Author: Mark

As I have said in the past, Soundies producers tended to be “equal opportunity offenders.” While African Americans took the brunt of the stereotypes and

In the 1940s, midtown Manhattan, and 52nd Street in particular, were hotbeds of jazz where, in a very small area, one could hear everything from

Without getting into the background psychology, there is something about people that often leads them to root for the underdog and delight in ridiculing those

Sometime in the early 1980s, I met with Berle Adams at his office in Hollywood. A former vice-president with MCA, Berle had managed Louis Jordan

“Soundies Noir” is what I thought when I revisited this short after many years. Now, keeping in mind that Panorams were located in many different

There are not a lot of jukebox shorts that are cringe-worthy, but I have to admit that this is one of them. Still, the backstory

P A member of our group, someone new to the music of the 1930s and ‘40s, recently asked me what was the difference between swing

There are good Soundies, great Soundies, and those that are important far beyond three minutes of joyful entertainment. That is certainly true of the 1945

It’s time to cross an unexplored bridge in the World of Soundies, one that leads to the land of polka music. It is important to