Happy New Year!

 

All of us here at the SSS join Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (on New Year's Eve 1937 from the Cotton Club) in wishing you a very happy, healthy and safe 2021!

RIP Olivia de Havilland

On July 25, 2020, Dame Olivia de Havilland passed away.  She was always one of my favorite actresses.  At the age of 19, she was cast as the leading lady in only her third film, opposite another newcomer, Errol Flynn.  The name of the movie was Captain Blood.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Above is a shot of her from one of my favorites, Princess O'Rourke, a fun little 1942 wartime comedy with Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn.  Think Roman Holiday, but this time, the leading man gets to marry the princess!  RIP Olivia.  

Sunrise Serenade: (When You're Up To Your Neck In Hot Water,) Be Like A Kettle And Sing - RIP Vera Lynn

I don't remember if I actually woke up with a Sunrise Serenade this morning, but when I learned that Dame Vera Lynn passed away today at age 103, it was impossible to keep this song out of my head:  "(When You're Up To Your Neck In Hot Water,) Be Like A Kettle And Sing."  R.I.P. Vera Lynn (March 20, 1917-June 18, 2020).  Enjoy this YouTube video clip from the 1942 film We'll Meet Again.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Holiday Break

Happy Thanksgiving from Ann Blyth and all of us here at the SSS.  I'll be taking a holiday break for a week or so, but I'll be back in December.  Meanwhile, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. 

Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival, October 21-28

Memphis' own Jimmie Lunceford, a former Manassas High School teacher who went on to become one of the top big band leaders of the Swing Era, will be celebrated this week during the 2018 Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival, which runs until October 28. 

Candy Matson (Yukon 28209)

The blog known as Comics, Old Time Radio & Other Cool Stuff selected one of my all-time favorite radio shows as one of its recent Friday's Favorite OTR:  Candy Matson:  "San Juan Batista."  The full title of the show was Candy Matson, Yukon-28209, with the latter part of the title representing the heroine's telephone number.  The shows always started with a phone ringing, and Candy answering "Hello, Yukon 28209. . . . Yes, this is Candy Matson."  Candy was a former dancer/model/showgirl who became a private investigator in San Francisco.  Voiced by Natalie Masters (above), Candy solved crimes while exchanging witty, rapid fire dialogue with her pal Rembrandt Watson, and her eventual beau, SFPD Detective Ray Mallard.  The dialogue is one of the reasons this show is one of my favorites.  In one episode, while Mallard and Rembrandt are bantering about with increasingly bad puns, Candy sighs something to the effect of "Who writes this corny dialogue?"  Aside from the obvious joke, the actual writer was Natalie Masters' husband, Marty Masters. 

Benny Goodman's "Rattle And Roll"

This article, posted on Swing and Beyond, provides a brief snapshot of Benny Goodman's career in the early 1940's, during and after World War II.  Apparently, the music that made BG the King of Swing in the late 1930's was beginning to seem a bit "old hat" to audiences of the day, and this post explains how Goodman and his band evolved to address that challenge, including recording tunes like "Rattle and Roll." 

Ball Of Fire

FilmStruck posted this review of the 1941 film, Ball of Fire, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.  This movie, along with its musical remake, A Song Is Born (1948), is one of my favorites, and this review has some interesting historical insight into this classic, screwball comedy.  For example, when one of the gangsters holding the eccentric professors prisoner starts using items in the room for target practice, he says "I saw me a picture last week," and proceeds to wet the sight of his gun, as leading man Gary Cooper did in his previous film, Sergeant York (1941).

It Happened One Night

Here is a nice lobby card, posted on Vintage Ads, for the 1934 film, It Happened One Night.  A fun movie, it is the story of a runaway heiress being accompanied by a (unknown to her) reporter after the story of her running away.  There are some great scenes relating to intercity bus travel, complete with stops at tourist courts.

Happy Valentine's Day & Special Program Tonight!

Happy Valentine's Day from Ms. Toby Wing, whom I found in an old Film Noir Photos post.  In honor of the holiday, I'll be doing a Valentine/Malentine Special on the Swing Shift Shuffle tonight.  While most of the songs will be romantic, each set will feature a "Malentine," for those who are less enamored of February 14.  Hope you tune in. 

Documentary Of Hedy Lamar

I'm a little late in posting about this, but better late than never.  Bombshell:  The Hedy Lamarr Story is a recent documentary about Hollywood legend Hedy Lamarr.  Unknown to most, in addition to being considered the most beautiful woman to ever appear on the screen, Ms. Lamarr was responsible for inventing and patenting technology that became the basis for cell phone, wifi and Bluetooth.  This film tells that story. 

The Hot Origins Of The Christmas Song

Swing and Beyond tells of how, on an "excessively hot" afternoon in the Summer of 1945, singer Mel Torme drove to Bob Wells' house in the San Fernando Valley.  He walked into the house, and found the following words written on a pad resting on the piano: 

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos

When Wells appeared, Torme asked him about the little poem.  It was so hot, Wells said "I thought I’d write something to cool myself off. All I could think of was Christmas and cold weather."  Torme said "This might make a song."  A year later, Nat King Cole recorded "The Christmas Song," and the rest is musical history. 

Marlene Dietrich - No Highway In The Sky

Here is a set of publicity photos of Marlene Dietrich, posted on Vintage Everyday, taken during the filming of No Highway In The Sky in 1948.  One of my favorite films, in addition to Ms. Dietrich it starred James Stewart, Jack Hawkins and Glynis Johns.  Ms. Dietrich played a glamorous movie star (typecasting?) who becomes intrigued by a sincere but eccentric aviation engineer played by Stewart, who believes the aircraft in which they travel will crash at a specific time. 

TCM In December

The Star of the Month on TCM for December is Lana Turner, with her movies playing every Tuesday.  With the holidays upon us, there are plenty of chances for seasonal cheer with some favorite films, and I noticed a series of World War II films on Friday, December 8, including Casablanca and This Land Is Mine.  Full schedule here.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Yvonne DeCarlo, courtesy of Film Noir Photos.  Considering that one of Ms. DeCarlo's most famous roles later in life was Lily Munster in The Munsters, this image from earlier in her career seemed even more appropriate for Halloween.

David Niven In Raffles

Streamline recently reviewed the 1939 version of Raffles, the story of an upper class cricket player, A.J. Raffles, whose nighttime persona is "The Amateur Cracksman," a brilliant jewel thief.  In the title role, David Niven manages to play cricket, hit all the high society parties, steal jewels, elude the police and give away the loot to those who need help.  The 1930 version of the same film starred Ronald Coleman in the same role.  I have seen both films, and both are enjoyable. 

Jimmie Lunceford Festival Going On Now

Well, this is what I get for not paying attention.  I just found out that the 2017 Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival is going on right now through October 29.  There are events going on every night this week, including art shows, lectures, jam sessions and movies all over town celebrating one of the biggest musical talents to come out of Memphis.  Check out the site and see if you can join in the fun.

Machine Gun Kelly Captured In Memphis

Memphis magazine recently did an interesting article about George Francis Barnes Jr., the son of a well-to-do Memphis insurance agent, who eventually became Public Enemy Number One:  "Machine Gun" Kelly.  Captured in his home town of Memphis in 1933, it seems his wife, Kathryn Thorne, an attractive brunette with a quick wit and friendly smile, was the key to his reputation.

Groucho

This item, posted on Four Color Shadows, is not one of those biographical comics about a celebrity as I have sometimes posted before.  In this story from 1949, a Hollywood columnist with a movie star girlfriend encounters the inimitable Groucho Marx in everything but name, and madcap antics ensue.  I say "in everything but name" because the character could not be anyone other than Groucho, and no name is ever given for the mustached, cigar-smoking, wise-cracking, woman-chasing little guy.

TCM In August

In its monthly preview of Turner Classic Movies programming, the Hollywood Revue reminds us that August is "Summer Under The Stars" month, with a different star featured each day.  From HR:

While there are some traditional crowd-pleasers like Cary Grant, John Wayne,  Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor, there are also quite a few stars who haven’t been featured in a while. I’m particularly looking forward to Gene Kelly, James Cagney, Lon Chaney, Franchot Tone, Angela Lansbury, Rosalind Russell, and Ann Harding days.