Little Orphan Airedale

The blog devoted to Animator Chuck Jones, Chuck Redux, posted this hand drawn animation cel from the 1947 cartoon, Liittle Orphan Airedale, along with the short itself. 

Lost Lizard People of Los Angeles (1934)

Boing Boing pointed to a post about the "Lost Lizard People of Los Angeles," from a 1934 LA Times article.  Included was a map to the subterranean passages once (allegedly) inhabited by such beings.  Those were the days when news was fit to print!

Sunrise Serenade: Negra De Cabello Duro

The "Sunrise Serenade" is the music that happens to be running through my head when I wake up in the morning.  Today's serenade was the Latin-style gypsy swing piece "Negra De Cabello Duro" by Oscar Aleman.  Click on the song title to go to the album page on emusic.  Sample clip at track #15.

Riley Streamliner

Like one of the authors on the Hemmings blog, I also find streamlined, home-made cars from the 1930's particularly interesting.  The post on the Libby Jumbo Riley indicates the engine and suspension came from a Model A Ford. 

Sunrise Serenade: Opus No. 1

The "Sunrise Serenade" is simply the music that happens to be running through my head when I wake up in the morning.  Today's piece is "Opus No. 1" by the Dorsey Brothers.  At least this time I know why this song was in my head:  I played it on my show last night.  Click on the song title to hear it.  This version is from Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, rather than the Dorseys together, but the recordings are so similar as to be almost identical.

Playlist for February 24, 2010

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

Song of the Day: New Song, New Tag

The phrase "Song of the Day," while accurate, lacks something in style.  So with today's song, I am changing the name of this feature to "Sunrise Serenade" (with acknowledgments to Glenn Miller).  To recap, almost every morning I wake up with some piece of music running through my head, usually from the swing era.  Rather than seeking neurological treatment, I thought it would be cheaper to share it with you.  If I can find a video or online recording of the track, I will post that as well. 

Today's song is "Avalon" by Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club Quintet of France.  Click the song title to hear the track, courtesy of Jazz On Line.

More Lindy Hop at the Rumba Room

The Red Hot Lindy Hop last Friday was a blast, and you can join the fun with the weekly lesson and session at the Rumba Room this Friday.

This Friday, February 26, 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 Mike and 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

Song of the Day

The "Song of the Day" is simply the music running through my head when I wake up in the morning.  Today's song is one about my hometown and its famous waterway:  "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" by Ella Fitzgerald.   Click here for a sample from emusic. 

Song of the Day

The "Song of the Day" is simply the music running through my head when I wake up each morning.  Today's song is "After School Swing Session" by Louis Jordan.  Below is a 30 second clip.  Click on the song title above to hear the full track. 

After School Swing Session - L...

Pogo Possum #1

Walt Kelly's Pogo Possum and his swamp friends appeared in comic books before 1949, but that was the year the Pogo had a comic book in just his own name.  Pappys Golden Age Comics Blogzine posted a story from Pogo Possum #1. 

BB Cartoon Circus: The Weirdest Cartoon Ever!

As part of its Cartoon Circus, Boing Boing titled this short The Weirdest Cartoon Ever!  I've seen some weird cartoons from the early days of animation, but I have to agree this one ranks very high on the weird-o-meter.  The animation was by Grim Natwick, who also animated Snow White and Woody Woodpecker.  Here is Swing You Sinners.

New "Planet" Found in 1930

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto (not Mickey's dog).  The Modern Mechanix blog recently posted an original article about the discovery of the "planet" Pluto.  Just goes to show how times change.  In 2006, astronomers officially reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet," stripping it of all its full planet benefits.  So far, there has been no word on whether animators will reclassify Mickey's dog as a "toy." 

Song of the Day

Ever wake up with a song in your head?  I do - practically every day; and yes, most of the time it is something from the swing era.  I have started to notice this more often recently, and before I call the neurologist, I figured I might as well share it with you.  So, whenever I wake up with a song in my head, I'll post it as the "Song of the Day."  It may not be every day, and I may not always have a audio or video link, but if I can find one, I'll try to post it as well.   

This morning, it was "Hooray for Hollywood," from the 1937 Warner Bros. picture, Hollywood Hotel featuring Benny Goodman and his Orchestra.  Take it away, Benny.

Last Minute Reminder: Live Music at the Rumba Room

Remember, the Red Hot Lindy Hop will have live music tonight at the Rumba Room from Jayna Morgan & the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band, featuring Jeremy Shrader and Gerald Stephens.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 

Free lesson at 7:00 p.m., and the band starts at 7:30 p.m. 

Free admission at the door before 7:00 p.m., and $7 afterwards.

For more information on Jayna and the band, check out their MySpace page. 

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Playlist for February 17, 2010

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

Live Music at the Lindy Hop

This Friday, February 19, the weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session at the Rumba Room will have live music from Jayna Morgan & the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band, featuring Jeremy Shrader and Gerald Stephens.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 
Free lesson at 7:00 p.m., and the band starts at 7:30 p.m. 
Free admission at the door before 7:00 p.m., and $7 afterwards.  Lesson with Jaredan and Erin.

For more information on Jayna and the band, check out their MySpace page.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Nancy's Aunt Fritzi Back in the Day

If you have ever read the comic strip Nancy, you have probably seen her Aunt Fritzi.  What you may not know is that Fritzi Ritz was the star of the original strip in 1922, and remained so until 1938 when Nancy took over her Aunt's gig.  Golden Age Comic Book Stories  had a post about the artist Ernie Bushmiller, Fritzi Ritz and Nancy.  In the beginning Fritzi Ritz was a flirtatious flapper. 

Southern California Timing Association Meet - 1948

The Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is the organization that sponsors land speed trials, including those at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.  The Hemmings blog found this set of color photographs from a 1948 SCTA meet.  

The top car is a "tank" car, built from the external "belly tank" of a World War II fighter aircraft used to extend the plane's operational range.  Just after WWII, someone figured out the aerodynamic shape would increase speed on land just as in the air, and an entire new class of speed trial cars was born. 

Gandy Goose & Sourpuss vs. Hitler & Mussolini

In another classic animation post, Boing Boing featured the Terry Toon studio, home of Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle and others.  BB Cartoon Circus: Gandy Goose vs the Nazis features a 1943 short in which Gandy Goose and Sourpuss take on Hitler and Mussolini. 

Live Jazz Lindy Hop Next Friday

Remember, next Friday, February 19, the weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session at the Rumba Room will have live music from Jayna Morgan & the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band, featuring Jeremy Shrader and Gerald Stephens.  The regular RHLH schedule will apply, with a dance lesson at 7:00 p.m., followed by the band and dancing at 7:30 p.m.  For more information on Jayna and the band, check out their MySpace page.

Shirley Temple and Buddy Ebsen "At the Codfish Ball"

Jed Clampett could cut quite a rug before he moved to Beverly (Hills, that is).  Boing Boing had a post featuring Buddy Ebsen with Shirley Temple in "At the Codfish Ball" from the 1937 picture, Captain January. 

Playlist for February 10, 2010

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

Warm Up With the Red Hot Lindy Hop

The regular weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues at the Rumba Room this Friday, and there will be live music next week.

This Friday, February 12, 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 and Kimmie followed by music with DJ Kimmie until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Friday, February 19, 2010:  Live Band Night with the Sazerac Sunset Jazz band featuring Jayna Morgan (New Orleans) Jeremy Shrader and Gerald Stephens (Memphis).

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Rock-Em Sock-Em Robots! From 1933!

"Rock-Em Sock-Em Robots" first appeared in the mid-1960's, and the classic game/toy is still available today.  This 1933 issue of Modern Mechanix, however, demonstrates that somebody had the same idea thirty years earlier.  Toy "Pugs" Fight Rousing Battle.

Airboy vs. Valkyrie

On Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine, I found this 1943 comic book featuring Airboy and Valkyrie.  During World War II, Airboy was a comic book boy hero who battled the Axis in his flapping flying machine - "Birdie."  His greatest enemy was Valkyrie, a beautiful female Nazi flyer who eventually saw the error of her ways and defected to the Allies.  The Golden Age of Comics:  when good guys were good guys, and bad guys were gorgeous babes who eventually fell in love with the good guys. 

Popeye in Goonland

Boing Boing had a series of posts recently about animation and classic cartoons.  BB Cartoon Circus: The Fleischers and Popeye has a quick blurb about the importance of the Fleischer studio in early animation, as well as an example in the short below:  Popeye in Goonland.  The quiet, muttering dialog from Popeye is often some of the best material. 

Live Jazz - Rumba Room - Friday, February 19

On Friday, February 19, the weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session at the Rumba Room will feature live music from New Orleans vocalist Jayna Morgan, along with instrumentalists Jeremy Shrader, Gerald Stephens and Mike Singleton.  The regular RHLH schedule will apply, with a dance lesson at 7:00 p.m., followed by the band and dancing at 7:30 p.m.  For more information on Jayna, including photos and music, check out her MySpace page at Jayna Morgan & the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band.

Playlist for February 3, 2010

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

Don't Forget to Czech the Oil

I just realized that the SSS Blog has been suffering from an automobile deficiency of late, so I found the following on the Hemmings blog:  a 1940 Tatra T-87.  These Czechoslovakian-made cars were on the cutting edge of automotive technology in the 1940's, with features like rear-mounted, air-cooled, aluminum block engines and aerodynamic styling that delivered drag coefficients as low (if not lower) than many of today's sleekest cars.  Apparently, Ferdinand Porsche applied many of Tatra's concepts to the very first "volkswagen" in 1938. 

Weekly Lindy Hop Plus Upcoming Live Music

The regular weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop lessons and sessions continue at the Rumba Room, and in two weeks, there will be live music. 

This Friday, February 5, 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 Mike and Jeska followed by music with DJ Jeska until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Friday, February 19, 2010:  Live Band Night featuring Jayna Morgan (New Orleans) Jeremy Shrader and Gerald Stephens (Memphis).

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Miniature Grumman's Chinese Theater

Or a giant hand was loose in Los Angeles.  Dull Tool Dim Bulb posted this 1946 Photo of a model of Grauman's Chinese Theater complete with tiny handprints of the stars.