Playlist For December 31, 2014

The playlist for the December 31, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Hop Into The New Year

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 Jaredan and Jennifer, with music by DJ Jaredan.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions will be back in January at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Her Tears Flowed Like Wine

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" by Lauren Bacall and the Williams Brothers from the 1946 film The Big Sleep.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Ivy Benson And Her All Girl Orchestra

The words "Spice Girls" and "Swing Era" are not the most common association, but former Spice Girl, Melanie C, is making sure one story of the Swing Era is not forgotten.  She presented a BBC documentary on Ivy Benson and Her All Girl Orchestra, one of the leading acts in the UK during the 1940s, and will present a second documentary on the band in 2015. 

Fifty years before Victoria, Mel B, Emma, Geri and myself were talking about Girl Power, Ivy and the members of her all-girl band were risking their lives entertaining Allied troops in war-torn Europe, and fighting the battle of the sexes back at home.

While I missed the documentary, the item has made me start looking for recordings by Ms. Benson and her band.   

Sunrise Serenade: The Nutcracker Suite

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Nutcracker Suite" by Les Brown and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube.
  

Merry Christmas!

From everyone here at the SSS - Merry Christmas!  The young lady in this photo from the Library of Congress certainly seems to be enjoying her Christmas morning.  I'll wager she had a happy older brother as well, since I see an open Lionel train box on the left. 

I'm taking a quick break for the holiday, but I'll be back Monday.  Have a very safe and Merry Christmas!

Playlist For December 24, 2014 - Christmas Special Part 2

The playlist for the December 24, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

The Green Lama Merry Xmas

The Golden Age posted this holiday tale from the ghosts of comics past.  The Green Lama (with one "L"  - as in an eastern holy man - as opposed to an Andean pack animal) is Jethro (yes, Jethro) Dumont, a gentile scholar of Asian lore, who becomes the mighty Green Lama to fight evil.  In this episode, he must fight a Dickens-ish miser to bring a Merry Christmas to a fishing village in "The Turn of the Scrooge." 

Sunrise Serenade: The Christmas Song

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Christmas Song" by Les Brown and His Orchestra featuring Doris Day on vocals.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Boxing Day 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 Brooke and Keenan, with music by DJ Brooke.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are taking a holiday break for December, but they will be back in January at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Sculpting A Cord

The Hemmings blog noted this posting on Motor City Garage, which featured a film showing the process for sculpting a model of the 1936 Cord 810.  I have seen the same (or at least similar) equipment used for this process at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.  The model 810 is not bad, but fortunately, the final production version of the Cord 810 turned out much better.  Unfortunately, Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg all ended production by 1937. 

Sunrise Serenade: Christmas Night In Harlem

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Raymond Scott.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Tom And Jerry: The Night Before Christmas

For this last Friday before Christmas, I found a very nice classic Tom & Jerry (yes, the cat and mouse this time) holiday cartoon.  In this animated short from 1941, Jerry is definitely not the proverbial non-stirring mouse.  Tom actually wins, successfully kicking Jerry out of the house, only to feel the Christmas spirit, and rescue the mouse from freezing in the snow.  From the Internet Archive, here is The Night Before Christmas. 

Sunrise Serenade: I Want Your For Christmas

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "I Want Your For Christmas" by Dick Robertson and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Fisher On Every Fighting Front

I saw this Fisher advertisement on Vintage Ads, and thought it was another good example of companies maintaining customer goodwill during the war, even though they were not producing consumer goods.  I particularly like the lower right portion, where traditional "Body by Fisher" slogan was updated by marking through "body" and changing it to "armament." 

Sunrise Serenade: Little Jack Frost Get Lost

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Little Jack Frost Get Lost" by Frankie Carle and His Orchestra with Marjorie Hughes on vocals.  Enjoy the video below from YouTube.

Playlist For December 17, 2014 - Christmas Special Part 1

The playlist for the December 17, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

The Phantom Reporter

Another (by today's standards) unlikely hero:  an ex-All American football player, boxing, wrestling and fencing champion, whose father left him millions, maintains a job as a cub reporter at a newspaper under a fake name, and by night becomes The Phantom Reporter, although I never see anyone in the story call him that, or anything else.  Love the Shadow/Spirit-type costume though - a suit and fedora with a mask and cape.  Posted on Four Color Shadows.

Sunrise Serenade: Swingin' Them Jingle Bells

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Swingin' Them Jingle Bells" by Fats Waller and His Rhythm.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Last Pre-Christmas 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 Olivia and Justin, with music by DJ Kimmie.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

The Tiger Rag lessons and guided practice sessions are taking a holiday break for December, but they will be back in January at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Are You Hep To The Jive

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Are You Hep To The Jive" by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Santa Claus Land In Santa Claus, Indiana

I saw this item on Retro Planet a while back, but kept it ready when the appropriate season arrived.  It seems that, back in the early 1940s, a retired industrialist was disappointed, as were many children, that there was no Santa Claus in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana.  Faced with this situation, he developed the world's first theme park:  Santa Claus Land.  With construction understandably delayed by World War II, the park opened in August 1946, and kids could visit Santa, a toy shop, a restaurant and themed rides.  Admission was free, and remained so for many years.  Renamed Holiday World in the 1980s, the park is still up and running.

Sunrise Serenade: Winter Wonderland

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

Christmas Comes But Once A Year

Time for the Christmas cartoons again.  Today we revisit one of the Fleischer Studios' Color Classics in which Grampy does a little innovation to bring Christmas joy to some orphans.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1936 animated short, Christmas Comes But Once A Year. 

Sunrise Serenade: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Blindfolded Cartoonists' Art

Boing Boing posted this item about a 1947 Life magazine article in which comic strip artists were asked to draw their most famous characters while blindfolded.  Some of the results, like Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, were not too far off from the sighted version, but some others led to interesting images.

Sunrise Serenade: When Winter Comes

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "When Winter Comes" by Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Playlist For December 10, 2014

The playlist for the December 10, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

This Week In History: December 7-13

We visit Retro Planet's Planet Retro blog again for another look at This Week In History, which includes more notable events from the Swing Era.
World News & the American Experience:

1941 – Dec 7 – “A date which will live in infamy,” Pearl Harbor Day.  1100 men are lost as America’s Pacific Fleet is attacked.  The catastrophic event leads the US to declare war and enter into World War II.

Movies & TV:

1937 – NBC Radio gets into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission for broadcasting a racy skit with Mae West.  As a consequence, West is banned from its airwaves for 15 years.

1948 – The Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program is broadcast for the first time on NBC TV.

Music & Radio:

1926 – Benny Goodman’s first recording session takes place (at age 17).  He plays clarinet with the Ben Pollack and his Californians.

1944 – The Chesterfield Supper Club premieres on NBC radio.

1949 – Fats Domino records his first songs for Imperial Records, starting with “The Fat Man”.

Arts & Entertainment:

1939 – Betty Grable is featured on the cover of LIFE.

1949 – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Carol Channing, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.

Sports:

1937 – The Red Sox acquired the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams.

1939 – Lou Gehrig, 36, is elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Technology & Inventions:

1931 – Coaxial cable is patented.

1945 – The Microwave oven is patented by Dr. Percy Spencer of Raytheon Corp.

Sunrise Serenade: Christmas Medley

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

Only Two More Hopping Days 'Til Christmas

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 Meghan and Ceasar, 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 taking a holiday break for December, but they will be back in January at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Tabby The Cat

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Tabby The Cat" by Anita O'Day with Stan Kenton and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

TCM In December

Well, it is a little late due to my break, but better late than never with the Hollywood Revue's preview of December programming on Turner Classic Movies.  In addition to holiday favorites, the Star of the Month is Cary Grant, with his films airing every Monday night. 

Sunrise Serenade: An Old Fashioned Tree

I'm back from break, and the Christmas music has started to infiltrate my unconscious.  This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "An Old Fashioned Tree" by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.  Enjoy the video from YouTube. 

Playlist For December 3, 2014

The playlist for the December 3, 2014 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.