FILM CLIPS ON THE BIG BANDS DATABASE PLUS
These videos and movie clips are individually shown on various pages of the Big Bands Database Plus website. They are gathered together here for the convenience of our visitors.
http://www.nfo.net/video/vid1.html
The Music Racket, Guitarist, singer, bandleader Lee Morse, singing and acting in this very early musical short, from Warner's Vitagraph studios.
Song Service, another Lee Morse very early "Talkie", this time a Paramount musical, -circa 1934. With the advent of the Television era, all pre-1950 shorts went to U.M. &M. TV Corp. which later became NTA, and then Republic, and now Viacom.
"Au-we Wahine" The song was written by Paul Page and the second part is an instrumental version of South Sea Lullabies.
"A Gay Ranchero" (1941). Performed by Noro Morales and his Orchestra. Minoco Productions. This peppy soundie with hot Latin rhythms, tells the musical story of the love of a codependent wife for her worthless husband Pancho. It's all rather silly, but it's got rhythm.
"Basin Street Boogie" a circa 1940s video played here by Will Bradley and his Six Texas Hot Dogs in 1942. Nice shot of the "Jitterbugs", and of Bradley playing his trombone
"Let Me Off Uptown" Gene Krupa Orchestra with Gene on drums, and Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge on trumpet, with Anita O'Day vocal, are featured in this film.
"Follow The Boys" A short 1944 film clip of the Charlie Spivak Orchestra, at a World War II U. S. Army camp show.
"Turn Out The Lights" Played here by the Vincent Lopez Orchestra, with Anne Barrett singing, in this early 1940s film clip.
Apollo Theatre Revue With Lionel Hampton, -both on vibes and drums, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Herb Jeffries, Sarah Vaughn, Big Joe Turner, Nat "King" Cole, Delta Rhythm Boys, Faye Adams, and much more.
"One O'Clock Jump" as played here by the Benny Goodman Orchestra, in the 1942 film 'The Powers Girl".
"One O'Clock Jump" was the Count Basie Orchestra theme song, and if you wish, watch the,
Count Basie Sextet - "One O'Clock Jump" His theme song. This 1950 Count Basie Sextet (septet if one adds the Count on piano) features Count Basie (piano), Clark Terry (trumpet), Wardell Gray (Tenor Sax), Buddy DeFranco (clarinet), Freddie Green (guitar), Jimmy Lewis (bass) and Gus Johnson (drums) playing One o'clock Jump.
"Follow The Boys" Film clip of the Charlie Spivak Orchestra,
VIDEO: "Sing, Sing, Sing Part 1" Benny Goodman Orchestra, featuring Gene Krupa-Drums, Harry James-Trumpet from film "Hollywood Hotel" (1937) (flim clip: dennman1)
VIDEO: "Sing Sing Sing-Part II, then Christopher Columbus" Benny Goodman Orchestra playing Part II of "Sing Sing Sing", and then the great Benny Goodman Quartet, with Teddy Wilson on piano, Lionel Hampton on Vibes, Gene Krupa on Drums, and Benny on Clarinet play "Christopher Columbus". One great Video! (film clip: dickh2004)
VIDEO: "Tiger Rag" Jack Payne Orchestra, in Paris, France, 1932. (film clip: jozefsterkens)
VIDEO: "No Regrets" Billy Thorburn Orchestra. (film clip: PrinceBaldric)
VIDEO: "Kashmiri Song" An Interesting clip of a trio, cello, piano, and Mantovani on violin. (film clip: jozefsterkens)
VIDEO: "Mantovani and his Tipica Orchestra" , - sorry I do not recall the song. A fascinating film clip of Mantovani's "New Dance Orchestra", with 6 swinging violins and 2 swinging cellos. (film clip: deejay830)
VIDEO: Mark Warnow and Frank Sinatra on the Lucky Strike cigarettes 'Your Hit Parade' radio show. Frank sings composer Hoagy Carmichael's hit song "Stardust". (film clip: WhenSwingWasKing)
VIDEO: Noble Sissle Orch. in London, England 1930. (film clip: lindyhoppers)
VIDEO: "Little White Lies" Noble Sissle conducting his jazz band, in London, England, at Ciro's. Sissle leads and sings 'Little White Lies'. Several shots of the band playing. Sissle and the band also play another song called 'Happy Feet'. One member of the band comes out and tap dances to the tune "Happy Feet" (film clip: gmttdan) Duration: 02 mins 31 secs Black & White with Sound Full titles read: "NOBLE SISSLE - and his Band from Ciro's Club and of Radio and Gramophone fame."
"Sweet Georgia Brown" Ben Bernie and The Lads, recorded: 1925 (film clip: DGatsby). "Ben Bernie (1891-1943) was an American jazz violinist and radio personality. By the age of 15 he was teaching violin, IIn 1922 he joined his first orchestra and would later have his own band called \"The Lads.\" Bernie appeared with his band in the early DeForest Phonofilm sound short Ben Bernie and All the Lads (1923), featuring pianist Oscar Levant. He toured with Maurice Chevalier and also toured in Europe. Bernie\'s orchestra recorded prolifically during the 1920s and 1930s, and his became one of the most famous of its day on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1925 Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra did the first recording of Sweet Georgia Brown, a tune of which Bernie was co-composer, and which became a jazz standard. Jack Pettis, who had joined the band in 1924 (formerly the reedplayer of the highly influential New Orleans Rhythm Kings with whom he recorded during 1922-23) took an impressive solo in this \"Sweet Georgia Brown,\" having the distinction of being one of the first jazz soloists on film."
VIDEO: "Medley" Here's the Ben Bernie Orchestra again playing a medley including "Rosemarie", "Lady Be Good", two songs I do not recognize, then "Tea For Two", and finally "Fascinating Rhythm". (If anyone knows the un-named songs, please do let us know) (film clip: jackszz)
VIDEO: "Sidney Kyte Orchestra" One of the great British Big Bands of the 1930s.
VIDEO: "The Very Thought Of You" "NOW PATHETONE has pleasure in presenting - A singer known to millions of Radio listeners AL BOWLLY, from Lou Stones famous Monseigneur Band." Pathe Studio, London. UK Al Bowlly is dragged onto the set protesting he has work to do. Concedes: "Okay, folks. Pathe have finally got me". He calls for Monia Litter, his pianist. He too is dragged onto the set and sits at the grand piano. Al, sitting on the piano, takes Monia's hat and tosses it towards the camera then sings 'The Very Thought Of You'. Monia does some excellent piano playing - great solo! The song was written by British composer-bandleader Ray Noble.
VIDEO: "Let's Dance" Joe Loss and his orchestra 1937 "Let's dance" 02:26 (film clip: jozefsterkens). The Joshua Alexander Loss or Joe Loss, musician, born 22 June 1909, died 1990 in Bishopsgate, London. Founder of The Joe Loss Orchestra, a light orchestra in the United Kingdom. The Joe Loss orchestra was one of the most successful acts of the Big band era, in the nineteen forties, with hits such as "In the mood", "March of the Mods" and "The Stripper". Loss's daughter Jennifer was the wife of famous British coachbuilder Robert Jankel
Let's watch Ina Ray Hutton and Her Melodears VIDEO: "The Suzi-Q" with Ina Ray doing the leading - dancing. This song was originally heard in the Cotton Club Parade (27th Edition) 1936. Music and Lyrics by Benny Davis and J. Fred Coots (film clip: nedsparks)
Verse:
Oh, Mister Orchestra Man, you better get up to date
Take my tip
Make no slip
Oh, Mister Orchestra Man, you better not hesitate
Take my word
Ain't you heard?
Chorus:
A new dance hit the town
It's really gettin' 'round
It's lots of fun, I've found
Doin' The Suzi-Q
It's spreadin' like a flame
It's bound to make a name
Come dance your way to fame
Doin' The Suzi-Q
It's just a walk and a shuffle
Not an "off to Buffalo,"
A big improvement on the truckin' movement
Not too fast, but not too slow
Be "Johnny on the spot"
Come get your tootsies hot
Just give it all you've got
Doin' The Suzi-Q
VIDEO: "Concerto for Trumpet" (film clip: dshogan) Harry James Orch. In 1942 film - Private Buckaroo
VIDEO: "Medley" , of the songs "I've Got a Heartful of Music" and "House Hop" followed by the wonderful Benny Goodman Quartet playing "Avalon". A youthful Harry James solos on both "Heartful" and "Hop". Famed crooner Rudy Vallee is the emcee. (film clip: WhenSwingWasKing) Film: "Hollywood Hotel"
VIDEO: "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" Red Norvo on vibes, and Benny Goodman on clarinet filmed in 1960. The song was an early Goodman showcase in 1934, and was memorably re-recorded by BG with Mel Powell in 1942 (for Commodore). This clip is from 1960, and Benny was still playing this number brilliantly in the 1980s! This is the 10-piece group Goodman led from 1959-1961 (built around the Red Norvo Quintet), but in this clip, the spotlight stays firmly on Benny and Red. (film clip: WhenSwingWasKing)
VIDEO: "Millions of Kisses and Millions of Smiles" Percival Mackey Orchestra in a 1930s film. (film clip: deejay830)
VIDEO: "Make Some Music" 1930s British Band Leader Harry Roy (sans orchestra) in routine from Everything is Rhythm 1936. (film clip: hotun)
VIDEO: "Troise - then Sid Millward, Bands" Film Clip: A British Pathe collection of popular acts. Hang on until the last band "Sid Millward and his Nitwits". The first band is 'Troise and his Mandoliers', followed by a magician, and ending with "Sid Millward and his Nitwits". (film clip: deejay830)
VIDEO: "Back Home In Indiana" Film Clip: Ada Leonard All-American Girl Orchestra, - often called: "The Most Elegant of the Woman's Bands". 02:01. This movie is circa 1943. (film clip: dickh2004)
VIDEO: "Limehouse Blues" Ambrose and His Orchestra. Mid-1930s (film clip: deejay830)
VIDEO: "This Evening I'm In Love" Sam Brown singing, and leading the Ambrose Orchestra. Mid-1930s, at London's Mayfair Hotel. (film clip: deejay830)
VIDEO: "Ina Ray Hutton Orchestra - 1936" Part 1 (film clip: nedsparks) From film, "Star Reporter"
VIDEO: "Ina Ray Hutton Orchestra - 1936" Part 2. (film clip: nedsparks) From film, "Star Reporter"
"Dinah" This clip of Lud Gluskin's band was filmed in the early 1930's somewhere in Europe. Gluskin was the only American bandleader of the 1920's and 30's who continously toured Europe. Although the images are poor in quality by today's standards, it is Jazz history nontheless. (Film clip: redhotjazz1)
VIDEO: "J'attendrai" Django Reinhart, Stephan Grapelli, and the Hot Club of France playing (film clip: twangmon) Very nice NOTE: This a just a clip from the film "Django - "Hot Jazz", --all 6 minutes of which is available a few lines down.
VIDEO: "JAttendrai" This is the whole 6 minute ca. 1937 Baro Ferret Film of the Quintet of the Hot Club of Paris. . The lovely song that is played is "J'Attenndrai" ("I Will Wait").
This short film was made about 1937 as an advertisement for Django's brand of music before a tour of Great Britain to educate music-hall audiences on what jazz was all about. In those days, many people thought improvisations were due to bad musicianship---musicians who couldn't play in tune!
This film was "lost"---even forgotten---for decades until a French fan of cartoons with jazz soundtracks found it in a brocant ejunkshop in a 'marché aux puces' - in a film can simply marked "Jazz Hot"; the price was right, so he bought it, and voilà , here's the film!
You can get a good view of Django's fret hand, which had two damaged fingers from a fire he suffered when he was eighteen. Despite his permanent hand injury, Django went on to be one of the main innovators of using the guitar as a melody instrument (Film clip: micheldregni)
" (L-R) Skitch Henderson (piano), Mills Bros, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Collins, and Charles Aznavour" (film clip: jamesrstewartaz). It's New Year's Eve, 1966, and some pretty classy singers have gathered to review the hits of the fading year. In an amazing display of talent, Dorothy Collins, Bing Crosby, The Mills Brother, Charles Aznavour and Skitch Henderson perform a wide variety of music as they perform A Man and Woman, Mame, Shadow of Your Smile, Somewhere My Love, Taste of Honey, These Boots Are Made for Walking, Michelle, Batman theme, and That's Life. Bing closes with some nice thoughts for the new year of 1967. Although this clip is 40 years old, it appears that 1966 wasn't much different from 2006, since the new year held threats that a questionable war was dividing the nation and growing more and more unpopular at a very high price!
"Back Home In Indiana" Film Clip: Ada Leonard All-American Girl Orchestra. 02:01 This orchestra was labelled: "The Most Elegant of the Woman's Bands". This movie is made about 1943. (film clip: dickh2004)
VIDEO: "Nagasaki" The Art Gregory Orchestra, appearing at London's Casani Club. (film clip: jozefsterkens)
VIDEO: "Ted Weems Orchestra" Filmed July 17, 1930, Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ, USA, with Norma Schutt's Chorus Girls. (film clip: peglegsam)
VIDEO: "It's Time To Go" Billy Milton, song & piano. 1938 (Film clip: jozefsterkens). Former vaudevillian, songwriter, and movie actor Billy Milton spent much of his career performing in musical revues and on radio in his native England, but he also appeared in many films, especially during the '30s. Of the scores of songs Milton wrote, his most famous is "Wind in the Willows." Active: 1930s-'60s. First Major Screen Credit: The Man from Chicago (1930)
VIDEO: "Isle of Capri" Greta Keller singing, and composer Dr. Wilhelm Grosz at the piano, in 1934. (film clip: jozefsterkens)
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