Memorial Day

From the Library of Congress American Memory Collection:  a sailor and his girl visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in May 1943.

Daffy The Commando

For Memorial Day weekend, Daffy Duck turns commando to take on Hitler.  From the Internet Archive, here is the 1943 short, Daffy the Commando. 

Plastic & Plywood Concept Cars From The 1940's

The American public's interest in fuel ecnomony waxes and wanes, but there are always some people for whom it is a significant concern, even when everyone else wants big cars with big engines.  Take Alfred Raymond Russell for instance.  A post on the Hemmings blog tells at least part of the interesting story behind this progressive, if unorthodox, automotive designer and his plywood and plastic bodied cars with hydraulic drive.

In 1942, while the rest of the automotive world geared up for the production of war machines, and while every other backyard tinkerer spent his time dreaming up novel ways of defeating the Axis, Ray Russell set out to radically alter the fundamental design and makeup of the automobile.

“The new car is not a hundred-mile-an-hour, chrome-plated, gadget covered hearse,” he said in December 1942. “It’s a safe, practical car to take us to work at 35 miles an hour, using only a gallon of gas every 40 miles.”

Of course, with a war on and with chrome-plated, gadget-covered hearse production suspended, nobody seemed to really care.

The public's lack of interest did not stop him from trying, and he developed a few interesting designs along the way.

Sunrise Serenade: Beer Barrel Polka

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Beer Barrel Polka" by the Andrews Sisters.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

The Queen Mary, Golden Gate Bridge & Ball Point Pen

Another set of interesting events on the same date - May 27 - from The People History. 

May 27, 1936 - The Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York with more than 1800 passengers.

May 27, 1937 - The Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California is opened to pedestrian traffic and more than 200,000 pedestrians walked across on opening day.  The next day the Golden Gate Bridge is opened to vehicular traffic.

May 27, 1943 - The ballpoint pen is patented in America by Hungarian Laszlo Biro.

Sunrise Serenade: Skies Are Blue

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was the very pleasant "Skies Are Blue" by Andy Kirk and his Clouds of Joy.  Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Playlist For May 26, 2010

The playlist for the May 26, 2010 broadcast of the Swing Shift Shuffle has just been added to the playlist filing cabinet.

Rita And Orson For The Troops

Here is a great shot and caption from Film Noir Photos. 

Rita Hayworth and (soon-to-be husband) Orson Welles performing in “The Mercury Wonder Show,” August 1943. Combining magic, carnival, and humor, the show was part of the home front war effort put on for servicemen during the war.

Sunrise Serenade: Pizzicato

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was another hard-to-find number, "Pizzicato" by Stan Kenton.  Click on the song title for the album page on Amazon.  Sample clip at Track #25.

Live Music At The Lindy Hop

There will be live music at the Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session this Friday night.  The lesson will be by Kirk and Becky, and music by Paul Morelli & and the Flying Squid Battalion.   

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main

Memphis, TN 38103

U of M Swing every Monday in Fieldhouse Room 118 from 7:00 to 9:30 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 8-9:45pm. Improve your moves during this dance time. Ask questions, come practice your swing dancing and have fun with other Memphis swing dancers!