The Music Album: Sweet Syncopation
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A Castle Films Music Album. Three musical vignettes featuring a lead female singer accompanied by actors as they play out the actions of the song. The songs featured are “Little Dutch Mill” (performed by Mary Gilbert & Hal Borne Orchestra), “At a Little Roadside Rest” (performed by Marlyn Stuart), and “Stormy Weather” (performed by Sugar Kane).
Credits
Castle Films (production company); Castle Films (contributor); Hal Borne Orchestra (performing group); Mark Gilbert (performer); Sugar Kane (performer)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Margaret Conneely Collection
Subjects: Singers; Music
Places: North America > United States
Language: English
Shot log: 00:00 - Fade in to a book with titles: Castle Film Presents The Music Album.; 00:06 - Dissolve to titles: Sweet Syncopation- “Little Dutch Mill” as song begins.; 00:12 - VS with the first verse. CU of the singer in an exxagerated Dutch-style hat. MLS of girls dressed as Dutch boys and girls at a well on a set, gathering water and promenading. CU of singer followed by four pairs of girls in windows making the “hush” sign and pointing to the window shutters where there are cut-outs of windmills. LS revealing that all the girls are at windows right next to each other.; 00:47 - Musical interlude of four pairs of girls dancing by a windmill against a backdrop of more windmills. Cuts back and forth between LS and MS.; 01:29 - VS with second verse. The singer (in hat and lacy lingerie) sings to the camera as the rest of the cast assembles a small house behind her in MS. Intercut with CU of the singer. When the verse finishes she dances as the girls throw flowers on the ground in LS.; 02:23 - CU of small house with two dolls outside the door. ZOOM OUT to LS of the singer kneeling next to the house surrounded by the others. She sings one more line and they all smile and pose. Fade out.; 02:48 - Title: “At a Little Roadside Rest” as the song begins.; 02:57 - VS with the first verse. Three women walk their bikes in MS, sit together in MS, CU of singer as she addresses the camera.; 04:08 - VS with the second verse. Woman in MLS walks to a table at an outdoor cafe where she meets a man and sits down, camera PAN to follow. PAN to follow as they walk and he shows her a map.; 05:07 - Verse repeats. MCU of woman sitting with the man on a porch. ZOOM OUT to reveal a baby carriage next to them. They smile adoringly at the baby then look to the camera. Fade out.; 05:32 - Title: “Stormy Weather” as the song begins.; 05:42 - Forlorn woman in a raincoat sings to the camera as she stands outside a shop selling umbrellas. Cut from MS, to MCU to CU then ZOOM OUT to LS. There is a man on the other side of the shop waiting for someone. ZOOM IN to MS again.; 06:55 - Montage over musical interlude. LS of people walking past a city backdrop with umbrellas, lightning flashes in a dark sky, couples meeting and walking off together, CU of singer looking around hopefully.; 07:32 - MS of singer repeating the verse. ZOOM OUT to LS as man on the other side walks away after checking his watch. ZOOM IN as woman finishes her song.; 08:15-08:18 - Titles: The End-Castle Films as music comes to a close.
Cfa elements: Print, 300 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/3678
Subjects: Singers; Music
Places: North America > United States
Language: English
Shot log: 00:00 - Fade in to a book with titles: Castle Film Presents The Music Album.; 00:06 - Dissolve to titles: Sweet Syncopation- “Little Dutch Mill” as song begins.; 00:12 - VS with the first verse. CU of the singer in an exxagerated Dutch-style hat. MLS of girls dressed as Dutch boys and girls at a well on a set, gathering water and promenading. CU of singer followed by four pairs of girls in windows making the “hush” sign and pointing to the window shutters where there are cut-outs of windmills. LS revealing that all the girls are at windows right next to each other.; 00:47 - Musical interlude of four pairs of girls dancing by a windmill against a backdrop of more windmills. Cuts back and forth between LS and MS.; 01:29 - VS with second verse. The singer (in hat and lacy lingerie) sings to the camera as the rest of the cast assembles a small house behind her in MS. Intercut with CU of the singer. When the verse finishes she dances as the girls throw flowers on the ground in LS.; 02:23 - CU of small house with two dolls outside the door. ZOOM OUT to LS of the singer kneeling next to the house surrounded by the others. She sings one more line and they all smile and pose. Fade out.; 02:48 - Title: “At a Little Roadside Rest” as the song begins.; 02:57 - VS with the first verse. Three women walk their bikes in MS, sit together in MS, CU of singer as she addresses the camera.; 04:08 - VS with the second verse. Woman in MLS walks to a table at an outdoor cafe where she meets a man and sits down, camera PAN to follow. PAN to follow as they walk and he shows her a map.; 05:07 - Verse repeats. MCU of woman sitting with the man on a porch. ZOOM OUT to reveal a baby carriage next to them. They smile adoringly at the baby then look to the camera. Fade out.; 05:32 - Title: “Stormy Weather” as the song begins.; 05:42 - Forlorn woman in a raincoat sings to the camera as she stands outside a shop selling umbrellas. Cut from MS, to MCU to CU then ZOOM OUT to LS. There is a man on the other side of the shop waiting for someone. ZOOM IN to MS again.; 06:55 - Montage over musical interlude. LS of people walking past a city backdrop with umbrellas, lightning flashes in a dark sky, couples meeting and walking off together, CU of singer looking around hopefully.; 07:32 - MS of singer repeating the verse. ZOOM OUT to LS as man on the other side walks away after checking his watch. ZOOM IN as woman finishes her song.; 08:15-08:18 - Titles: The End-Castle Films as music comes to a close.
Cfa elements: Print, 300 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/3678
Related films
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:06