Just found out Herb Jeffries died at 100. Wow, he lived such a life entertaining quite a lot of people whether playing the "singing cowboy" for segregated audiences during the '30s in cinemas or warbling for Duke Ellington's orchestra as he did here in what was then known as a "soundie" which was a musical performance captured on short film for the showings on "panorams" which were juke boxes that played picture reels-as opposed to records-at various bus or train stations during that time. He had such a smooth voice that could melt butter, that's for sure! So we not only see him and Duke conducting and his other musicians but also a couple of dancers-male and female-doing their thing in sensual rhythm. This was quite a find I watched on YouTube. So on that note, RIP Mr. Jeffries. P.S. The dancers were Janet Collins and Talley Beatty who were born in New Orleans and Shreveport, respectively, of my current home state of Louisiana.
2 Reviews
Duke Ellington And More
boblipton15 July 2023
Herb Jeffries sings the title song, with Duke Ellington's band offering a lush performance in this soundie.
Soundies were short films, about three minutes in length. The were meant to be played on a machine called a Mills Panoram, a video jukebox that was typically to be found in bars, lounges, and similar venues. You put a dime in and got a performance from the ten on the machine. The movies would be changed weekly, and from 1940 through 1946, Mills and other companies produced more than two thousand soundies.
That's two dancers from Katherine Dunham's troupe offering a bit of a dance. I think the performances here are a bit over the top, but with Johnny Hodges on the saxophone, there's nothing to complain about.
Soundies were short films, about three minutes in length. The were meant to be played on a machine called a Mills Panoram, a video jukebox that was typically to be found in bars, lounges, and similar venues. You put a dime in and got a performance from the ten on the machine. The movies would be changed weekly, and from 1940 through 1946, Mills and other companies produced more than two thousand soundies.
That's two dancers from Katherine Dunham's troupe offering a bit of a dance. I think the performances here are a bit over the top, but with Johnny Hodges on the saxophone, there's nothing to complain about.
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