Wackiki Wabbit

This animated short is one of my Bugs Bunny favorites from 1943.  Aside from a funny cartoon, it has some nice Polynesian rhythms going down.  From the Internet Archive, here is Wackiki Wabbit. 

1933 Film Of A Now Extinct Species

Boing Boing posted this 1933 film of the last thylacine, also called Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, known to exist. 

This animal is actually a marsupial, not directly related to wolves (or big cats). Any similarity you see is purely convergent evolution at work—different species adapting to similar environmental niches. Not surprisingly, like the wild dogs they resemble, thylacines were hunted with abandon in the 19th and 20th centuries, because of the threat they posed to domesticated herd animals. The last confirmed* wild thylacine was killed in 1930. The last captive one died six years after that. That's him, a male sometimes referred to as "Benjamin" in this video, shot in 1933.

Sunrise Serenade: Battle of Swing

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Battle of Swing" by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.  Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Cummins' Auburn: 40+ MPG In 1935

The Hemmings blog posted this very interesting article about the early efforts of diesel engine manufacturer Clessie Cummins to convince the automotive industry of the efficiency of diesel engines.  He had a very simple formula.  Take one 1934 Auburn, one of the more upscale cars available at the time, put in his own special diesel engine, and drive it across the country. 

In June 1935, he debuted the result of that effort: a 1934 Auburn powered by an experimental Cummins Model A six-cylinder diesel. Where all of Cummins’s previous diesels used cast-iron engine assemblies, the Model A had an aluminum block and head, “making it more comparable in weight to a gasoline engine,” according to Cummins company literature. A Time article announcing the Cummins-powered Auburn noted that the Model A, which developed 85 horsepower from 377 cubic inches, weighed 80 pounds more than the Lycoming straight-eight that originally powered the Auburn (870 pounds total). Combined with a three-speed manual transmission and a two-speed rear axle, the 4,000-pound car was able to pull down 40.1 MPG on the first leg of a NY-to-LA transcontinental trip that Clessie planned to display the economy of the Model A engine. The trip, which lasted from June 17 to July 4, covered 3,774 miles and consumed just $7.63 worth of fuel; assuming the same fuel cost quoted in the Time article (and assuming my math is correct), that translates to an average of 44.5 MPG over the entire trip.

One of the interesting points in this article was the fact that, prior to 1932, the trucking industry did not use diesel engines.  It was the reliability and endurance of a Cummins powered race car at the 1931 Indy 500 that convinced Kenworth to offer a diesel engine the following year as an option.  The rest is history.

Sunrise Serenade: Tain't What You Do

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

Playlist For February 2, 2011

The playlist for the February 2, 2011 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

The Evolution Of Snap, Crackle & Pop

This item on Vintage Ads shows an advertisement from the August 1941 issue of American Home featuring Snap, Crackle and Pop before they evolved into their current form.

Sunrise Serenade: Caravan

Today's Sunrise Serenade was the "faux instrumental" version of "Caravan" by the Mills Brothers.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Special Balboa Swing Dance Lesson At The Hop

The Red Hot Lindy Hop has a special lesson and session this Friday.  Jaredan and Lori DeLeon will teach Balboa ("The Dancer's Dance"), with music by Jaredan.  Free admission before 7:00 p.m., and $5 at the door afterwards. 

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

U of M Swing every Monday, Fieldhouse Room 118 from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m.  Free taster lesson from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Topics vary from week to week and include East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blues and Balboa. All are welcome and no partner is required. Open practice from 8-9:30 pm. Improve your moves during this dance time. Ask questions, come practice your swing dancing and have fun with other Memphis swing dancers!

Sunrise Serenade: That Old Feeling

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