Sunrise Serenade: I'll Be Ready When The Great Day Comes

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "I'll Be Ready When The Great Day Comes" by the Spirits of Rhythm.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Lindy Hops On - Live Music Next Week

The Red Hot Lindy Hop weekly lesson and session continues this Friday with a lesson by Kirk and Michell and music by Kirk.  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 (May 27, 2011) will have live music with Mr. Handy's Jazz Band. 

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: The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Jimmie Lunceford.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Sabotage (1936)

Although I am a fan of the early Hitchcock film The 39 Steps, I have not seen his 1936 film Sabotage.  Based on the review posted on MovieFanFare, however, I will now watch for this movie.

The film opens metaphorically with a close-up shot of a flashing light bulb (a warning signal?) and then transitions into a shot of a crowded London street right before a blackout. In true Hitchcockian fashion, the film cuts back to the flashing light bulb and we watch as the light slows its pace and then goes completely out upon the blackout. Another quick cut takes us to the Bijou,a movie theatre run by Karl Verloc (Oskar Homolka). Dressed in the typical accoutrement of a shady figure—a dark overcoat—Verloc seems to be sneaking back into his home just after the blackout hits. When he lays down on the couch and covers his face with a newspaper, you instantly know something just isn’t kosher. When his wife (Sylvia Sidney) comes to complain that the theatre’s patrons want their money back he tells her to give it to them, hinting that they don’t have to worry about money any more. Why?

Sunrise Serenade: Chinatown

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Chinatown" by Louis Prima.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Little Audrey: Goofy, Goofy Gander

Little Audrey reads her comic book rather than memorizing Mother Goose, and the teacher sends her to the corner.  When she nods off, a hip, young Mother Goose takes her on a jivin' tour of Mother Gooseland.  From Paramount Pictures and the Internet Archive, here is the 1950 release Goofy, Goofy Gander. 

1941 Helicopter Car

Most of the flying cars I remember were usually based on an airplane.  As this posting from Modern Mechanix indicates, according to the November 1941 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, at least one gent in Alabama built a home-made helicoptomobile.  It was an interesting design, featuring two, counter-rotating main rotors, with apparently no pusher or puller propeller. 

Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By

It appears that Blogger ran into a bit of trouble Wednesday night, and had to remove some posts.  It is my understanding that the removed posts will be restored.  Meanwhile, everything else seems to be operational again.  Sorry for the interruption. 

Sunrise Serenade: Fiddle Diddle

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Fiddle Diddle" by Lionel Hampton.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Vintage GMC Trucks At Work

As the proud owner of a GMC with 165,000+ miles on the original drivetrain and still running strong, I could not resist mentioning this post on Hemmings featuring a series of photos depicting classic GMC trucks at work.