There was a time when people went to the movies expecting to see more than just the feature listed on the marquee.
No theater manager worth his popcorn would think of offering a program without including "selected short subjects."These little films, which usually ranged in length from 7 to 20 minutes, included cartoons, newsreels, travelogues, sports and specials covering varied subject matter. Among those was the musical short, once a staple of the movie-going experience, especially in the 1930s.
Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby and Fats Waller are just a few of the performers who appeared in the films. Many of the shorts, victims of decay, have been lost forever. But, fortunately, others have been salvaged, as evidenced by "Hollywood Rhythm: The Paramount Musical Shorts 1929-1941," a dandy four-cassette collection from Kino on Video.
The collection includes 31 shorts that gives us the chance to see and hear these artists, some at their zenith, others in their early years. The quality of the prints is superb. The boxed set is $89.95 or individual cassettes can be purchased for $24.95. Orders can be placed by calling 800-562-3330.
Some of the shorts are mere curiosity pieces, but the majority are rare gems that will please anyone with a sense of music history.
The Kino collection includes:
- Volume One, "Radio Rhythms" (1929-39): Among those featured are two singers whose lives inspired films; Ruth Etting (played by Doris Day in "Love Me or Leave Me") and Lillian Roth (played by Susan Hayward in "I'll Cry Tomorrow"). Bing Crosby appears in "I Surrender Dear," one of several shorts he made for comedy producer Mack Sennett in the early 1930s. Rudy Vallee croons in "Radio Rhythm." Among the curiosities are "A Lesson in Love" with Helen Kane, supposedly the inspiration for cartoon character Betty Boop, and "Musical Justice" with Mae Questel, the actual voice of Betty.
- Volume Two, "Jazz Cocktails" (1929-41): Duke Ellington brings the blues to "Black and Tan Fantasy." Fats Wallers does his "Ain't Misbehavin' " and Cab Calloway lets loose with "Hi-De-Ho." Crosby appears in "Dream House" and Artie Shaw offers his "Class in Swing." Ginger Rogers, prior to becoming a star, appears in 1930's "Office Blues."
- Volume Three, "Blue Melodies" (1929-35): This one is a real jewel. Bessie Smith, known as the "Empress of the Blues," is featured in "St. Louis Blues," her only film appearance. Billie Holiday and Ellington team up got "Symphony in Black" and it's Ellington with Ivie Anderson in "Bundle of Blues." Check out George Dewey Washington in "Ol' King Cotton" and Calloway's "Jitterbug Party." A very young Ethel Merman is in "Those Blues" and Crosby effectively croons one of his best, "Blue of the Night."
- Volume Four, "Rhapsodies in Black and Blue" (1930-32): An enthusiastic Louis Armstrong does "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You." Cary Grant makes his screen debut as a sailor in the short "Singapore Sue." Merman headlines two more titles. Other shorts feature Rudy Vallee and Eddie Cantor.
- HAPPY FEET: Even Fred Astaire had to take a first dance lesson, and his maiden voyage might have been as comical as that of the character Shohei Sugiyama in "Shall We Dance?" But that's not the only movie to feature a scene (or many scenes, as in "Dirty Dancing") in which the audience giggles while a main character learns his left foot from his right. Here are a handful of films on video that feature comical takes on the first dance class:
- "Dirty Dancing": Baby (Jennifer Grey) has a couple of first dance lessons: in the conga line with other guests at the Catskills hotel, and in the staff quarters, where Johnny (Patrick Swayze) teaches her a pelvic-swaying grind. But her real first lesson is when Johnny attempts to teach her his showy mambo routine. They start with the proper foot movements and him trying to get her to begin on the second beat (which is also a funny segment in "Shall We Dance?"). They move on to arm positions, pelvic swaying and the famous lifts scene in the lake.
- "Footloose": Ren (Kevin Bacon) comes up with an ingenious way to teach the uncoordinated Willard (Christopher Penn) how to boogie: He has him start by snapping his fingers. (The only movie that begins with hands instead of feet.) Then they start pounding on the dashboard of Ren's yellow VW bug. Eventually Ren has Willard walk-dancing behind him while they are hooked to the same Walkman. Once he's able to find the downbeat, Ren adds arms and body movement, and Penn - who didn't know how to dance - looks rough but halfway decent.
- "Swing Time": Lucky (Fred Astaire), of course, knows how to dance. But he's trying to win favors with Penny (Ginger Rogers), so he feigns ignorance. She begins by simply having him walk in rhythm across the room. But the real fun begins when she attempts to teach him a turn. First he's on the ground, then he's on the ground again, and then he pulls her down with him.
By Laura Bleiberg
(Orange County Register)
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