Hellzapoppin' (1941) - Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart, the Harlem Congeroos
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- A wonderful swing sequence from the movie « Hellzapoppin' » (1941). The Harlem Congeroos (the group of swing dancers) also went under the name Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
It had already been submitted to TH-cam several times, but never in a proper quality ; this version is as neat and clean as possible.
Slim was not only one of the greatest pianist ever but also one of the greatest guitarist and singer as well.
I saw him live at the Wag Club in Soho, London about 84-85. The place was full of hep kids all in their teens and 20s. He brought the ceiling down, it was a wonderful night.
So much talent in this video. Slim long partnered with Slam Stewart, one of the great jazz bassists. I had the opportunity to mix sound at the Chicago Jazz Festival in the '80s when Slam was a feature. I also got to meet him, introduced by the fine Chicago bassist John Bany. They were friends. Slam had the strongest, fullest bass sound I've ever heard, and Ray Brown was a close second. Slim was a great entertainer, imaginative, very funny. The dancers were also killer.
Thank you. I was at that concert. Remember it well 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
The quality of this video is only beaten out by this stupendous performance! You would be very hard pressed to find this much talent on any stage in 2023.
There's talent like this in 2023? (or 2025 for that matter😂)
Slim was so hip, he had difficulty seeing over his pelvis. And Slim was so cool, you could store a side of beef in him for a month.
hahah
I'm an old guy, really old, an old drummer...why have I never seen this before? It's throwing my brain into overtime!
You and me both sir😅
The best Lindy-Hop scene ever filmed and the only halfway sane sequence in the completely insane movie 'Hellzapoppin'.
That is Frankie Manning and Norma Miller? doing that hop. Went to one of his dance workshops when he was in his 80's
What a way to clean a house. Im.all for it❤❤❤
I first encountered Slam Stewart via old jazz 78s I found in anteeky shoppes in my hometown in the late 70s (Long Island, so likely being so close to NYC there'd be a lot of jazz from all the small labels). He appeared on those discs with Don Byas, Red Norvo, Johnny Guarnieri, and some stunning work with Art Tatum and Tiny Grimes. Then in 84 I was a jazz major here in Akron, and George Wein and the Newport All-Stars come to town...and Slam was touring with them. I got to meet my bass hero and play his bass after the concert, 20-year-old fanboying, he probably didn't know what to make of it, but it was a night I'll never forget. Later I wrote a tune for my senior jazz recital, over Rhythm changes of course, with the hummed bowing, called Slam City. Again, a great night, and this clip is absolute gold.
I’m 66 years old and I can’t believe I never seen or heard of them. Magnificent!!!!!
How dare you! Is you alive man?
@ I came alive after watching them. How much I would’ve loved to watched them growing up but thanks to TH-cam there’s plenty to see
I was born in 97 I wasn’t even thought of when this came out but i love this so much very kool
awesome share. should be required to be seen by all children in school
I'm with you on that I'm already showing this to all of my students
@@yourvocalcoach dope! where r u based? i also teach music
@@pfkmsandiego I was in New York for 20 years now I am in Philadelphia!
@@yourvocalcoach i'm in san diego. darn. always good to kno vocal coach. :)
Just when you think something is new and unique, only to find out people were doing it 80 years ago...
What a talented group of versatile entertainers! You could light up a city with that kind of energy! Thnx4 sharing and happy new year... 12-26-24🎉
My knees hurt just watching this.😣 SIMPLY AMAZING!
Wow! All the high tech and modern technology can't even come close to this real talent and fantastic music.
Creative genius and talent have disappeared.
Love this!😊
How great is this?! Love it!
absolutely incredible.
Incredible musicianship and incredible dancing! Whew! I don't think that anybody these days could compete with this amazing talent! :-D
I don't think that perfection can be achieved today.
Well, I have never............
That was AMAZING!!!!!!
Awesome! Crazy, wonderful, beautiful, smokin' hot! 💃
How wonderful!
Thank you
So sad these talented musicians got ripped off by record companies. There kids, grand kids and great grand kids could have been doing pretty well and add so much wealth and talent to the USA compared to what we have today!
The record biz was microscopic back then. Bing and "White Christmas" sold a lot but that was a rarity of the 40s.
They wouldn’t know what to do with money.
@@robcat2075White Christmas came out in 1954
I saw Slim Gaillard at the York (UK) Jazz Festival in 1986 (I think it was) and had a chance to speak to him afterwards. A wonderful musician and a pleasure to speak to.
He did look like a very chill dude. Wish I could have exchanged with him
Fantastic dance moves and music!
Pure talent on display!
I love early black films featuring music. History that has been preserver for future generations.
Absolutely Rocking and death defying dancing
That was incredible! And the dancing, holy cow! How come nothing like this exists anymore?
The best! I feel sorry for anybody who wouldn't want this as a supreme accomplishment of their cultural heritage.
Absolutely amazing!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Awesome Slim and company. Coolest 🎉
Beautiful guitar.... love the Charlie Christian Pickup on that Gibson
In piena guerra.... guarda che prodigio.
Meravigliosi....
Grazie per avermi fatto vedere questo meraviglioso mondo
Incredible!
Superb, thank you!
Amazing how they were able to come up with music and a dance rueteen that went perfectly with the movie 😮😅😊
Amazing, perfection.
Just great music 🎶
Wow! What dancing!
Extraordinary
Fantastic!!
Sensational dance and showmanship/showwomanship.
Just amazing
Sensational!!!
...amazing...
Best music video ever.
Solid 😀😀😀
Had to watch very attentively - then couldn't believe the TALENT!!!
(...to give impression that)
Incredibly TALENTED musicians
...randomly picked up instruments?
In days B4 TVs,
families played all the time
Children played B4 they talked!!!
Some of these dance sequences look so violently fast the energy.!
Enormously talented people
I wonder how many hours of practice went into perfecting these few minutes of incredible performance. Wow!
Amazing!
If only was a clip of Slim with Bird “ Flat foot floogie” or Slims Jam!!❤❤❤.
Un cinco era cualquier vara, quee bueno Slim Gaillard. Buenísimos.🇨🇷💯
1:24 The man spent all his acting potential on that look.
Great superbe bravo
The Best!!!!!❤
Wow!!!!!!
Wow!... wow!
Forgotten tallent I hope they got all the credit that’s amazing
They cant do none of this like they did it then. Greatest generation ever!
This is fantastic and absolutely magnificent. But at the same time it's sad. Sad, that these incredible performers had to present themselves as servants. What's more, the message seems to be: these (n word) are born with crazy rhythm genius. It's not in the color of the skin, folks!
While acknowledging this, let's enjoy this absolute fabulous performance!
I love 30s and 40s music.
Superbe !
Nice! An early version of a flash mob. 🙂Good music! And that dancing!
Uff. Bravo 👌
That's Frankie Manning dancing in the chef's outfit.
ONE MORE TIME ""DANCE IS WHAT EMOTIONS LOOK LIKE""
Me quedé como un loooocoooo😂😂 maravilloso ❤❤❤
i miss the old days, when impromptu dance and sing routines would randomly break out. it was a better time.
glad this artistry was preserved on film, also glad that american society has advanced to where these artists in modern times would not have to dress as servants to sell tickets in some parts of the country.
I remember this movie as a kid of grade school age during WW2. The dancing was fantastic, we called it the jitterbug not swing dancing. I also had a lot of experience with black culture because a relative of mine owned a tavern with a 100 percent black clientele. i hung out a lot in the tavern watching sand dances actually done with salt because that's all they had. I used to get the old records from the juke box and play them at home but this movie was a great one. I had one heck of an interesting child hood.
Thanks for the anecdote, that's so cool. Where was that tavern ?
Dang, I only learned just today, that the jitterbug was a martial art. Dang.
Let's go !
The dance moves must of been an inspiration for the dance scene in the mask! The song and moves are the same
❤❤❤❤❤
WOW
Jesus Christ. One small mistake and they would of sent those ladies flying! 😂 so cool!
Watch closely, and you’ll see spotters cleverly worked into the more dangerous stunts.
@@tompoore2081 Good catch ! never noticed that !
Man o man they made my shoe laces dance🎉
Yo, what be cracking', what's poppin' in the crib, my mufasa? Rocket Fuel Malt Liquor.... Dammm!
Vout-O-La to the Globe-O-Reety!
Jamie Greco - you speak excellent Slim
Thanks to his daughter Jan... I know what it means...
Does anyone know who the other musicians were? They were all hard hitters.
Trad jazz or hot Dixie wow. Dancin to the moon.😅😅😅
Phenomenal performance by the great menalated gods of everything...yep plz challenge my "audacity "
menalated ?
To quote Jim Carrey - "Smmmmmmokin'!"
First time seeing this. So many conflicting emotions. To name a few, anger that this film was made by "White Hollywood" for profit, thrill to have been able to witness an amazing performance such as this, happiness that, while exploitive, this was a step in the right direction of recognizing fantastic talent and preserving it for the future. I suppose I'll settle for the last. It's difficult to change an unfair system without the underdog exceeding expectations. Yeah, written by an old, fat, white guy. We all have to play the hand we are dealt.
Unrelated comment - if you liked this clip, maybe research the musical group "Tuba Skinny". They have nothing to do with The Congaroos, but phenomenal music all the same. Just my opinion.
Slim Gaillard was Marvin Gaye's father in law!!
Wow ! Good to know this!
Yep, he was Janis Hunter's biological father. Peep the resemblance.
INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!
Wow, gotta re-read Marvin's biography (Divided Soul)...👍🏿
Interesting
🧡🧡🧡
Dancenastics
😯😯😯😯😯😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
🫠
And what's up with the white guys lurking?
As great entertainers as they were, Hollywood had to remind them that they was from a lower class of people by making them dress as servants 🤦
0:28 1:00
Did you know seven people died making this?
I didn't, can you elaborate ? do you have a source ?
@ sorry no, I was making a joke regarding the speed and absolute bat-sh!t craziness of the choreography ha ha!
Nobody is cosplaying like they used at jams, for better & worse
Deliverycore jazz
Canted Beat them !😅
And of course all of the "spontaneous" performers had to be portrayed as low status workers in menial jobs - no black doctors, CEOs, nuclear physicists or lawyers here, that would never have gotten past the studio brass.
And of course they had to run away when they saw that some white people were watching them - because in the real America of the time, they probably would have been fired (or much worse) for stepping out of line.
So yes, there are some astonishingly skillful American artists in this clip - who in real life had to live as second class citizens, with most of their rights denied to them. This clip is both joyous and sad.
Why does everything have to be about race?Jesus Christ
@@reggieotis2453 Exactly. In many other parts of the world, everything is not about race - but racism has plagued America for a couple of centuries.
@@reggieotis2453 I've asked myself that all my life. I didn't understand why my town was segregated, I didn't understand why black kids were kept out of advanced classes in school - I've never understood the American obsession with race, and how people who considered themselves to be good people could do such terrible things to other people just because of racist myths.
I notice the women dancers are not wearing heals, unlike the norm for white women dancers of the time. I always felt heals made women more stiff than their male counter parts, as I'm sure heals made dancing far more difficult. I doubt these dances could have been done in heals.
Fantastic all around and sad that they had to play out the bad stereotypes of simple-minded, fun-loving Blacks for the white audience.
Guys, they are not really dancing! It's CGI
That was way before CGI was even thought of.
Bullocks.