusi".

I thought I would feature another dance from the 1960's: The Madison. The video clip above is from the film "Bande a Part" (Band of Outsiders) from 1964.

I love the combination of attitude and casual style and also the surrealistic moment when the music stops during the voice-over but the dancers continue to dance.

A friend of mine run a film marathon once a year where everybody watches 5 or 6 movies in a row, each movie has a different style I think this movie would be a perfect candidate in the "surrealistic section" of the evening.

Do you sometimes dance without music?

What do you think of the video clip with people dancing the Madison? Please comment.

Bing Crosby: "Swinging on a Star" from Going My Way

Swinging on a star is a nice lightharted song that first appeared in the movie "Going my way" (1944) starring Bing Crosby. Here is a video clip from "Going my way" where Bing Crosby sings Swinging on a star.

The song is written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke and won an Oscar for "Best song" in the 1944 Academy awards, where the film also was voted the "Best motion picture" and Bing Crosby was voted "Best actor".

Another great film nominated this year was the short film "Jammin the blues" by Gjon Mili.

What do you think of Bing Crosby singing Swinging on a star? Tell me.

Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 70 years ago

Today it's the 70th anniversary of Benny Goodman's concert at Carnegie Hall, a concert that really helped swing to become mainstream music. The climax of the concert was the performance of the song Sing, Sing, Sing.

Here is a video clip of Sing, sing, sing with Benny Goodman's orchestra from the movie Hollywood Hotel from 1937.

You'll notice Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet.



This version is very short compared to the Carnegie hall version which is 12 minutes long.

What do you think of the video clip with Benny Goodman playing Sing, Sing, Sing? Tell me.

Jerry Lewis - Leap Frog

I found this video clip with Jerry Lewis from the movie The Nutty Professor via a comment made by leazwell. Jerry Lewis has made perfect examples of the phenomenon that I call "the music made me do it". Look at him in the films Errand boy or Cinderfella.

In this video clip he cant help himself, he just has to dance to the song Leap Frog performed by Les Brown and His Band of Renown.

The nutty professor explains:

"I got carried away by the music, it was a toe tapper"

What songs do you consider a "toe tapper"? Please tell me.

I've featured a very different version of Leap Frog before in my blog post "Jazz as a conversation" but it was also a example of "the music made me do it".


What do you think of Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor? Please comment.

Louis Armstrong - Paris Blues - Jam Session

Do you want high energy swing music? Well, here you go! Here is a great video clip from the movie Paris Blues with Louis Armstrong.

Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier plays musicians playing in a jazz club when Louis Armstrong and his band comes crashing in (that's how you make a entrance!) and challenge each of them in a jam session.



In beginning of this video clip there is some swing dancing. I just love the energy of the music and I love the joy they express. It truly shows what swing music is all about.

Paris Blues was released in 1961.

What do you think of this video clip from Paris Blues with Louis Armstrong. Tell me.

Boswell Sisters: Heebie Jeebies

Here is a great clip from 1932 with the Boswell Sisters singing Heebie Jeebies.



The clip is from the movie The Big Broadcast. The Boswell Sisters were Connee, Martha and Vet.

The origin of the expression Heebie Jeebies is explained here. In the song they mention the "Heebie Jeebie dance", does anyone know if this was an actual dance or purely fictional? If you got some information, please tell me.

What do you think of this video clip with Boswell Sisters singing Heebie Jeebies? Tell me.

Danny Kaye sings "Ballin' the Jack"

Have you ever wanted to learn to dance Ballin' the Jack? Here is your chance.

Danny Kaye shows you how it's done when he sings "Ballin' the Jack" in this video clip from the movie "On the Riviera" from 1951. The woman looking at him is actress Gene Tierney.



Ballin' the Jack is an old dance that according to the book Social Dancing in America: A History and Reference Volume 2 Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000 (page 7-8) was invented in California around 1901-1905 and then was popularised through the theatre production Darktown Follies in 1911.

"Another popular dance from the Darktown Follies was Ballin' the Jack. Historian Willis Lawrence stated that the term "Ballin' the Jack" was a nineteenth century railroad expression that meant "travelling fast and having a good time"."

If you know of any other sources of information about the dance, let me know.

What do you think of Danny Kaye showing how to dance Ballin' the Jack? 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.