Little Brown Jug

In this encore from 2011, a bunch of squirrels are making apple cider (the strong kind), and spill it into the river, causing inebriation among the wildlife drinking at its banks.  The sing-a-long "Little Brown Jug" follows.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1948 Famous Studios "Screen Song":  Little Brown Jug. 

Sunrise Serenade: Never No Lament

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Never No Lament" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

TCM In February

It is time again for The Hollywood Revue's monthly preview of programming on Turner Classic Movies.  February 1 starts TCM's annual "31 Days of Oscar."  This year, TCM has assigned specific days to each category, e.g. Saturdays and Sundays will be Best Picture, Fridays will be Best Actor, etc. 

Sunrise Serenade: You're A Lucky Guy

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "You're A Lucky Guy" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For January 29, 2014

The playlist for the January 29, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, has been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Operation Carpetbagger

I just started following the blog of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans (formerly the D-Day Museum).  There, I found this interesting story about Operation Carpetbagger, in which specially modified B-24 Liberator bombers made clandestine, low altitude nighttime men and materiel drops to the French resistance.

Sunrise Serenade: There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin" by Frank Sinatra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Shake Off The Cold With A Hot Lindy Hop

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

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are in full swing at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Seranade: Hold Tight

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Hold Tight" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Swastika Over New York

As noted in this post on Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine, the Boy Commandos were fighting the Axis throughout World War II, but the Nazis were still relevant villians even after the war.  In this 1948 issue, our heros tackle a Nazi cell in New York City. 

Sunrise Serenade: Starlit Hour

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Starlit Hour" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Prest-O Chang-O

In this 2011 encore of a classic Warner Bros. cartoon, an early prototype of Bugs Bunny appears as two stray dogs wander into a magician's house and encounter his tricks.  From the Internet Archive:  Prest-O Chang-O. 

Sunrise Serenade: Twenty-Four Robbers

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Twenty-Four Robbers" by Fats Waller.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Cadillac V-8 Tank Engine

Just because American manufacturers essentially stopped producing any consumer goods during World War II does not mean they forgot about maintaining customer goodwill for the duration.  An example is this Cadillac ad from 1943 posted on Vintage Ads.  You certainly could not buy a new 1943 Cadillac, or even a 1944-45 model for that matter, but when the shooting was over, Cadillac wanted you to know it helped win the war.  To be fair, it did. 

Sunrise Serenade: Little Old Lady

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Little Old Lady" by the Casa Loma Orchestra with Hoagy Carmichael on vocals.  Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Playlist For January 22, 2014

The playlist for the January 22, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, has been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

1945 Pre-Fab House Assembled In 48 Hours

Back in December, Gizmodo posted this item about a 70-year-old prefabricated house, designed by French architect Jean Prouvé, that was deconstructed, shipped across the Atlantic, and then reassembled in Miami.  The assembly took less than 48 hours.  Prouvé proposed this 1945 design as one answer to Europe's housing crisis after World War II. 

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. 

Live Music At The Lindy Hop

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room with live music by The Grand Marquis from Kansas City.  Free lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Admission $5 before 7:00, and $7 at the door afterwards.  Lesson by Mike and Camille.  Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are in full swing at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Chant Of The Jungle

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Chant Of The Jungle" by the Casa Loma Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

The Paneless Window Washer

This encore from 2011 has Popeye tyring his hand at washing windows.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1937 animated short The Paneless Window Washer.

Sunrise Seranade: Fightin' Doug MacArthur

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Fightin' Doug MacArthur" by Anita O'Day.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Stopping Traffic Indeed

Retronaut posted this 1931 photograph showing a girl in a bathing suit with a police officer's badge, belt, hat, pistol and whistle directing traffic in Miami.  Judging by the posture of the gentleman in the background, who appears to be the true cause of the traffic delay, it seems safe to assume this was a publicity stunt of some sort. 

Sunrise Serenade: Rhythm Is Our Business

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Rhythm Is Our Business" by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For January 15, 2014

The playlist for the January 15, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, has been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

The Vigilante

The first I ever heard of The Vigilante was on Cartoon Network's Justice League series.  Four Color Shadows posted this first appearance of the Vigilante from 1941.  Not a bad introduction story.  The Vigilante was a masked hero in a cowboy outfit, using his lasso, six shooters and sharpshooting skills to beat the bad guys.  In a Scarlet Pimpernel/Zorro parallel, his secret identity is a "dude" movie star cowboy who supposedly is not a "real" cowboy. 

Sunrise Serenade: And The Angels Sing

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "And The Angels Sing" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra featuring Martha Tilton on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Lindy Hops On And Live Music Next Week

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

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

Live music next week with The Grand Marquis.

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are in full swing at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: La Vie En Rose

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "La Vie En Rose" by Louis Armstrong.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Memphis Powder Plant

Over at his "Ask Vance" blog, Vance Lauderdale posted some recently rediscovered photos of the Chickasaw Ordinance Works (a/k/a the "Memphis Powder Plant"), a gunpowder factory operated by the U.S. Army during World War II.  The 6000 acre facility was dismantled after the war, but traces of the plant, including the old smokestacks, are still visible, even from orbit (see Google Earth image below). 

Sunrise Serenade: I Heard

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

Bargain Counter Attack

This encore from early 2011 seems appropriate for those who need to return any Christmas presents. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1946 Little Lulu cartoon, Bargain Counter Attack.

Sunrise Serenade: Angeline

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Angeline" by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

The Sandman

Apparently, this costumed hero, the Sandman, originally wore a suit, fedora and a gas mask, and used a gas gun to put criminals to sleep.  My, how he changed!  This posting on Four Color Shadows shows his superhero incarnation.

Sunrise Serenade: Down By The Ohio

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Down By The Ohio" by the Andrews Sisters.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Playlist For January 8, 2014

The playlist for the January 8, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, has been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

International Air Travel In The 1930s

Paleofuture posted an interesting exploration of international air travel in the 1930s.  Nostalgia may encourage us to overlook certain discomforts since addressed by technology, such as freezing passengers needing oxygen due to the lack of pressurized cabins and heating; or the fact that only the wealthy could really afford this level of travel at the time.  When it came to service, however, it is hard to argue with having your own bed and butler on an airline flight. 

Sunrise Serenade: American Patrol

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "American Patrol" by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Keep Warm With The Red Hot Lindy Hop

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

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are in full swing at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Old Man Of The Mountain

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Old Man Of The Mountain" by the Mills Brothers.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

TCM Preview Of January 2014

Happy New Year!  It is never too late to know what's going on, so here is a belated link to The Hollywood Revue's preview of movies on TCM.  Joan Crawford is Star of the Month, and the Friday Night Spotlight will feature Science in the Movies. 

Sunrise Serenade: Sing, Sing, Sing

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Sing, Sing, Sing" by the Andrews Sisters.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Playlist For Janiuary 1, 2014

The playlist for the January 1, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, has been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Happy New Year!

Everyone here at the SSS wishes you and yours a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.  From the Library of Congress, these kids in 1943 blow in the new year on Bleeker Street in New York.  Posts will continue to be intermittent until Monday, as the SSS takes a breather after the holidays.