Lazy Lady – Phil Moore and the Phil Moore Four
A fascinating inner-office memo from 1942 discusses the push-back from Panoram owners in the South regarding African Americans Soundies. While this was seen as a
A fascinating inner-office memo from 1942 discusses the push-back from Panoram owners in the South regarding African Americans Soundies. While this was seen as a
Hank Penny, one of the giants of Western Swing, had come over for an afternoon of films. He was particularly interested in viewing the Soundies
A Soundie’s visual content, what people saw on the Panoram screen, almost always resulted from two determinants: the music and lyrics, and the economic imperative
As I mentioned in my last post, I love to fill requests. While I try to find a workaround for the Fats Waller Soundie spuriously
I always love to fill requests and we have two that are ready to roll. The week after Christmas we will feature 1930s film star
In 1942, the rising star in the world of big bands was Stan Kenton. Kenton’s popularity would steadily increase throughout the 1940s, and his music
“Hula Rhumba,” “Swing Rhumba,” “Rhumba Bebop” “Dude Cowboy” and “Jazz Etude” …. the Soundies producers and songwriters rarely missed an opportunity to mix genres to
And now, from the “You Couldn’t Write It This Way” Department…. In the days before videotape and the Internet, “movie nights” at my home were
The thought that an African American audience only wanted to see hot jazz on the Panoram screen is, of course, hogwash. It is a concept
With the exception of the Mills Brothers, the best-known vocal harmony group to appear on the Panoram screen was the Modernaires. Their association with