Happy Thanksgiving! And A Holiday Break

We here at the SSS wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, and a very safe holiday season.  This November 1942 image from the Library of Congress shows a family in Neffsville, Pennsylvania beginning their holiday feast. 

With the start of the holidays, I will be reducing SSS operations for a week or so.  Full posting will resume on Monday, December 8.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Playlist For November 26, 2014

The playlist for the November 26, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

This Week In History

RetroPlanet's Planet Retro Blog posts a weekly "Retro History" item, and this week is full of all sorts of interesting anniversaries from the Swing Era, in a variety of areas.  
World News & the American Experience:

1930 – Ruth Nichols becomes the first woman pilot on a transcontinental flight from New York to California.  It took 7 days.

1942 – A tragic fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, MA kills nearly 500 people.

Movies & TV:

1940 – Woody Woodpecker is seen for the first time in the theatrical short Knock Knock.

1942 – Casablanca premieres at Hollywood Theatre in New York City.

1948 – Hopalong Cassidy premieres on TV.
Music & Radio:

1932 – Groucho Marx performs on radio for the first time.

1944 – The FBI in Peace and War is broadcast by CBS radio for the first time.

1949 – Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, by Gene Autry, becomes the musical hit of the Christmas season.

1956 – Bandleader Tommy Dorsey dies at the age of 51. His records sold more than 110,000,000 copies.

Arts & Entertainment:

1936 – The first issue of Life magazine, created by Henry R. Luce, is published.

Technology & Inventions:

1944 – Johns Hopkins Hospital performs the first open heart surgery.

1948 – The Zoomar Lens is patented by Dr. Frank G. Back of New York City.  It becomes a popular lens most often used in television production.

1948 – The first Polaroid camera is sold.

Sunrise Serenade: A Porter's Love Song To A Chambermaid

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "A Porter's Love Song To A Chambermaid" by Fats Waller and His Rhythm.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Red Hot Black Friday Hop

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues at the Rumba Room this Friday night.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter.  Lesson by Angela and Pip, with music by DJ EJ.

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: I Found A New Baby

Today'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.

Myrna Loy In Suspense Radio Role

Myrna Loy, costar of The Thin Man series with William Powell, appears here in a 1945 episode of the radio series Suspense called "The Library Book".  Posted on 20th Century Radio. 

Sunrise Serenade: Limehouse Blues

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

Jerky Turkey

This Friday before Thanksgiving, we once again invite the great Tex Avery to tell the story of a simple Pilgrim looking for that first Thanksgiving Day meal, and throw in a pack of World War II era jokes to boot.  From the Internet Archive, the 1945 animated short, Jerky Turkey.

Sunrise Serenade: Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It)

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It)" by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Holiday Swing: PB&Jammies December 5

The Germantown Performing Arts Center has hosted its youth music education series - Peanut Butter & Jam - for 20 years now.  On December 5 at 6:00 p.m., GPAC will ring and swing in the holidays with a special Peanut Butter & Jammies show, featuring big band holiday music and other swing with Jeremy Shrader and the New Memphis Hepcats.  The swing kids can dress in their favorite jammies, and milk and cookies will be served afterward.  I may just show up for the cookies!

Sunrise Serenade: You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse" by Louis Jordan.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Playlist for November 19, 2014

The playlist for the November 19, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Swinging On The Old Sod

This recent story on the BBC brought a smile to my face.  While my interest in Swing music began when I was in high school, it was not always at the level it is today.  For many years starting in the early 1990's, I was (and still am) a dedicated fan of Celtic music, the traditional music of the Celtic lands - Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, and Galicia (in Spain).  The "craic" was grand at many a ceilidh and Celtic festival I attended, and I am honored to count among my acquaintances a few big names in the world of Celtic music.  Imagine my surprise, then, to find that Erin's Isle has started to swing, with the Lindy Hop (rather than a jig or reel) prevailing on a few Irish dance floors.

Sunrise Serenade: Git Along

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Git Along" by the Mills Brothers.  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 features live music from Davy Ray at the Rumba Room this Friday night.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Five dollar admission before 7:00 and $7 thereafter.  Lesson by Olivia and Jim.  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: Pop Goes The Weasel

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Pop Goes The Weasel" by the Merry Macs.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Sunrise Serenade: Ta-hu-wa-hu-wai (a/k/a Hawaiian War Chant)

It's a bit late, but this morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Ta-hu-wa-hu-wai" by the Merry Macs.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

The End Of Der Atlantik Wall

I started posting images from the Nazi propaganda filmstrip, Der Atlantik Wall, right after the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day) on June 6, 1944.  My purpose in posting these photos was not only to provide what appears to be an inside look into the German military-industrial complex during World War II, but also to demonstrate the massive obstacles that Allied forces overcame during and after the invasion of Europe.  We have now come to the end of the film, appropriately enough, during the week of Veterans Day.  I omitted a few pictures as redundant or just boring, but otherwise, you have seen the entire filmstrip.  We end with the last three photos:  a U-boat tucked safely in its underground pen, an artillery emplacement firing, and the final frame of the film, the Nazi eagle.  I hope you found these photos as interesting as I did. 

Sunrise Serenade: Rock And Roll

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Rock And Roll" by the Boswell Sisters.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Playlist For November 12, 2014 - Fall Pledge Drive Special

The playlist for the November 12, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle Fall Pledge Drive Special - "New For 1934!" - has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Hop Off The Cold With A Red Hot Lindy

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues at the Rumba Room this Friday night.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter.  Lesson by Brooke and Phil, with music by DJ Alexis.

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. 

Swing Shift Shuffle Fall Pledge Drive Special Tonight - New For 1934!

WEVL is just a little over halfway through our Fall Pledge Drive, and included in our special programming is tonight's Swing Shift Shuffle Pledge Drive Special:  "New For 1934!"  All the songs in tonight's show were recorded in 1934, and many have never been played on the show before.  Tune in at 6:00 p.m. for an 80 year trip back in time, and help WEVL reach its goal of $67,000.  Thanks for listening and supporting WEVL!

Sunrise Serenade: Are You Livin' Old Man?

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Are You Livin' Old Man?" by Anita O'Day.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Veteran's Day And Hedy Lamarr's 100th Birthday

At 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918 - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the Allies signed a ceasefire agreement with Germany bringing The Great War a/k/a World War I to an end.  Known as Armistice Day for many years, it became a day to remember the fallen of that war.  In the U.S., Armistice Day eventually became Veteran's Day, a day to honor living veterans of all conflicts, while Memorial Day in May became the designated day to honor the fallen.  In Europe, November 11 is still Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day in the UK, and it is still dedicated to the fallen. 

The above photo, from the Library of Congress, shows an Army mechanic working on a truck.  I once heard a theory that the four machines that won World War II were not guns, tanks, planes or other armaments, but rather the C-47 cargo plane, the landing craft, the bulldozer and the 2 1/2 ton truck.  It was these machines that enabled men and supplies to get where they needed to be, and so the work this soldier performs on this truck is just as important as a front line soldier, because without food and ammunition, those at the front could not do much.

Today is also the 100th birthday of Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, a/k/a Hedy Lamarr.  Aside from being one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen, in 1942, she patented a method for remote radio control of torpedoes that led to technology we still use today in our smart phones. 

Sunrise Serenade: Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn" by Bunny Berigan.  Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Holiday Classics at The Majestic Grille

The holidays are almost upon us, and The Majestic Grille is getting into the spirit with the return of its classic holiday films for Sunday Supper and a Movie. 

Sunrise Serenade: Undecided

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Undecided" by Ella Fitzgerald.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Jack Frost

Since the leaves are starting to change and the cool weather has finally arrived, this encore from 2011 seemed appropriate.  In this 1934 animated short from Ub Iwerks, a young grizzly bear ignores the warnings of Jack Frost, and underestimates the chilling power of Old Man Winter.  Carl Stalling, of future Warner Bros. fame, provided the musical score.  From the Internet Archive, here is Jack Frost.

Sunrise Serenade: Cherokee

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

Batteries Of Der Atlantik Wall



Our tour of the Nazi propaganda filmstrip Der Atlantik Wall is starting its final leg, and after last week's scenes of U-boat pens, we now have fortified bunkers  The top bunker even was apparently even named Batterie Todt after the Organization Todt that constructed it.  There is no indication whether the artillery emplacement in the lower photo is the other side of this bunker or not.

Sunrise Serenade: Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Playlist For November 5, 2014

The playlist for the November 5, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Rangers Of Freedom VS. Superbrian!

According to Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine, Rangers of Freedom was a short lived series about "teenagers in fancy outfits with sharks fins on their heads," whose constant enemy was the evil genius, Superbrain, complete with his oversized cranium.  Pappy's posted this ROF adventure from 1940.

Sunrise Serenade: You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" by Bing Crosby.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Keep Warm With Red Hot Lindy Hop

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues at the Rumba Room this Friday night.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Free admission before 7:00 and $5 thereafter.  Lesson by Erin and Justin, with music by DJ Justin.

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: At The Woodchopper's Ball

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "At The Woodchopper's Ball" by Woody Herman and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

TCM In November

The Hollywood Revue posted its regular monthly preview of Turner Classic Movies programming.  The Star of the Month is a group, specifically the stars of the silent era, such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Mary Pickford, etc.  The Friday Night Spotlight will be on road movies. 

Sunrise Serenade: Swanee River

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