Sunrise Serenade: Christopher Columbus

Once again, my unconscious seems to have the holiday's mixed.  This Saint Patrick's Day, the Sunrise Serenade was "Christopher Columbus" by Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For March 16, 2011

The playlist for the March 16, 2011 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

What A Way To Fly

Thanks to Boing Boing for referring me to this post about the Boeing 314 "Clipper" aircraft that made long range air travel a reality in the 1930s and '40s.  No sardine-style "economy" seats on these planes.

The Passenger Compartment: The interior of the passenger cabin was the height of luxury for the time, and would surely impress today. In the lounge, travelers had room to spread out and play backgammon or put together puzzles. When it was meal time the lounge converted into a formal dining room, complete with fine china and five star service. When the evening arrived, all compartments converted into bunks with dark curtains and high quality sheets… perfect for dreaming of warm Pacific beaches.

Sunrise Serenade: Melodrama In A V-Disc Recording Room

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Melodrama In A V-Disc Recording Room" by Benny Carter and his Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Lindy Hop Friday And Live Music Next Week

The weekly Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session continues Friday with a lesson by Mike & Jeska and music by Jeska.  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

Next week, March 25, 2011, is live band night with J. Thomas and the Swingin' Monkeys.

U of M Swing every Tuesday, 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: Stormy Weather

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Stormy Weather" by Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Orchestra.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Dracula vs. Frankenstein In Monster Chess Throwdown

In this nice little 1934 short subject, posted by Vintage Ads, Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula) play a game of chess to determine who will lead the parade in the Screen Actors Guild Film Star Frolics. 

Sunrise Serenade: Sweet Sue

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Sweet Sue" by the Benny Goodman Quartet.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Humpty Dumpty

In this 1935 animated short by Ub Iwerks, Humpty Dumpty, Jr. and Easter Egg escape a villianous "Bad Egg" by falling into a pot of hot water, thus becoming "hard boiled" characters.  (Rimshot).  From the Internet Archive, here is Humpty Dumpty. 

The Female Computers of World War II

Everyone knows that during World War II, women took over many jobs performed by men so the men could serve in the military.  The result?  "Rosie the Riveter" et al.  This posting on Boing Boing, however, reveals the women who worked as top secret human "computers" for the military, performing the complicated mathmatical calculations necessary to create ballistics tables for weapons.  Several eventually helped program the first vacuum tube computer. 


Top Secret Rosies Trailer from LeAnn Erickson on Vimeo.