Little Lulu: Bored of Education

Although I have seen Little Lulu as a comic strip character, I have never seen her animated, so this cartoon was a first for me. From the Internet Archive, the 1946 animated short, Little Lulu in Bored of Education.

More Memphis Swing

I saw this item in the October 21, 2009 edition of the The Commercial Appeal:  a photo of Clyde McCoy, big band leader and composer of Sugar Blues, surrounded by the female vocal group that accompanied his band, the Bennett Sisters.  According to the article, McCoy's band often played the Peabody Hotel Skyway, and all of the Sisters lived in Memphis.  McCoy and his wife, Maxine of the Bennett Sisters, eventually retired to Memphis in the 1970s. 

Playlist for October 21, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

New Upcoming Lindy Hop Events

In addition to the regular weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop dance lesson and session at the Rumba Room this Friday night, there are some other "hopportunities" for those so inclined.

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - Whole Foods Birthday Bash
Dancing with the Red Hot Lindy Hop from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Next Friday, October 30, 2009 - The regular hop features Trolley Tour Band Night with Jeremy Shrader's Quintessentials, plus a Halloween Costume Contest.  All participants will receive a prize, and best costume gets a 3 CD set of big band music.

This Friday, October 23, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Amanda and Jaredan, followed with music by DJ Amanda until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Swing Shift Shuffle Indeed!

At Vintage Projects, I found an interesting 1943 Popular Mechanics article about employers using music to increase their workers' morale and productivity.  A variety of different industries tried the experiment, from laundries to shipyards, featuring both live and recorded music.  I especially like the caption under one photo of two female employees putting slips of paper in the Music Request Box:  "Some like it sweet, some like it hot - both get their wish." 

Better Late Than Never - Betty Boop: The Scared Crows

Sorry folks!  Keeping with my little tradition of cartoons on a Saturday morning, this post was supposed to publish two days ago, but technical issues and other distractions prevailed.  Better late than never.  It's time for another Betty Boop short from the Internet Archive. This 1939 cartoon features the later, taller, more slender version of Ms. Boop, with a canine sidekick called Pudgy. Here they are in The Scared Crows. 

How Detroit Won the War

I once heard a theory that four machines won World War II, and they were not fighters, bombers, battleships, tanks, guns or any other machine designed to actually "fight."  They were the workhorses:  the bulldozer, the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck, the landing craft, and the C-47 transport aircraft. 

Boing Boing just posted a link to a gallery of photos on the Life magazine site called How Detroit Won the War that reveals the industrial muscle that cranked out millions of these machines. 

Playlist for October 22, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Serial Experience

I have become a fan of movie serials; those short films that told a story over 12-15 episodes, with each invariably ending with the hero/heroine/sidekick facing such imminent peril that the audience was compelled to return to the theater the following week to see how/if he/she survived.  Turner Classic Movies has been airing serial episodes on Saturday mornings, with Dick Tracy being the most recent.  DVD collections of serials are widely available, and the Internet Archive has several in its collection.  While strolling through the internet today, I discovered another interesting resource on the subject:  Todd Gault's Serial Experience.  This site has a massive amount of information about this genre, over ten years of articles, and a blog.  If you have any interest in serials or classic movies, you should check it out. 

Snap, Crackle and HOP!

Red Hot Lindy Hop presents Joel Plys and Evita Arce for a Lindy Hop Workshop in Memphis on November 14 and 15.  Cost $50 until October 15, with discounts for students.  See full schedule and register at redhotlindyhop.com. 

Don't forget the weekly hop session at the Rumba Room.

This Friday, October 16, 2009:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Becky and Kirk, followed with music by DJ Becky until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103