Balloon Land

Balloon Land is, as its name implies, a place where everything, including the inhabitants, flora, fauna and structures are made from balloons.  A smart aleck kid decides to go after the local bad guy, the Pincushion Man, and bites off more than he can chew.  A few inflatable versions of movie stars appear at the start, and I love the alarm siren.  This cartoon is a real gas.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1935 Ub Iwerks short, Balloon Land. 

Sunrise Serenade: Good Evenin' Good Lookin'

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Good Evenin' Good Lookin'" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest on vocals.  Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Jazz Dance Film Fest: Tenderly Blue

Concluding our review of the top three videos from the 2015 Jazz Dance Film Fest, here is the first place video, Tenderly Blue.  A woman finds that trying on a new dress in a clothing shop can turn into a musical adventure. 

Sunrise Serenade: Hot Toddy

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

Stay Warm With The 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 Jaredan and Brooke 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 are back at the Madison Dance Studio in Minglewood Plaza, 1555 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38104.  Learn more and register here. 

Sunrise Serenade: Paper Doll

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

Adventures Of Robin Hood

Vintage Ads recently posted this set of posters for the 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood.  Always one of my favorite films, I like it now more for the supporting cast than for Errol Flynn.  Trivia:  The palomino horse that Maid Marian (Olivia DeHavilland) rides in one scene was named Golden Cloud, until Roy Rogers bought him and renamed him Trigger. 

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

This morning'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. 

The Spider Widow

I would file this one under the "impromptu hero/heroine" category.  In this 1942 story, "The Spider Widow," posted on The Golden Age, Miss Diane Grayton is a "beautiful, wealthy and athletic" young woman, who wants to do more to help her country.  When some saboteurs run out of gas on her estate, she quickly improvises a crime fighting persona with the help of an old costume from an attic trunk and some garden spiders.  The bad guys are too slow and too arachnophobic to stop her. 

Sunrise Serenade: Johnson Rag

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Johnson Rag" by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Playlist For January 20, 2016

The playlist for the January 20, 2016 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Jazz Dance Film Fest: Rhythm Oil

Continuing our review of the top three videos from the 2015 Jazz Dance Film Fest, here is the second place video, Rhythm Oil.

It's just another day at the train station until the needle hits the victrola and two traveling salespeople show up with crates of Rhythm Oil in tow. 

Sunrise Serenade: Indian Love Call

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Indian Love Call" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Hopping 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 Mike and Meghan with music by DJ Mike.  

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103


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

Sunrise Serenade: Fairy Tales

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Fairy Tales" by the Mills Brothers with Ella Fitzgerald.  Enjoy the video from YouTube.

Out Again, In Again

Here is an encore from 2013 featuring Heckle & Jeckle, the talking magpies, who escape from jail, only to be pursued on a train.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1948 animated short, Out Again, In Again. 

Sunrise Serenade: Rosie The Riveter

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Rosie The Riveter" by the Four Vagabonds.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Pre-War American Nazis

From the perspective of the 21st Century, the superficial impression is that the American people were completely united in the fight against fascism before, during and after World War II.  As this post on Gizmodo reveals, however, not everyone in the U.S. during the 1930's was anti-Nazi.  On the contrary, there were a number of pro-Nazi, not just pro-German, groups in America at the time; and several set up summer camps that bore striking resemblance to the Hitler Youth, although there was never any official connection between the German government and these organizations. 

Sunrise Serenade: I'm Beginning To See The Light

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "I'm Beginning To See The Light" by Harry James and His Orchestra with the late Kitty Kallen on vocals.  Enjoy the video from YouTube.

Playlist For January 13, 2016

The playlist for the January 13, 2016 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle - Kitty Kallen Tribute - has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

R.I.P. - Kitty Kallen - Tribute Special Tonight

I am nearly a week late posting about the death of Kitty Kallen, who passed away on Thursday, January 7, 2016.  She sang with some of the biggest names of the Swing Era, including Artie Shaw, Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James; and scored number one hits with "Besame Mucho," "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "It's Been a Long, Long, Time."  After WWII, she successfully made the transition from Swing and Big Band to the post war pop music era, and recorded a number of other hits.

I'll be doing a tribute to Kitty tonight on the SSS, featuring many of her best known Swing Era favorites. 

Sunrise Serenade: Wood And Ivory

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Wood And Ivory" by Ambrose and His Orchestra.  Enjoy the video from YouTube.

Oops! Live Music At The Lindy Hop THIS Friday Night

My report of live music last week was a week premature.  Sorry about that!  The post-holiday haze had me confused.  At least I had the instructors right.  The Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues at the Rumba Room this Friday night with live music from the Swing Lowe Trio.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Admission is $7.  Lesson by Caesar and Amanda with music by DJ Amanda on band breaks.  

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103


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

Sunrise Serenade: Ko Ko

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Ko Ko" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

King Of Darkness

Engineer invents device that can affect light and heat, and becomes the King of Darkness, who travels around in a dark beam of night.  In this issue, posted on Four Color Shadows, our hero discovers that, after some additional experimentation, he can also control gravity.  Top line is when kidnapped movie star Gloria Glamour calls King "Heroic, hooded an' handsome."

Sunrise Serenade: Hawaiian War Chant

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

Superman and the Mechanical Monsters

On this first Friday of the New Year, it seems appropriate to invite Superman back in this encore of a 2013 post.  From the Internet Archive, the Man of Steel returns in "Superman and the Mechanical Monsters."

Sunrise Serenade: Texas And Pacific

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Texas And Pacific" by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line. 

Victory Speed Limit

I knew that U.S. citizens on the home front made many sacrifices during World War II to assist the war effort.  Rationing limited access to practically every consumer product, including food and clothes.  I was not familiar, however, with the "Victory Speed Limit."  The National World War II Museum blog explained that to save both gas and rubber, the national speed limit was essentially capped at 35 MPH. 

Beginning in May of 1942 and ending in August of 1945, a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was instated. The “Victory Speed” limit was instated in order to reduce gasoline and rubber consumption. The slower people drove, the less gas and rubber they would need. This nationwide speed limit was called “Victory Speed” in order to make Americans more accepting of a lower speed limit, as this speed limit was instated everywhere from big city streets to rural highways.

Sunrise Serenade: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For January 6, 2016

The playlist for the January 6, 2016 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has now been added to the playlist filing cabinet.  

Live Music Sunday At Huey's Midtown

I recently learned of a Memphis-based Gypsy-style swing-jazz group called Le Tumulte Noir.  Above is a video of them performing "Limehouse Blues."  They will be performing this Sunday, January 10 at 4:00 p.m. at Huey's Midtown.  Based on the video, I'd certainly check them out. 

Sunrise Serenade: On The Atcheson, Topeka And The Santa Fe

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "On The Atcheson, Topeka And The Santa Fe" by Johnny Mercer.  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 at the Rumba Room this Friday night with live music from the Swing Lowe Trio.  Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.  Admission is $7.  Lesson by Jason and Bethany with music by DJ Bethany on band breaks.  

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103


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

Sunrise Serenade: Bounce Me Brother, With A Solid Four

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Bounce Me Brother, With A Solid Four" by the Andrews Sisters.  Enjoy the video from YouTube.

January On TCM

Due to the holidays, I'm a little late with the monthly preview of programming on Turner Classic Movies, posted on The Hollywood Revue, but better late than never.  TCM starts the new year with Fred MacMurray as the Star of the Month, with his films airing every Wednesday. 

Sunrise Serenade: Benny Rides Again

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Benny Rides Again" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.