Cab Calloway’s 1942 series of four Soundies was successful enough that he was asked back in June 1945 to appear in five more. This time around, Calloway was savvy enough to prohibit the reissue of the films. The 1942 Soundies had been released for home movie collectors by Walter Gutlohn, without further payment made to Calloway or the members of the band. This would not happen with the second set, and it helps explain why there are so many poor dupes out there: “No home movie prints, let’s just dupe from a used copy made for the original Panoram release.”
To be honest, I am not particularly fond of this Soundie. This is not because I have anything against the song, “Blowtop Blues,” by my old friends Jane and Leonard Feather. Certainly, Cab and the band perform well. Rather, Cab’s “drunk / man on the edge” routine does not date particularly well, although it was very popular at the time. The entertainment trades mention the routine on occasion, and never in a disparaging manner. Blowtop Blues tells the story of a man having a nervous breakdown, and the lyrics are certainly witty enough for this sort of blues song. Still, it is a little disconcerting to hear Cab singing about losing his mind while we cut to smiling showgirls; a unity of mood is just missing. (At the time Cab also performed as an inebriated man, singing to “St. James Infirmary Blue.” It can be seen in both the 1947 black cast feature Hi De Ho and a Snader Telescription.)
A thought about Leonard Feather…. While Leonard could at times be a harsh and unbending critic at times, that was part of his job. With me, he was supportive and positive in terms of my work with jazz on film. We spent a great deal of time together and there was never a heated word between us. While not the most gifted of songwriters, two of his tunes have become jazz standards, “Bowtop Blues” and “Evil Gal Blues.” Both were hits for Dinah Washington and as good as Dinah always was, record sales depend on both the performance and composition. “Blowtop Blues” caught the public’s fantasy, and records of the song sold well over the years.
Had this tune been produced as a straight big band blues, it would have been one of the most important of jazz Soundies. As it is, it is an enjoyable short, if just somewhat of an enjoyable novelty. We will return to Cab and an all-and-out jazz effort shortly.