Soundie: Jumpin' At The Jukebox

Today's Soundie is called "Jumpin' At The Jukebox" by Al Donahue and His Orchestra.  This catchy little song was released on December 6, 1943 to be played in Panorams all across the United States, but this was originally filmed in 1941 by a company called Phonovue Productions.  Phonovue Productions was later purchased by Soundies in 1943 and their clips were rebranded with the Soundies logo overlay to start off the film.

The vocalist is named Ellen Connor.  Connor was also the featured vocalist in another Soundie by Al Donahue called "Java Jive".

I just love the fact that the producers decided to stick Ellen into a hollowed out Panoram cabinet to sing her song.  The song is a little bit silly, but then again, most catchy songs are.  Enjoy!  

Watch: Al Donahue & His Orchestra - "Jumpin' At The Jukebox" from 1943

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Playlist Additions - May 2024

I just recently added the following to the Swing City Radio Playlist:

Songs from The Raymond Scott Show:

Various tracks from "The Raymond Scott Show" that were featured on an Voice of America Transcription series called "Music From America".  These contain some fantastic tracks by Raymond.  Listen for gems like "Mash Pash", "Mohawk Special", "Tired Little Teddy Bear" and a unique version of "Begin the Beguine".  Dorothy Collins provides the vocals on many other tracks as well.

Listen to: "Mash Pash" by Raymond Scott

Music from Dance Time U.S.A:

Dance Time U.S.A. aired over Voice Of America during the 1950's and showcased some of the biggest names in hot and sweet Jazz dance music of that time.  Keep an ear out for songs by icons like Guy Lombardo and Ray Anthony, as well as some lesser known names like Larry Faith, Henry Jerome and Oscar Dumont.  Good quality recordings of some better Swing from the 1950's.

Also added this month are some various tracks by Jack Teagarden, The Dinning Sisters, Buddy Clark and Nan Wynn.

Enjoy!

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Music from "Let's Go To Town"

This month I've added many songs to the Swing City Radio rotation from a show called "Let's Go To Town".  "Let's Go To Town" was a variety show sponsored by the U.S. National Guard, and it was used as a public relations and recruitment tool. The show had a few hosts while on the air, but the most notable was Mason Adams, who appears in the persona of "Corporal Eddie Carter" of the National Guard. Let's just say he was a very energetic fellow.

The broadcasts took place at The Armory and also included information about veterans' benefits and the advantages of joining the National Guard. It was distributed to radio stations via transcription discs and aired on radio stations in the early to mid 1950's.

Listen to: "Lean Baby" by Billy May and His Orchestra from the show "Let's Go To Town".

The show featured some great music by some of the most popular Big Band artists of the early 50's.  I was able to extract songs by Billy May, The Fabulous Dorsey Brothers, Johnny Long, Les Elgart, Ralph Flanagan, Tony Pastor and many more.  The music has been "cleaned up" and has already been added to Swing City Radio.  So keep an ear out for these fantastic performances.  I also plan on featuring some of this music on the podcast in early June.

Enjoy!

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