Hellzapoppin’….hellzapoppin’…what a word: Hellzapoppin’!!!!
Hellzapoppin‘ is a crazy Hollywood comedy released in 1941. The movie was an adaptation of successful Broadway musical revue. Not only is it a song and dance extravaganza (what a word), it’s an exercise in absurdism rarely seen in Hollywood. Right off the bat it warns you not to take it too seriously, as the opening credits point out: ”any resemblance between Hellzapoppin’ and a motion picture are coincidental”.
Unlike the stage version, the movie was never a big succes. It’s maybe best known for this legendary Lindy Hop dance sequence. The sequence has everything: swing, dance, energy, humor, spontaneity, improvisation, careful planning, choreography, stereotyping, a whole lot of raucus and one of the most outrageous dance routines ever recorded on film. Probably just the tip of the iceberg of what black American art had to offer in the pre-war United States. What a treat!
We had two. Doing three more this week. Doing some more next week. Not writing more about it now though. Stay tuned for the album…as always. Read More »
Bob Dylan in America, a new book by the historian Sean Wilentz, will be published in September. The following excerpt is Chapter 2 of the book.
Once I went to a movie
At midnight, 1940, Mice
And Men, the name of it,
The Red Block Boxcars
Rolling by (on the Screen)
Yessir
life
finally
gets
tired
of
living— Read More »
This is a must see. It’s been out in the US since April. We haven’t seen it here yet. It’s supposed to open in September. We can’t wait. Here’s a five minute teaser:
Elke laatste donderdag van de maand staat het gezellige zaaltje van dB’s in het teken van Club 3VOOR12/Utrecht. Elke maand zullen daar drie veelbelovende, veelal Utrechtse acts optreden. 3VOOR12/Utrecht is niet alleen gastheer, maar zal de optredens ook opnemen en online zetten. De toegang is gratis, maar reserveren is noodzakelijk Read More »
First off, let’s thank everyone who made it to Trouw last wednesday, and made it possible. We had a wonderful time, and that’s thanks to you. You can watch a VIDEO REPORT of the evening on face culture. And check out some pictures at the end of this post. You can get the cd that was presented: “Sixpack, What’s in a song” on iTunes. Or just get the two songs we recorded on the music section of this site, or listen on Myspace. You can even read an article in FRET Magezine about the record. Read More »
