Playlist for December 30, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Square America and The Boat Lullabies

I discovered Square America, and its subsidiary blog, The Boat Lullabies, a month or so ago.  It is a site dedicated to preserving and displaying vintage snapshots from 1990-1975, as well as other ephemera, and it has some interesting items. 

For example, and continuing in the holiday spirit, The Boat Lullabies posted about two letters from a little girl to her parents between 1940-1945, including the Christmas list to the right. 

The New Year's First Lindy!

Start the New Year right with the first Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session for 2010!

This Friday, January 1, 2010:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Kirk & Becky followed by music with DJ Becky until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Popular Science, December 1945, on Google Books

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas!  After all, as the song says, today is only the "fourth day of Christmas," so you all should be expecting four calling birds.

To continue the holiday spirit, Boing Boing pointed me to this December 1945 issue of Popular Science magazine on Google Books, featuring holiday decorating ideas for your Makers out there, including a Yuletide Bell Ringer on page 170. 

Playlist for December 23, 2009 - Christmas Special!

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Duffy's Tavern Christmas Special, December 21, 1943

In celebration of the holiday season, I am proud to bring you the sounds of Christmas past.  From the Internet Archive, here is Archie (at right), the Manager of Duffy's Tavern ("Duffy ain't here"), in a special Christmas program originally aired on December 21, 1943, with special guest, comic actor and Santa Clause look-alike, Monty Woolly. 

With all the holiday activity, I'm going to take a break for a day or two.  Never fear, gentle reader.  I'll be back next week.  Be sure to catch tonight's Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special on WEVL 89.9 FM or wevl.org, and watch this space for the playlist tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special!

If, like this family greeting Santa at Macy's in 1942 from the Library of Congress American Memory site, you need a little holiday spirit to finish your last minute shopping, be sure to catch this year's Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special, Wednesday, December 23, 2009, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (CST) on WEVL Memphis, 89.9 FM, or wevl.org.  Several people said they really enjoyed last year's show, so I will stick to the same formula, with a few new selections here and there.

Louis Jordan Let the Good Times Roll

On December 21, 1946, a single entitled "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan (at right on sax) debuted on the Rhythm & Blues charts.  The flipside was "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" (one of my personal favorites).  From 1943 until 1950, the Brinkley, Arkansas native's singles topped the R&B chart more than 25% of the time. Fifteen hits crossed over to the pop charts.  More information and photos available at the Library of Congress American Memory site on its Today in History page. 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

I am uncertain of the year this Jam Handy animated short was released, but it was directed by Max Fleischer, and it seemed appropriate for the last Saturday before Christmas.  From the Internet Archive, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

National Archives and Records Administration Films on YouTube

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has approximately 1899 historic, public domain films in its vaults.  The Internet Archive has some of these available for viewing, but otherwise, they are not available on the web.  In an effort to encourage NARA to make these available online, Public.Resource.org posted 20 of these films from a NARA DVD (available only from Amazon) on YouTube.  The idea is to demonstrate how interested the public would be in these films if readily available.  There are some historic moments, including the crash of the Hindenburg. 

Playlist for December 16, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Last Lindy Hop of 2009

This Friday is the last weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session for 2009, so get your dancing shoes to round out the year!  They recommence on January 1, 2010.

This Friday, December 18, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Mike and Jeska, followed with music by DJ Jeska until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

The last of the  Majestic Grille's "Sunday Suppers and a Movie" series is December 20, with the special menu below and the ultimate Christmas classic, It's A Wonderful Life.  The menu is available at 7:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 8:00 p.m. 

- Antipasto - stuffed cherry peppers, warm grilled mushrooms, proscuitto & arugula
- Beef and Three Cheese Lasagna
- Caesar Salad
- Rosemary Focaccia Bread with grilled artichoke pesto
- Dessert
$24.95

Ham Radio Short from 1939

The Make: blog called my attention to this 1939 short feature about ham radio operators of the era.  This film was a Pete Smith Specialty ("narrated by a Smith named Pete") that told true stories about interesting people along with amusing fictional tales.  Theaters would show such shorts before the main feature along with cartoons, newsreels, serials, etc. 

Music and Holiday Merriment at Otherlands

The Side Street Steppers and the Bluff City Backsliders will be playing at Otherlands on Friday, December 18, 2009, 8:00 p.m.  Admission is $7. 

As an added treat, Memphis' own 1940's-inspired burlesque and pin-up troupe, the Memphis Belles, will have a Winter Wonderland photo station so you can have your picture taken with your favorite Belle in swing era holiday style. 

Tom and Jerry (but not THAT "Tom and Jerry") in Barnyard Bunk

As do many of the early animated shorts, this one ranks fairly high on the weird-o-meter when compared to the classic cartoons of later years.  The original names of these characters were Tom and Jerry, not Dick and Larry as the title card indicates.  Apparently, Van Beuren Studios re-released the 1930s cartoons featuring these decidedly non-cat and mouse characters in the 1950s with different names.  Gee, I wonder why?  Anyway, demonstrating that music does have power to change lives (one way or another), from the Internet Archive and 1932, here are "Tom and Jerry" in Barnyard Bunk.

Dinner and a Movie at the Majestic Grill

The holidays get so busy I miss good things.  I almost missed posting about the Majestic Grille's "Sunday Suppers and a Movie" series, running through December 20.  I confess I have yet to attend one of these events, but it certainly looks appetizing on several levels.  The special menu below is available at 6:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 7:00 p.m. 

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Christmas in Connecticut starring Barbara Stanwyck
- Grilled Romaine Salad with charred red onions and 1000 island dressing
- Roasted Lamb Sirloin with rosemary roasted potatoes, sun-dried cranberry sauce
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Broccoli Rabe
- Apple Strudel with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon sugar
$24.95

Playlist for December 9, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Lindy Hop Friday

The weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday. 

This Friday, December 11, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Kirk and Erin, followed with music by DJ Alexis until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

The More the Merrier on TCM

As always, Turner Classic Movies has some nice, swing era classics this week, but I had to mention The More the Merrier.  I saw it earlier this year, and it is a charming, feel good comedy.  It has Jean Arthur as cute as she can be, and Charles Coburn in his mischevious, but good natured, old-fogey mode. 

The More the Merrier (1943) - The World War II housing shortage brings three people together for an unlikely romance.  Cast: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, Richard Gaines Dir: George Stevens BW-104 mins, TV-G

"A date that will live in infamy"

Sixty-eight years ago today, Japanese planes attacked U.S. military installations in and around Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; brining the United States into World War II.  The Library of Congress American Memory site has a wide variety of information on this world-changing event, many of which are included on the Today in History page marking the date. 

Photo:  Left to right: USS West Virginia, severely damaged; USS Tennessee, damaged; and USS Arizona, sunk.

Playlist for December 2, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Happy Thanksgiving! Break Time!

Happy Thanksgiving!  For your holiday approval, with contributions from the Depression Era to World War II Collection of the Library of Congress American Memory site:  my own personal "Thanksgiving Pilgrims Progress."

Get the food.  Don't you wish these 1940 prices were still around?

Eat the food.  Big crew!

Sleep it off.

Speaking of rest, due to all the craziness of the holidays, I'll be taking a brief break from the daily Shuffle posting for a week, but I'll be back; and there will still be a few posts next week. 

I hope you have a happy and safe start to your holiday season.

Playlist for November 25, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Harley Earl's LaSalle at Patent Room

I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to take a stroll through the drawings at patentroom.com, where I came across this 1934 LaSalle design by General Motors' resident genius, Harley Earl.  For those who don't remember, LaSalle was a companion brand to Cadillac from the late 1920s into the early 1940s. 

Tough Guy Detectives on TCM Tuesday

Three great film noir detective stories air Tuesday on Turner Classic Movies.  Two feature different versions of Philip Marlow, two are shot from the main character's perspective, and two feature the ultimate tough-guy/babe combination of Bogey and Bacall.  All that in only three movies.  A special treat is Lauren Bacall singing "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" in The Big Sleep. 

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 (All times Central)
5:30am - Lady In The Lake (1947) - Philip Marlowe searches for a missing woman in this mystery shot entirely from the detective's viewpoint.  Cast: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully Dir: Robert Montgomery BW-103 mins, TV-PG

1:00pm - The Big Sleep (1946) - Private eye Philip Marlowe investigates a society girl's involvement in the murder of a pornographer.  Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers Dir: Howard Hawks BW-114 mins, TV-PG

10:00pm - Dark Passage (1947) - A man falsely accused of his wife's murder escapes to search for the real killer.  Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead Dir: Delmer Daves BW-106 mins, TV-PG

A Car Tune Portrait

From the Internet Archive, a 1937 Fleischer studios short that reminds me of some later Warner Bros. classical music-inspired animation:  A Car Tune Portrait.

After last weekend's Lindy Hop workshop and variety of various dance opportunities, the Red Hot Lindy Hop resumes its regular, weekly dance lesson and session tonight at the Rumba Room.

This Friday, November 20, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Kimmie and Jaredan, followed with music by special guest DJ Willow until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Playlist for November 18, 2009 - Johnny Mercer Birthday Special

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Happy 100th Birthday Johnny Mercer!

On November 18, 1909, Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, Georgia.  To say his songwriting career was prolific is a massive understatement.  He wrote hit songs from the 1930s through the 1960s, including "I'm An Old Cowhand" (1936), "G.I. Jive" (1944), "Satin Doll" (1958) and "Charade" (1963).  Remember "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's?  Happy Birthday Johnny! 

P.S. - The Swing Shift Shuffle will feature an all Johnny Mercer playlist tonight, so tune in at 6:00 p.m. Central on either 89.9 FM or wevl.org.

Soundie: The Hut Sut Song

If you ever hear anyone complain that the lyrics of "today's" music are unintelligible, bear in mind the very popular 1940's song featured in this soundie. From the Internet Archive, indisputable proof that there were always songs with silly lyrics:  The Hut Sut Song.

Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, why not get started on your Christmas shopping early with some of the wonderful new products featured in this 1946 Modern Mechanix article.  For the music lover, the second page includes a 10 ounce, 3x6x3/4 inch pocket radio with earphones.  Bear in mind this was 60 years before the iPod, and it used actual radio tubes. 

Superman: The Mad Scientist

This 1941 Superman short from the Internet Archive provides a brief origin story for the man of steel, in addition to the usual adventure.

Nice Movie Mix on TCM Saturday

Turner Classic Movies is airing a nice variety of films tomorrow, including the following four classic gems.  I have not The Fighting Sullivans, but I can vouch for the others as excellent; from the British Empire adventure of Gunga Din, to the patriotic wartime espionage suspense of Saboteur, to the feel good, socially conscious cuteness of Jean Arthur in The Devil and Miss Jones. 

Saturday, November 14, 2009 (All times Central)
7:00 AM The Fighting Sullivans (1944) - During WWII, five brothers enlist in the Navy and are assigned to serve on the same ship. Cast: Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. BW-111 mins, TV-G, CC

3:30 PM Gunga Din (1939) - Three British soldiers seek treasure during an uprising in India. Cast: Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Victor McLaglen. Dir: George Stevens. BW-117 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

7:00 PM Saboteur (1942) - A young man accused of sabotage goes on the lam to prove his innocence. Cast: Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Norman Lloyd. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-109 mins, TV-PG, CC

2:30 AM The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) - A department store owner goes undercover as an employee to thwart union activists. Cast: Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, Robert Cummings. Dir: Sam Wood. BW-92 mins, TV-G, CC

Playlist for November 11, 2009 - Veterans' Day Pledge Drive Special!

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Veterans' Day with the Memphis Belle

It seemed fitting to observe Veterans' Day (a/k/a Armistice Day or Rememberance Day) by posting a documentary about my home town's most famous aircraft, The Memphis Belle.  This film is not the 1990 feature of the same name, but rather an account of an actual bombing mission, using actual combat footage shot during the run, and directed by William Wyler (director of Mrs. Miniver, Ben Hur, Roman Holiday, and many other Hollywood classics). 

Lindy Hop Workshop This Weekend

Put on your dancing shoes this weekend.  In addition to the usual, weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session this Friday at the Rumba Room, the Red Hot Lindy Hop presents Joel Plys and Evita Arce for a Lindy Hop Workshop in Memphis on November 14 and 15.  See full schedule and register at redhotlindyhop.com. 

This Friday, November 6, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Becky and Mike, followed with music by DJ Becky until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

RAF Home Movies from World War II

The BBC reports about a British woman who discovered some amateur movie footage shot by her grandfather while he was as a Spitfire pilot in the RAF during World War II.  As we approach Veterans' Day (a/k/a Armistice Day or Rememberance Day) on November 11, this seemed like an appropriate item to post.  Note that the British historian interviewed in the piece is wearing his red, Rememberence Day poppy on his lapel.  Although the UK maintains that tradition, it was an American woman who actually started it. 

Red Riding Hood

If some of the early cartoons seem a little odd by today's standards, bear in mind that animation was a relatively new art form, so almost everything was an experiment of some sort.  In addition, the common presumption that cartoons were just for children did not yet exist, so some of these shorts were directed as much as adults as kids.  That might explain why several of the characters in this 1931 version of Red Riding Hood from the Internet Archive are smoking cigarettes.  Another interesting point is that the two primary characters are blatant, and I mean BLATANT, copies of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. 

Lunch and Lecture on the Tuskegee Airmen

The historic, 157-year old Elmwood Cemetery, where many famous and infamous figures in Memphis history rest (including swing band leader Jimmie Lunceford), is hosting a lunch and lecture about the Tuskegee Airmen on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.  Admission is $10, and you can register at the Events page on Elmwood website. 

The Tuskegee Airmen refers to all those involved in the "Tuskegee Experiment", a program implemented by the Army Air Corps to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft. Nearly 1000 men graduated from the program, and over 450 were deployed oversees with the 332 Fighter Group of the Army Air Corps. Overcoming segregation and discrimination, the Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War 2 and paved the way for full integration of the United States military. This program is presented by Mable Barringer.

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Weekly Lindy Hop and Workshop Reminder

Remember, in addition to the usual, weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session this Friday at the Rumba Room, there is an upcoming Lindy Hop Workshop on November 14-15. 

This Friday, November 6, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Amanda and Jaredan, followed with music by DJ Alexis until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Plus, Red Hot Lindy Hop presents Joel Plys and Evita Arce for a Lindy Hop Workshop in Memphis on November 14 and 15.  Cost $65 until November 6, with discounts for students.  See full schedule and register at redhotlindyhop.com. 

Soviet Paintings from World War II

Boing Boing recently introduced me to an interesting military history site called All World Wars, which features historic magazines, propaganda posters, training and weapons manuals, paintings, pamphlets, scholarly treatises and other historical artifacts ranging from an Italian Renaissance sketchbook on military art to photos from the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza war.  The item that I first encountered was a collection of Soviet paintings from World War II.  Very powerful images, such as this one entitled Sister.    

Johnny Mercer and Artie Shaw on TCM

I know it may seem like I am a shill for Turner Classic Movies, but honestly, I just really like old movies, and TCM's uncut, no commercial format.  At 7:00 p.m. (CT) this Wednesday, November 4, TCM will air its original documentary Johnny Mercer:  The Dream's On Me, featuring archival footage and new clips that trace the career of the great American songwriter.  Just a little later than night, at 10: 49 p.m., TCM will air one of its "One Reel Wonders" entitled Symphony in Swing, in which Artie Shaw, his orchestra, and Helen Forrest perform five tunes.   

Happy Halloween with Casper the Friendly Ghost!

To celebrate All Hallow's Eve (or Samhain, if you are of the Celtic persuasion), here is Casper the Friendly Ghost in the 1948 animated short, There's Good Boos Tonight, from the Internet Archive. 

Social Class Struggle in Chess?

Boing Boing recently posted about this 1934 Modern Mechanix article discussing a Depression-era variation on chess that apparently pits the workers against the capitalists.   The original article describes the game as

a newly simplified form of the game of chess [that] has for its game board the Modern World, and for its pieces Farmers, Mechanics, Engineers and even Agitators struggling against forces symbolized by opposing Armies, Bankers, Radio, Press, Law and Middlemen trying to become Bankers.

"Chess pieces of the world, unite!"?

Playlist for October 28, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Red Hot Lindy Hop (Haunt?) with Live Music and Costume Contest

This week's session at the Rumba Room features Trolley Tour Band Night with Jeremy Shrader's Quintessentials, plus a Halloween Costume Contest.  All participants will receive a prize, and best costume gets a 3 CD set of big band music.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. followed with DJ music until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out, or on this occasion, in your best Halloween costume!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Halloween Horror with Boris Karloff Friday on TCM

Turner Classic Movies starts its pre-Halloween programming with 14 hours of Boris Karloff on Friday.  Beginning at 5:00 a.m. Central, TCM will air 11 movies featuring the well-spoken master of spooky in classic Hollywood horror style.  I have not seen any of these, but the descriptions alone are enough to get you in the spirit.  Watch for Myrna Loy of The Thin Man movies in The Mask of Fu Manchu, in which she played Fah Lo See. 

Friday, October 30, 2009 All times Central
5:00am Behind the Mask (1932) A Federal Agent goes undercover in prison to break up a drug syndicate.  Cast: Jack Holt, Constance Cummings, Boris Karloff, Claude King Dir: John Francis Dillon BW-68 mins, TV-PG

6:15am The Mask Of Fu Manchu (1932) A Chinese warlord threatens explorers in search of the key to global power.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett Dir: Charles Vidor BW-68 mins, TV-PG

7:30am The Ghoul (1933) An ancient Egyptian returns to punish those who violated his tomb.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Dorothy Hyson Dir: T. Hayes Hunter BW-81 mins, TV-G

9:00am The Black Room (1935) An evil twin brother disposes of his enemies in a secret death chamber on his estate.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Robert Allen, Thurston Hall Dir: R. William Neill BW-68 mins, TV-G

10:15am The Walking Dead (1936) A framed man comes back from the dead to seek revenge.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill Dir: Michael Curtiz BW-65 mins, TV-PG

11:30am The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) A mad scientist uses an artificial heart pump he invented to seek revenge after he is executed.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Lorna Gray, Robert Wilcox, Roger Pryor Dir: Nick Grinde BW-64 mins, TV-14

12:45pm The Man With Nine Lives (1940) A doctor's attempts to cure cancer lead to a series of grisly murders.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Roger Pryor, Jo Ann Sayers, Stanley Brown Dir: Nick Grinde BW-74 mins, TV-PG

2:00pm Before I Hang (1940) A mad scientist experiments with a serum tainted with a psychopath's blood.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett, Edward Van Sloan Dir: Nick Grinde BW-62 mins, TV-PG

3:15pm The Ape (1940) A mad doctor dresses as an ape to kill victims for their spinal fluid.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Gertrude W. Hoffman, Henry Hall Dir: William Nigh BW-62 mins, TV-PG

4:30pm The Devil Commands (1941) A scientist kills innocent victims in his efforts to communicate with his late wife.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Fiske, Amanda Duff, Anne Revere Dir: Edward Dmytryk BW-64 mins, TV-14

5:45pm Isle Of The Dead (1945) The inhabitants of a Balkans island under quarantine fear that one of their number is a vampire.  Cast: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery Dir: Mark Robson BW-72 mins, TV-PG

Solid! Online Big Band & Jazz Encyclopedia

I just discovered Solid!, an online encyclopedia of big band and classic jazz, featuring biographies of jazz artists from the 19-teens through the 60's.  It appears the site may not have been updated in several years, but the information that is already there makes very interesting browsing.  For example, in the mid-1930's, the young lady at left was a vocalist for the Anson Weeks' orchestra, which at one time or another included Bob Crosby and Xavier Cugat; and backed Bob's brother Bing Crosby on one of his earliest hits.  She went on to Hollywood and the movies, where she changed her style a bit by donning a cowboy hat eventually marrying the King of the Cowboys.  Yes, folks.  That is Dale Evans in her pre-cowgirl days. 

Little Lulu: Bored of Education

Although I have seen Little Lulu as a comic strip character, I have never seen her animated, so this cartoon was a first for me. From the Internet Archive, the 1946 animated short, Little Lulu in Bored of Education.

More Memphis Swing

I saw this item in the October 21, 2009 edition of the The Commercial Appeal:  a photo of Clyde McCoy, big band leader and composer of Sugar Blues, surrounded by the female vocal group that accompanied his band, the Bennett Sisters.  According to the article, McCoy's band often played the Peabody Hotel Skyway, and all of the Sisters lived in Memphis.  McCoy and his wife, Maxine of the Bennett Sisters, eventually retired to Memphis in the 1970s. 

Playlist for October 21, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

New Upcoming Lindy Hop Events

In addition to the regular weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session at the Rumba Room this Friday night, there are some other "hopportunities" for those so inclined.

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - Whole Foods Birthday Bash
Dancing with the Red Hot Lindy Hop from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Next Friday, October 30, 2009 - The regular hop features Trolley Tour Band Night with Jeremy Shrader's Quintessentials, plus a Halloween Costume Contest.  All participants will receive a prize, and best costume gets a 3 CD set of big band music.

This Friday, October 23, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Amanda and Jaredan, followed with music by DJ Amanda until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Swing Shift Shuffle Indeed!

At Vintage Projects, I found an interesting 1943 Popular Mechanics article about employers using music to increase their workers' morale and productivity.  A variety of different industries tried the experiment, from laundries to shipyards, featuring both live and recorded music.  I especially like the caption under one photo of two female employees putting slips of paper in the Music Request Box:  "Some like it sweet, some like it hot - both get their wish." 

Better Late Than Never - Betty Boop: The Scared Crows

Sorry folks!  Keeping with my little tradition of cartoons on a Saturday morning, this post was supposed to publish two days ago, but technical issues and other distractions prevailed.  Better late than never.  It's time for another Betty Boop short from the Internet Archive. This 1939 cartoon features the later, taller, more slender version of Ms. Boop, with a canine sidekick called Pudgy. Here they are in The Scared Crows. 

How Detroit Won the War

I once heard a theory that four machines won World War II, and they were not fighters, bombers, battleships, tanks, guns or any other machine designed to actually "fight."  They were the workhorses:  the bulldozer, the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck, the landing craft, and the C-47 transport aircraft. 

Boing Boing just posted a link to a gallery of photos on the Life magazine site called How Detroit Won the War that reveals the industrial muscle that cranked out millions of these machines. 

Playlist for October 22, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Serial Experience

I have become a fan of movie serials; those short films that told a story over 12-15 episodes, with each invariably ending with the hero/heroine/sidekick facing such imminent peril that the audience was compelled to return to the theater the following week to see how/if he/she survived.  Turner Classic Movies has been airing serial episodes on Saturday mornings, with Dick Tracy being the most recent.  DVD collections of serials are widely available, and the Internet Archive has several in its collection.  While strolling through the internet today, I discovered another interesting resource on the subject:  Todd Gault's Serial Experience.  This site has a massive amount of information about this genre, over ten years of articles, and a blog.  If you have any interest in serials or classic movies, you should check it out. 

Snap, Crackle and HOP!

Red Hot Lindy Hop presents Joel Plys and Evita Arce for a Lindy Hop Workshop in Memphis on November 14 and 15.  Cost $50 until October 15, with discounts for students.  See full schedule and register at redhotlindyhop.com. 

Don't forget the weekly hop session at the Rumba Room.

This Friday, October 16, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Becky and Kirk, followed with music by DJ Becky until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103