This 1940s collection of “soundies” — musical films that were the era’s equivalent of a music video — features wonderful performances by African American artists. First, Henry “Red” Allen and his band with J.C. Higginbotham perform “Drink Hearty”. This was directed by William Forest Crouch. Henry James “Red” Allen (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.
At 3:06 Fats Waller performs “Honeysuckle Rose”. At 5:23 a unknown artist (do you recognize him, if so leave a note in the comments) is shown in an entertaining soundie that uses a special effect in the form of a TV set or soundie jukebox known as a Mills Panoram. Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano.
At 8:08, Louis Armstrong performs “Swingin’ on Nothin'”. (Note: The reason the title card is reversed is because this is what is known as a “reverse soundie” intended to be shown in the special Mills Panoram jukebox that projected films. A version of this appeared in the 1950s called a Scopitone) This soundie was produced by Sam Coslom and directed by Josef Berne. Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed “Satchmo”, “Satch”, and “Pops”, was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor who was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz.[3] In 2017, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
Panoram was the trademark name of a visual jukebox that played music accompanied by a synched, filmed image (the effect being the equivalent of 1980s music videos) popular within the United States during the 1940s. The device consisted of a jukebox playing a closed-loop 16mm film reel projected onto a glass screen.
The Panoram is now best known for the vast library of short, three-minute music videos that were created for it. Called soundies, these films featured most of the great musical stars of the period, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Cab Calloway. Many of the filmed interludes survive and are considered a priceless archive.
The Panoram was priced more than $10,000 in 2006 dollars. It was generally seen in bars, cafes, and upscale dancing establishments where they ran as a curiosity. Following World War II, the device never recovered its previous popularity due to competition from television.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
