Monday, June 30, 2014
TCM Programming In July
Sunrise Serenade: Organ Grinder's Swing
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Organ Grinder's Swing" by Bunny Berigan. Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Ding Dog Daddy
This encore from 2011 is a silly cartoon, but I remember enjoying it as a kid, and I enjoy it all the more now because I get all the historical and musical cues of the time. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1942 animated short, Ding Dog Daddy.
Sunrise Serenade: No Name Jive
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "No Name Jive" by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Tour Of The Atlantic Wall Continued
Below are two more pictures from the Nazi propaganda filmstrip Der Atlantik Wall. After the windmill in the last posting, there were a few more (apparently) scenic snapshots like the one below before the images starting showing military subjects.
Once again, I can only assume these locations are in Holland based on the windmill shown in the previous post. Anyone who recognizes any of these places as we go along, please contact me, and let me know what we are seeing. As I said in the last post, this filmstrip was apparently part one of several, so it may have just focused on Holland (assuming that is the location). Below is the first shot of a military subject: a German soldier patrolling a beach strung with barbwire.
Sunrise Serenade: Cow Cow Boogie
Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Cow Cow Boogie" by Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Playlist For June 25, 2014 - Tenth Anniversary Special
The playlist for the June 25, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle, the tenth anniversary special, has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet. Art Deco, Streamline-Moderne And Automobile Design
A post on the Hemmings blog recently provided a nice explanation of the meaning and origin of the design styles known as "Art Deco" and "Streamline Moderne," as well as what the two styles meant for automotive design.
Sunrise Serenade: Handful Of Keys
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Handful Of Keys" by Fats Waller. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Post Solstice Hop
The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room. Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter. Lesson by Justin and Josie, with music by DJ Josie.
303 South Main
Memphis, TN 38103
Sunrise Serenade: Strip Polka
Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Strip Polka," by Johnny Mercer. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Monday, June 23, 2014
National Typerwriter Day!
This morning, I decided to bring my 1942 Underwood manual typewriter to my office. My Mom got it while she was working for the U.S. government back in the 1960's, and used it for years. I used it myself during part of college, and I thought it would look nice in my office. Little did I know that today is actually National Typewriter Day, the anniversary of the granting of the U.S. patent to Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868. Such a coincidence must be a sign, so I figured I'd better post a photo. Thanks to the Typosphere for the reminder!
Sunrise Serenade: Moses Smote The Water
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Moses Smote The Water" by the Golden Gate Quartet. Enjoy the video from YouTube.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Superman: Destruction, Inc.
This encore from 2011 features the Man of Steel saving the day again. In this episode, Lois Lane gets caught investigating some saboteurs, and Superman must save her and a munitions factory. For someone who gets caught snooping so easily, Ms. Lane displays some pretty agile moves while evading the bad guys. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1942 short, Destruction, Inc.
Sunrise Serenade: On The Alamo
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "On The Alamo" by the Four Vagabonds. Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Atlantic Wall Continued
Continuing our examination of Der Atlantik Wall, we have two more images from the Nazi propaganda filmstrip. The first is a map presumably showing the scope of the fortifications the Germans planned to install along the North Atlantic coast. The smaller line of fortifications to the west of Germany ("Grossdeutsches Reich") is probably the Siegfried Line, a series of fortifications built before the start of the war along the French border.
Considering the windmill, the second image might be somewhere in Holland. Although no military structures are obvious, this photo could be the opening frame for the subsequent pictures of fortifications in that country. It appears that Der Atlantic Wall is part one of a series of filmstrips, the remainder of which may be lost to history.
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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Playlist For June 18, 2014
The playlist for the June 18, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet. Marvel Science Stories
It is time for another healthy dose of those wonderful fantasy/science fiction covers from the days of yesteryear. In this post, The Golden Age has a nice set of covers and interior pages from Marvel Science Stories between 1938 and 1941.
Sunrise Serenade: C Jam Blues
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "C Jam Blues" by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. Click song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Live Music At The Lindy Hop: Jeremy Shrader
Dress like you are going out!
303 South Main
Memphis, TN 38103
Sunrise Serenade: Sweet Sue, Just You
Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Sweet Sue, Just You" by Fats Waller and His Rhythm. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Subscription Radio Ahead Of Its Time
Here is another example of an idea that was ahead of its time. As noted by Paleofuture, someone proposed subscription radio with no commercials in the 1940's, well before the days of Sirius and XM. The idea was similar to premium channels on early cable TV, when the signal to premium (i.e. pay) channels was scrambled unless you paid the requisite fee. In the 1940's radio proposal, a listener who tuned in without paying the fee would hear a series of whistles and cat calls. If you paid the fee, either through a subscription or even with a coin operated mechanism, you could choose between classical music, popular music or news.
Sunrise Serenade: Say Si Si
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Say Si Si" by the Andrews Sisters. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Herr Meets Hare
In this wartime encore from 2011, Bugs Bunny forgets to make a left turn at Albuquerque (again), and winds up in Germany, face to face with Herman Goering. We see a few previews of WB gags that will appear in post-war cartoons, and Bugs gives a good impression of a certain world leader at the end. From the Internet Archive, here is Herr Meets Hare.
Sunrise Serenade: What's The Reason?
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "What's The Reason?" by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra. Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
The Atlantic Wall
When I posted about D-Day last Friday, I mentioned that I had a collection of photos of German defenses from an interesting source. Now, the rest of the story.
My mother-in-law gave me an old ammunition box of her late husband's belongings. Mostly it contained some wiring and a shotgun cleaning kit. There was also a small, orange cardboard cylinder that she said contained some unexposed film. I opened the cylinder expecting to find an old 35mm film cartridge, which I know have been in use since at least the early 1950's. I was surprised to see a roll of 35mm film in no casing. Thinking that I had just possibly ruined some exposed but undeveloped film of a long forgotten family outing, I was annoyed. Then I started to unroll the film, and discovered that there were developed pictures on the film. Below is the first image on the roll.
At that point, a chill ran up my spine. I do not speak German, but it did not take much to get "National Socialist Party" (i.e. Nazi) out of the above. Without looking at the rest of the photos, I looked back at the film's small cardboard container. I did not notice the labels before, but I sure paid attention this time. The labels were torn, but I could make out the German words "Reichspropaganda" (Propaganda Department of the Reich), "Wehrhaffes Europa" (Resistant Europe) and "Der Atlantik Wall" (The Atlantic Wall).
Examining the film again, it contained approximately 60 images of what appear to be German fortifications along the North Atlantic coast of Europe, in other words "The Atlantic Wall." The images are in landscape format, and it appears that the frames are meant to be advanced through a projector slot one at a time. When I was in elementary school, these were called "filmstrips," but they usually were arranged so the film would go through a projector vertically. Thus, I seem to have a Nazi Propaganda Ministry filmstrip. The text and photos mention "Organization Todt" several times, and I already knew that the Todt Organization was a German Military-Industrial Corporation that built fortifications, military complexes, etc.
The most interesting question to me is: Who was the intended audience for this filmstrip? It almost looks like a 1940's "PowerPoint" presentation. Was this shown to German schoolchildren, the general public, businessmen, military leaders, and/or Hitler's General Staff? Hitler himself, perhaps? The film provides a very interesting look into German preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe, including pictures of (possibly) important Nazi officials Fritz Todt and Albert Speer. I'll be posting more photos from the strip in the upcoming weeks.
My mother-in-law gave me an old ammunition box of her late husband's belongings. Mostly it contained some wiring and a shotgun cleaning kit. There was also a small, orange cardboard cylinder that she said contained some unexposed film. I opened the cylinder expecting to find an old 35mm film cartridge, which I know have been in use since at least the early 1950's. I was surprised to see a roll of 35mm film in no casing. Thinking that I had just possibly ruined some exposed but undeveloped film of a long forgotten family outing, I was annoyed. Then I started to unroll the film, and discovered that there were developed pictures on the film. Below is the first image on the roll.
The most interesting question to me is: Who was the intended audience for this filmstrip? It almost looks like a 1940's "PowerPoint" presentation. Was this shown to German schoolchildren, the general public, businessmen, military leaders, and/or Hitler's General Staff? Hitler himself, perhaps? The film provides a very interesting look into German preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe, including pictures of (possibly) important Nazi officials Fritz Todt and Albert Speer. I'll be posting more photos from the strip in the upcoming weeks.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Playlist For June 11, 2014
The playlist for the June 11, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet. Living In The Past
This women in Amsterdam leads the ultimate "retro" lifestyle. Ms. Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse (by the way, Hedwig was Hedy Lamarr's real first name) owns a historical consultancy company. Need vintage clothing, cars, appliances, etc. for a TV or movie shoot? That is what she does, but she lives her work. As posted on Yahoo, she has forgone the trappings of 21st century life, and lives like it is 1938. Other than her computer (for work) and her refrigerator (has not found a nice 1930's model yet), everything in her home is from the late 1930's.
Sunrise Serenade: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" by Fats Waller and His Rhythm. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Pre-Father's Day Hop And Live Music Next Week
The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room. Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter. Lesson by Jim and Erin with music by DJ Jim.
303 South Main
Memphis, TN 38103
Live music next week with Jeremy Shrader's Quintessentials.
Live music next week with Jeremy Shrader's Quintessentials.
Sunrise Serenade: I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out
Today's Sunrise Serenade was "I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out" by Anita O'Day with the Ralph Burns Orchestra. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Sunrise Serenade: Elmer's Tune
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Elmer's Tune" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with Peggy Lee on vocals. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Private Snafu: Spies
In recognition of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, I thought a Private Snafu cartoon would be appropriate for a change. These cartoons were produced by the U.S. Army as training films and morale boosters for the soldiers. They were never intended for widespread public viewing. As you watch, bear in mind the time and intended audience. Stereotypes of the Germans, Italians and Japanese were commonplace in media during the war. In addition, the audience would have been all male, aged around 18-25 years. I picked this Snafu because of its focus on maintaining secrecy and spies. Both played a very large role in the success of the Allied landings in Normandy. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1943 Private Snafu animated short, Spies.
The Longest Day
Seventy years ago today, hundreds of thousands of Allied airmen, sailors and troops, along with some of the French underground resistance, launched the second front in the war against Nazi Germany. What was once a ubiquitous military term meaning the designated date an operation would commence - "D-Day" - became forever associated with June 6, 1944. Below is a photo of the type of the fortifications those troops would have faced. I have a collection of such photos from a very interesting source, and I will be including more of them in upcoming posts.
Sunrise Serenade: Christmas Swing
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Christmas Swing" by Django Reinhardt. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Playlist For June 4, 2014
Studebaker Exhibit At 1934 World's Fair
I first posted about the Studebaker exhibit at the 1934 Chicago Worlds Fair last year. Retronaut has posted another item showing a wider view of the giant Studebaker Land Cruiser with an 80 person theater inside.
Sunrise Serenade: Savoy
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Savoy" by Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra. Enjoy the video from YouTube.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Hop Into June
The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues this Friday night at the Rumba Room. Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter. Lesson by Keenan and Bethany with music by DJ Bethany.
303 South Main
Memphis, TN 38103
Sunrise Serenade: Sepia Panorama
Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Sepia Panorama" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Everyday Science And Mechanics
The Golden Age posted a series of 1932 covers from Everyday Science and Mechanics magazine. I think the point that attracted me most to this cover was the juxtaposition of the image of a giant, futuristic seagoing mining operation and the title "Everyday Science and Mechanics."
Sunrise Serenade: El Choclo
This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "El Choclo" by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.
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