Swing! Sister, Swing!

Why is it that all-girl bands have always been such a novelty?  Even today, outside of a classical, string quartet, we still tend to be somewhat suspect of a group of "girls" taking to the stage to perform.  Why?  I wonder.  Far be it from me to get into a serious discussion of sexual politics as they relate to the history of music; wacky tacky seldom invites such serious, thought-provoking, and potentially polarizing discourse.  However, I have a sister that has more musical talent in her little finger than most people have in their whole body and I know plenty more women who are solid senders.  And yet, there is something inherently fascinating and incredibly wacky tacky about a bandstand filled with women.  Every time I see old footage of a woman playing a saxophone, I wonder about her history and what inspired her to take up that particular instrument. 

The 1920's, 30's, and 40's saw a particular surge in all-female orchestras and while they may have never made a name as famous as their male counterparts, they had the drive and the musicianship to create some crazy rhythms.  One thing is for sure, these women took the charge to "Hurry up and send me; let me go to town," very seriously.

THE INGENUES

Musical medley from "Band Beautiful"

The Ingenues (1928)

"Can't Help Lovin' that Man of Mine"

The Ingenues (1929)

RITA RIO

"Feed the Kitty"

Rita Rio & Her Mistresses of Rhythm

Rita Rio (1939)

"I Cried for You"

Rita Rio

ADA LEONARD

Ada Leonard (1943)

THELMA WHITE

"Choo Choo"

Thelma White

The biggest take away from these clips for me is not the fact that there have always been talented female musicians, but rather the amazing vitality, pep, and perpetual motion of the band leaders.  You couldn't count on Tommy Dorsey to do much more than wave his baton or swing his trombone in a circular motion.  For Rita, Thelma, and Ada, the dance was all part of the show.

Truth be told, some of these orchestras were little more than publicity gimmicks.  Apparently, Thelma White was an actress who was handed a baton and miles of fringe and told to get groovy for the cameras.  Nevertheless, all-female orchestras existed and exhausted themselves in an effort to put out great music and put on a great show!

It is obvious that these bands were the inspiration for "Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators" from the 1959 film Some Like it Hot, so we just couldn't resist including a little boop-boop-a-doop.

"I Wanna Be Loved by You"
Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopaters
Some Like it Hot (1959)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

wacky tacky Tunes: Getting Sentimental

My friend Beth over at V is for Vintage (who, with her husband, makes one of the best dancing teams this side of creation) posted a clip of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Frank Sinatra playing "Blue Skies."  This great song got me to thinking about Tommy Dorsey.  My grandma always had a radio in the kitchen and when it wasn't blasting talk radio it was humming with the mellifluous melodies of music makers from the swing/big band era.  From my earliest days I was hooked!  As a kid, one of my very first tapes was a compilation of Tommy Dorsey tunes.  I wore the cassette out by rewinding and playing "Snootie Little Cutie" over and over and over again.

There is something magical and transporting about the combination of The Pied Pipers' harmonies, the vocals of Frank (who has never really been one of my favorites), the charm of Connie Haines, the horn section and the silly slang lyrics.  I wish I still had that tape!  Known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing," Tommy Dorsey had a reputation as anything but sweet and sentimental.  Even playing a whitewashed version of himself in The Fabulous Dorsey Brothers you could see that he had a red-hot temper.  There are legendary stories of him being a stern task-master with his band members, even charging fines for misbehavior.  Despite - or maybe because of - his reputation, he had a great sound and made his trombone sing and swing!  Hearing that beautiful noise, I couldn't help but think of another magical Dorsey moment - this one from the 1943 film DuBarry was a Lady. 

DuBarry was a Lady (1943)

I have made mention of this film before in a previous blog post, but only in reference to the amazing high-Hollywood style.  The film stars Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly and Red Skelton.  The first time I saw this movie I was blown away at just how beautiful Lucy was.  I think the iconic, zany "Lucy" character made me forget that she was actually a stunning woman.  

Yowza!

Overall, the film is pretty lame.  In its adaptation from stage to screen, much of the Cole Porter music was cut and the the plot serves mostly as a vehicle for the slapstick antics of Skelton.  Again, it is worth watching for the fashion and for the amazing musical sequence toward the beginning of the film that begins with The Oxford Boys (performing a mostly a cappella impersonation of several famous bandleaders/bands) and culminates in The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performing a medley of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and "Well, Git It!"

This footage is wacky tacky excellence!  Any time you can  make a realistic trumpet noise using just what God gave you (from the waist up), you are alright by me!  The impersonations are spot-on and the ability of the performers is incredible.  "Well, Git it?"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny