SOUNDIES

This compilation reel of two early 1930s Vitaphone "Melody Master" musical featurettes and two 1941 "soundies" features an array of underrepresented black talent in short subjects that offer glimpses of performing talents Noble Sissle, Don Redman, Fats Waller and others (TRT: 27:34). 1) "Vitaphone Presents Noble Sissle & Band in That’s The Spirit, with Cora La Reed, the Washboard Serenaders, Miller & Moreland, Directed by Roy Mack, Photography by E.B. DuPar, 1932." Comedic actors Flournoy Miller and Mantan Moreland appear as night watchmen for a pawnshop, with Miller in blackface, an offensive tradition of theatrical makeup used primarily (but not exclusively) by non-black performers to caricature black people (0:28). Miller was known for scripting the Broadway hit "Shuffle Along" which featured the music of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. Moreland got his start as Miller’s vaudeville understudy and is remembered for his appearances in low budget "race movies," plus Dick Tracy and Three Stooges shorts. The duo enters the pawnshop to find it haunted by a talking clock, a possessed rocking chair, and a miniature of Sissle’s orchestra. A medley of "St. Louis Blues, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, I’ve Been Working on the Railroad" (2:26). Sissle dances (4:12). A haunted washboard levitates, triggering a rhythm novelty with the Washboard Serenaders. "In a Little Shanty Town" gets a percussive treatment with piano, guitar, kazoo, scat vocals (4:38). A talking fur coat flies off a coat rack. Cora La Reed sings and tap dances to "Jig Time" (5:48). A clarinet solo introduces "Tiger Rag" (7:54). A saxophone solo, a trumpet solo with a mute, a clarinet solo with guitar backup (9:28). The jump chorus sends the night watchmen running, Moreland leaves his shoes (10:38). "The End" (11:08). (0:11-11:11). 2) "Vitaphone Presents Don Redman & His Orchestra with Red & Struggie, Directed by Joseph Henabery, Photographed by E.B. DuPar, 1934." A newspaper headline: "Orchestra Leader Sweepstake Winner, Don Redman Opens New Cabaret" (11:42). An illuminated, spiraled "roulette wheel" decorates a cabaret nightclub set that sees Don Redman’s jazz orchestra surrounded by diners, a dancefloor between them. Don Redman was a West Virginia native who got his start with the Fletcher Henderson orchestra, then formed his own band in 1931, which got a residency at Manhattan jazz club Connie’s Inn. He provided music for a Betty Boop cartoon and later wrote arrangements for Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Harry James (11:52). This film features Manzie Johnson on drums, Benny Morton on trombone, Ed Inge on Clarinet, Sidney DeParis on trumpet, Bob Carroll on tenor, and Rupert Cole on alto. Don Redman introduces the band (12:17). Redman meets with the audience (13:35). Crossfade to a montage of folks who didn’t win the sweepstakes. Harlan Lattimore sings Harold Arlen’s "Ill Wind" (14:12). Red and Shuggie appear and sing the comic scat novelty, "Nagasaki" (17:19). The duo dances (18:47). Don Redman shows off a diamond ring then delivers a self-deprecating monologue about his diminutive stature in "Tall Man" (19:44). "The End" (21:27). (11:17-21:35). 3) "Fats Waller in Your Feet’s Too Big," 1941, distributed by Official Films. Soundies were 3-minute shorts shot on 35mm film and originally distributed for the Panoram, a 16mm looping "movie jukebox." Soundies are also remembered for preserving historic performances by African-American artists who were denied greater opportunities in feature films, as is the case here with the great stride piano legend Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller. He appears in a bowler hat, taking notice of the large shoes of a comic dancer in a zoot suit and oversized hat (21:47). Closeups of Waller as he mugs and plays directly to the camera (22:34). Dancers step on one another’s feet (23:05). A chorus of women dancers appears (23:58). (21:36-24:32). 4) "Fats Waller in Honeysuckle Rose," 1941, directed by Warren Murray, distributed by Official Films. In a similarly structured soundie, Waller is surrounded by women performers wearing large bows and a floral backdrop (24:45). Waller sings in closeup (25:23). Guitar, sax solos. A chorus of dancers surround Fats (26:04). (24:33-27:24).

Transcription

[Music] [Music] [Applause] i'm so glad we're here and i'm glad you got this job cause now i don't have to postpone no more meals so one and then get to watching them so look at you huh wonder what they want somebody to watch this pawn shop for ain't nothing in there for some guitars and banjos and saxophones well they ain't guitars banjos and saxophones stealable what are you talking about for warning then starting to watch someone tell you oh man it's too dark to go and then watch oh you got to watch in the dark as much as you do in the light so go ahead yeah come on let's go no no no i i ain't no uh watchman what you gonna do i'm gonna watch on the outside while you watch on the inside yeah i'm gonna watch right there with you oh man go on in there [Music] i wonder what time it is oh steve please say that you got your hands on my shoulders say you you don't believe in ghosts do you i don't doubt them well listen what i want to listen for i don't want to hear nothing listen to me if you see anything in here today right there's the minute you see it stop by my house and tell them what it looks like will you hey wait a minute if i see something and it don't look right i ain't gonna have time to come way back by your house well come on let's get to that watching business well let's watch them you know stay on your feet and keep your eyes on everything sit down here and arrest myself i'm a little tired yeah you would want to be wise wonderful man likes comforting one [Music] did you hear what i heard you think i'm deep [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] blue what is this [Music] hey [Music] so [Music] wasn't that music just lovely joe it certainly was minnie what do you think you and i have a dance no i don't feel like it i'm tired i've been hanging around here all day well i think i'll take a little walk [Music] [Music] all the rest of my days [Music] so [Music] do [Music] i wish this is [Music] so [Music] nice [Music] good [Music] hmm [Music] anymore [Music] oh kidding me [Music] i think i'm going to leave here me too [Applause] so shoes i ain't got time to wait for you hey boy wait a minute don't leave our shelf wait a [Music] i got minute [Music] you [Music] huh wow [Applause] did you hear that planet go did he go on did he go it looked like he tried to break up the show yeah and did you hear that trombone swing man he really played that thing guess we'll have to make him the king yeah man hey do you know that you really played that thing you showed us something new looks like you won the crown so we'll have to give it to you wait there's just a minute done let me blow one on this phone hey boys shall we put him on [Music] me [Music] oh john i want to congratulate you thank you boy you sure are lucky yes but just think of all the poor folks who lost their money buying those sweepstake tickets well you know what they say it's a new wind blows nobody good [Music] baby [Music] me [Music] [Music] hello you're blowing me [Music] why don't you go around my neighborhood [Music] all your only misleading sunshine i'm needing ain't it ashamed cause now it's so hard to keep up with troubles that creep up from out of nowhere when love [Music] let me rest today you're blowing me [Music] no good no good [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] hot ginger and dynamite we drink nothing but that is wow boy back next second better feeling to the back around the women say man they gotta weave that entertain i mean a hurry a hurricane well back in nakasaki weather fellas to the backy and the women winky wacky boy fuji armor you get a mama then your troubles increase boy with something coldest why the arnold sodas earth shakes milkshakes 10 centipedes they hug you and kiss each night by jingle boys [Music] um [Music] [Music] oh [Music] bye hey oh how beautiful you like this oh may i try it on sure you can have it honey if you wanted oh done say shorty you're doing pretty well for yourself aren't you what you mean shorty don't you worry about me i'm plenty tall don't you look at me and call me a half pint you know the gals don't mind me being built this way and while you stand around and call me a half fight you know this little man just has a busy day oh i get everything that a tall man gets so why should i be tall you know i don't have to fret about a big expense my appetite's very very small when i want to call around to minnie's house well king kong couldn't sneak in like a mickey mouse oh i get everything that a tall man gets so why should i be called huh i'm telling that i get everything the tall man gets so i don't see any reason that i should be tall and if i'm strutting high and should happen to stuff my toe well i don't have far to fall and when it comes to loving up the village queen well there's just as many kisses in the size 14 so i get everything that a tall man gets i shall why should i be tall goodnight so why should i be tall [Music] way up in hall i'm at a table for two there was four of us me or big [Music] say i can't tolerate you cause your fees to be [Music] joining [Music] [Music] yo gal she loves you she thinks you're nice she claims you got everything to take you to paradise ain't that i'll kill them she likes your loving she likes your ring but man oh yes man beads too big can't stand you cause your feet's too big say i can't tolerate you maybe cause you'll be on your feet and earn your salary son [Music] blow [Music] oh play that dog house music i love it i said give me the ground your petal extremities are colossal [Music] but to me you ain't nothing but a old foster yes you got me walking talking and walking [Music] don't think say i can't tolerate you i really hate you because your feet's too big in fact your pedal extremities are bit obnoxious where did you get them son where did you get them one never knows [Music] delicious dinners out here this afternoon why you lovely where have you been all my life you think i can take them the keys for one of you girls there huh what do you say well all right then baby i'm with you i mean i'm going to tell you something everyone to be jealous when they see you out with me don't blame them goodness no honey soccer road when you're passing by flowers and design i know the reason why you're much sweeter goodness knows honey bro i don't buy sugar you just have to touch my cup you're my sugar so sweet when you stir it up when i'm taking no sips from your lips does the honey drip mercy confession goodness knows you're my honest brother [Music] uh [Music] don't blame them goodness long honey when you pass my prizes inside know the reason why you must sweeter goodness snow honey sucker flow i don't buy sugar you just have to touch my cup you're my sugar so sweet when you stir it up when i'm taking no slips from your lips those honeydew confection goodness knows [Music] our confession doesn't drip yeah you're my baby my sugar honeysuckle rose uh-huh you

Related films

Sources

YouTube channel: PeriscopeFilm · video ↗ — title, year, creator, format, genre, description, catalog record, video

Original permalink · Record added 2025-01-23 16:46:53