If you are looking for a real/reel rarity, this jukebox short is just for you
As I have mentioned before, there were many competitors in the audio-visual jukebox derby, and while Soundies are the best known, other companies had a head start in terms of production and distribution of the film product. Musical Shorts, Ltd., was the first to have a jukebox short on the market, although they were relying on prototype machines to screen their material and viewings in public must have been very limited.
To this point, I have identified 15 films produced by Musical Short, Ltd. Performers include Rudy Sooters Californians, Aaron Gonzales and his Orchestra, an unidentified balalaika band and the “Famous Arabian Orchestra.” Add to this one African American vocal harmony group, the Dreamers Quartet, led by pianist/singer Lenny (also Lennie) Bluett. I was able to interview Lenny on several occasions, and he told me the story of the group and this film:
“The Dreamers Quartet was formed in 1935 or ‘36, and it lasted until the war years, the early 1940s. It started in my garage, where there was an old upright that my grandma had there. We started working together there, and then we got some jobs. We were at the Swanee Inn, singing in the club, and the DJ Al Jarvis heard us. But we needed another piano man to make some demo records. I would usually play the piano, but in the studio, if I was placed with the piano away from the group, we wouldn’t blend. So, we got this guy who had arrived from Chicago. Told him we couldn’t pay a lot, maybe just $10 or so to do the demo date. And he took it. It was Nat King Cole. But he didn’t stay with us. We played places here in LA, also up in Vallejo, and up in Vancouver.
We did a lot of work in films, like The Big Store, A Day at the Races, and State of the Union. We also did Irene and I Dood It. Also, the one that you showed me which I had forgotten about [Carolina Blues]. Later I was in Mighty Joe Young, but that wasn’t a singing job.”
Bluett did not recall the jukebox short until I screened it for him, and even then he did not remember much about its production. He did say that it was recorded and filmed in the Hollywood area, and while the group members were not paid much, it was welcome income. The members of the Dreamers is identified for you on screen, left-to-right: Ormonde Wilson, Lenny Bluett, Carl Jones and General White.
To the best of my knowledge, “Little Liza, I Love You” is a traditional folk tune, and the arrangement by the Dreamers is certainly closer to folk music than jazz or blues. Lenny had told me that the group was extremely versatile, and the variety of music the group performed is hinted at in the short. This is an extremely rare print, and it has shrunk a bit over the years, hence the occasional jiggle in the picture, certainly not something that affects this terrific performance.