One Bad Knight

I finally got around to viewing some of the Jam Handy videos on the Internet Archive, and when I came across this little gem, I could not resist posting it.  Unlike most of the previous cartoons posted on the SSS, this one is blatantly an advertisement; but it has a nice story, and some good 1930's jokes, music and references.  Besides, how can you resist a medieval fairy tale about little boy helping a king save his daughter from the Black Knight with the help of a Chevrolet sedan?  Here is One Bad Knight. 

Until The Real Thing Comes Along

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" by Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Turner Classic Movies In July

It is time for The Hollywood Revue's monthly preview of films on TCM.  The star of the month for July is Leslie Howard, best known as Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind, but I also enjoyed him as Prof. Henry Higgins in Pygmalion and Percival Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel. 

Sunrise Serenade: The Two Little Squirrels

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Two Little Squirrels" by Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For June 27, 2012

The playlist for the June 27, 2012 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

BREAKING NEWS: More Live Music And Extended Lindy Hop This Friday!

The Davy Ray Trio returns to the Red Hot Lindy Hop this Friday night for a special "extended play" swing dance session that goes from 7 p.m. all the way until midnight.  The free lesson begins at 7:00 p.m., and the music starts at 8:00 p.m.  Band cover is $7.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

World War II Medical Research Centre

Thanks to the Make: blog for directing me to the WW2 U.S. Medical Research Centre, a site with a massive amount of information about U.S. military medical facilties during World War II.  Two British collectors and re-enactors started the site as a private venture, and eventually created an extensive online archive of data relating to U.S. military medical units.

Sunrise Serenade: It Had To Be You

Today's Sunrise Serenade was an old favorite here at the SSS: "It Had To Be You" by Bing Crosby.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Beat The Heat With A Rag And A Hop

The Tiger Rag happens tomorrow night and every Wednesday at the Madison Dance Studio inside Minglewood Hall at 1555 Madison Avenue at 8:00 p.m. You can also sign up for a series of dance classes taught every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.  More info here. 

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room with free admission and lesson before 7:00 p.m., and $5 cover at the door afterwards.  The lesson will be by Jaredan and Erin with music by Jaredan.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

Sunrise Serenade: New Year's Eve In A Haunted House

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "New Year's Eve In A Haunted House" by the Raymond Scott Quintette.  Click on the song title for a sample courtesy of emusic, or click here for the album page.

Your Future Car 1947

Unlike many of the predictions for technology in the "future," this article from the September 1947 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, posted on Modern Mechanix, approaches the topic with a (relatively) realistic perspective.  Rejecting ideas of winged rocket-cars, this article credits Studebaker with being the trend setter for future design, and it was right.  Studebaker was the first American car company to introduce a completely new design after the war, while others were still just modifying pre-war models.

Sunrise Serenade: Mood Hollywood

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Mood Hollywood" by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Baby Huey: Quack-A-Doodle-Doo

This Paramount short from 1949 features a good natured, but oversized, duckling that is ostracized from the rest of the duck community until he saves them from the fox.  From the Internet Archive, here is Baby Huey in Quack-A-Doodle-Doo.

Sunrise Serenade: Harvard Blues

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Harvard Blues" by Count Basie and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Earhart's Plane Crashed In Memphis

But Amelia Earhart was not in it.  Ask Vance reveals that, just prior to her fateful flight in 1937, Ms. Earhart replaced her Lockheed Vega with larger aircraft.  In August 1943, her former aircraft crashed at Wilson Field south of Winchester Road in Memphis as the new owner was ferrying it across the country. 

Blurry pictures taken right after the crash (such as the one here) are filed away in the Memphis Room at the main library. 

The wreckage remained visible for years, joining a fleet of other demolished and dismantled aircraft that caught the eye of anyone driving past the cluster of hangars and dirt runways at the northeast corner of Ridgeway and Raines Road.

Sunrise Serenade: Smoke Rings

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Smoke Rings" by the Mills Brothers.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For June 20, 2012

The playlist for the June 20, 2012 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

Hello, Operator? What's Your Number?

No doubt a few callers were trying to get this operator's number.  Apparently, as posted by Film Noir Photos, Ida Lupino served as an operator in the Women's Ambulance and Defense Corps.  She is shown here working at a switchboard in her own home.  I wonder if she always wore the uniform while working at home.

Sunrise Serenade: I Found A New Baby

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "I Found A New Baby" by the Mills Brothers.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Tiger Rag Tomorrow And Live Music Friday

The Tiger Rag happens tomorrow night and every Wednesday at the Madison Dance Studio inside Minglewood Hall at 1555 Madison Avenue at 8:00 p.m. You can also sign up for a series of dance classes taught every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.  More info here. 

The Red Hot Lindy Hop features live music this Friday night with the Davy Ray Trio (aka Davy & the Feel Good Fireball Express).  There is a $7 band cover.  The free lesson begins at 7:00 p.m., and the music starts at 7:30 p.m.  The lesson will be by Meghan and Mike.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

Sunrise Serenade: High And Dry

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "High And Dry" by Hoagy Carmichael.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Lalique Glass Car Mascots

This fierce looking fellow is a Lalique glass automobile mascot circa 1932.  Retronaut posted a series of photos showing these fantastic creations that once adorned the hoods of fashionable cars.  I have actually seen this eagle in a museum, mounted on either an early 1930's Auburn or Cord (memory fails as to the exact car).  As if these ornaments were not strking enough, they were often lit from beneath.  Can you imagine this guy hurtling through the night all aglow?

Sunrise Serenade: My Guy's Come Back

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "My Guy's Come Back" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with Liza Morrow on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Betty Boop And Grampy

In this 1935 Max Fleischer short, Betty and a pick up gang of guests visit Grampy for a party, and marvel at his DYI ingenuity.  Since both my dad and I like to tinker in the garage, this seemed an appropriate cartoon for Father's Day weekend.  From the Internet Archive, here is Betty Boop And Grampy. 

Sunrise Serenade: I Get The Blues When It Rains

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "I Get The Blues When It Rains" by Peggy Lee with the Les Paul Trio.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Educational Television In The 1930's

Apparently, the initial hope for every new form of mass media is the enlightenment of society.  As this post on Paleofuture explains, it was that way with early radio, followed by early television. 

In 1933, the University of Iowa became the first American university to broadcast TV. The first public demonstration of television in the state had occurred just two years earlier at the 1931 Iowa State Fair, and there was tremendous excitement by scientists at the University of Iowa to see what it could accomplish. Unreliable and unclear at the time, the rudimentary television technology of the early 1930s meant that the few experimenters who owned a TV (most likely constructed by themselves, rather than purchased in a store) had to turn on their radio in order to hear the broadcast, as the audio and visual couldn’t be broadcast together.

The eventual result of this idea is the online courses now available at colleges and universities.

Sunrise Serenade: The Sergeant Was Shy

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Sergeant Was Shy" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Playlist For June 13, 2012

The playlist for the June 13, 2012 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

Desert Warbird

Talk about a barn (dune?) find.  Retronaut posted these incredible photos of a P-40 fighter abandoned in the Sahara Desert.  The incredible part is that the photos were apparently only taken in April 2012.  This aircraft seems to be a British RAF P-40 - either a Warhawk, Tomahawk or Kittyhawk.  I am not familiar enough with the distinguishing characteristics of each model to be certain.  Judging by the damage to the prop, lower engine cowling and underbody of the fuselage, I wonder if the pilot "pancaked" the aircraft in the desert and walked away.  There is little obvious structural damage to the cockpit and upper fuselage.

Sunrise Serenade: Makin' Whoopee

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Makin' Whoopee" by Bobby Sherwood and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Regular Rag, Hop This Week And Live Music Next

The Tiger Rag happens tomorrow night and every Wednesday at the Madison Dance Studio inside Minglewood Hall at 1555 Madison Avenue at 8:00 p.m. You can also sign up for a series of dance classes taught every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.  More info here. 

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room with free admission and lesson before 7:00 p.m., and $5 cover at the door afterwards.  The lesson will be by Michael Q. and Annabel with music by Michael Q.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

Next week:  Live music at the RHLH with Davy & the Feel Good Fireball Express. 

Sunrise Serenade: Five O'Clock Whistle

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Five O'Clock Whistle" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Marion Hutton on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Orpheum Summer Movie Series

I remember when the title of the Orpheum's summer movies series included the word "Classic," and the films were preceded by an old cartoon and a serial.  In those days, I went every Friday to make sure I did not miss an episode of Nyoka and the Tigermen.  Times change, and I have no problem with the Orpheum showing more modern fare to help support the series.  As long as there are a few classics included, I am happy.  I do not have time to go every Friday now anyway.  The entire remaining Orpheum Summer Movie Series schedule is below.  The classics from the Swing Era - Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, and The Wizard of Oz faithfully return, as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I include since it is set in the 1930's. 

7:15 p.m. Friday 6/15 Grease (sing-a-long)
7:15 p.m. Friday 6/22 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
7:15 p.m. Friday 6/29 Raiders of the Lost Ark
2:00 p.m. Friday 7/13 Casper (Family Matinee)
7:15 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Friday 7/13 Psycho/ The Shining (Friday 13th Double Feature)
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/20 The Princess Bride
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/27 Blazing Saddles
7:15 p.m. Thursday 8/2 Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/3 The Wizard of Oz
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/10 Gone with the Wind
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/17 The Godfather: Part II
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/31 Casablanca
8:15 p.m. Friday 9/14 The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Sunrise Serenade: Taking A Chance On Love

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Taking A Chance On Love" by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra with Helen Forrest on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Marriage Wows

This 1949 "Screen Song" short tells the story of wedding attended by a menagerie of animals, with a bouncing ball sing-a-long of "Me And My Gal" in the middle.  There is a surprise reveal of the bride at the end.  From the Internet Archive, here is Marriage Wows.

Sunrise Serenade: Honey In The Bee Ball

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Honey In The Bee Ball" by Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Henderson Business College, Memphis

Vance Lauderdale posted an interesting item on his blog about a private business college in Memphis for African-Americans. 

The school was actually founded in Knoxville in 1912 by George Henderson, "whose material wealth was just $2.20 and two used typewriters," according to the catalog. I mean catalogue. Henderson moved to Nashville a few years later and in 1934 came here and opened the Henderson Business College downtown at 528 St. Paul. "Many short-sighted persons predicted failure," again according to the — oh, good grief, you know where I'm getting this from — but Henderson persevered and in 1939 moved his school into a cluster of grand old homes on Linden that included an administration building, dormitory, and graphic-arts complex.

The school was apparently successful through the 1950's, but enrollment declined when other educational institutions opened their doors to African-American students.  The idea of a school in a collection of grand old houses is both neat and not new.  The original Memphis College of Art was in a grand old mansion in the Evergreen neighborhood.

Sunrise Serenade: We Got The Blues

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "We Got The Blues" by The Spirits of Rhythm.  Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Playlist For June 6, 2012

The playlist for the June 6, 2012 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

Esquire's Preview Of 1935 Automobiles

This post has appeared on other sites since The Jalopy Journal, inspired by its earlier review of GM cars in the mid-1930's, first posted Esquire's preview of the 1935 automobile models in all of its sophisticated, art deco glory.  It is worth circulating again.  In addition to the well-known marques from the Big 3, there are offerings from Auburn, Duesenberg, Graham, Hudson, Hupmobile, Nash, Packard, Studebaker and more!

Sunrise Serenade: Over There

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Over There" by Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Orchestra.  It is purely coincidence that today is the 68th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy (seriously!).  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Celebrate With A Rag And A Hop

Whether you are celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee or the Transit of Venus, any excuse is good for a dance.  The Tiger Rag happens tomorrow night and every Wednesday at the Madison Dance Studio inside Minglewood Hall at 1555 Madison Avenue at 8:00 p.m. You can also sign up for a series of dance classes taught every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.  More info here. 

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room with free admission and lesson before 7:00 p.m., and $5 cover at the door afterwards.  The lesson will be by Matt and Josie with music by Josie.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

Sunrise Serenade: The Music Goes Round And Round

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "The Music Goes Round And Round" by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Drive Ins, Donald Duck And More

MovieFanFare does a regular "This Week In Film History" feature with, as the name implies, facts about notable dates in the movie industry.  This week's list had several interesting items during the Swing Era.

June 6, 1933: The first drive-in theater opens on a 10-acre site on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden, N.J. Now Showing: Wife, Beware.

June 9, 1934: Donald Duck debuts, as a minor character uttering only eight words, in Disney's The Wise Little Hen.

June 7, 1937: Blonde bombshell Jean Harlow, who, during filming of Saratoga, was hospitalized for uremic poisoning, dies at the age of 26.

June 7, 1950: Director Anthony Mann's Winchester '73, with James Stewart, launches a cycle of more serious-themed Western movies.

Winchester '73 is one of my all-time favorite movies, and the first pairing of James Stewart and Director Anthony Mann.

Sunrise Serenade: The Jumping Jive

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Jumping Jive" by the Andrews Sisters.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Poopdeck Pappy

Popeye's dad, Poopdeck Pappy, is itching for a night on the town in this 1940 Fleischer short.  Old Pappy knows how to jump the jive too!  From the Internet Archive, here is Poopdeck Pappy. 

Sunrise Serenade: Harlem On Parade

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Harlem On Parade" by Gene Krupa and His Orchestra featuring Anita O'Day on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.