The
Golden Age:
Whitey's
Lindy Hprs.
Sandra
Gibson
Ann
Johnson
Dorothy
Johnson
Norma
Miller
Al
Minns
Frankie
Manning
Mildred
Pollard
Billy
Ricker
Willa
Mae Ricker
Russell
Williams
MOVIES
After
Seben
The
Big Apple
Call
Of The Jitterbug
Can't
Top the Lindy H
Cootie
Williams
Cottontail
Day
At The Races
Frankie
Manning
Instructional
Videos
Hellzapoppin'
Hot
Chocolates
Jammin'the
Blues
Jittering
Jitterbugs
Killer
Diller
Malcolm
X
Manhattan
Merry-Go-Round
Outline
Jitterbug Hist
Radio
City Revels
The
Spirit Moves
Stompin'
at the Savoy
Swing
Kids
Swingin'at
the Savoy
Symphony
in Black |
|
The
Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers group that appears in this soundie was also known as
the The Harlem Congaroos.They were the undisputed stars of all the
groups of Whitey's dancers. After completing the filming of Hellzapoppin',
the group had a contract to do a second film for Universal Studios. However,
Whitey received an offer for them to perform in Rio de Janiero, Brazil,
and decided he did not want his dancers to wait around for a script that
was offbeat enough to incorporate the Black dancers.Such scripts had proven
to be few and far between in the past. In order to break the contract,
Whitey agreed to make this soundie, which was an enormous hit throughout
the United States. The bombing of Pearl Harbor took place while the Harlem
Congeroos were in Rio, and they were unable to get back home to the United
States after their 6-week engagement was over. |
Cast:
-
Duke Ellington Orchestra
-
featuring Ben Webster
-
Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers
-
(In order of appearance):
William Downes and
Frances "Mickey" Jones
Norma
Miller and
Billy
Ricker
Al
Minns and
Willa
Mae Ricker
Ann
Johnson and
Frankie
Manning
|
They spent 6 months working to make
enough money to secure their safe passage back to the USA and finally managed
to fly back to Florida, where they arrived with no money in their pockets
to make the trip back to New York. In Miami they discovered that the soundie
of Hot Chocolates was a big hit and was on every jukebox! They found
employment with a nightclub owner who capitalized on the popularity of
this soundie by advertising that he had the "Hot Chocolates in Person!"
SOUNDIES were
short musical filmclips that were played in jukeboxes in the thirties and
forties.The device that played them used a mirror. The films were made
in reverse and then their mirror images were projected to the viewers.
[The soundie "Hot Chocolates" is available from the Savoy Style
Swing Dance Shop in the vintage video compilations: Duke
Ellington and His Orchestra and Harlem
Harmonies 2, and on the DVD compilation Jammin'
with the Greats.]
Written and researched by Judy Pritchett with Frankie Manning (C)1995,1996,1997.May
be reproduced only with explicit written permission. Last
updated:2 October 2004. Send your suggestions, corrections or comments
to
judyp@mcn.org
|
|
