www.swingplanit.com – Swing dance festivals (worldwide)
Movies
Some interesting movies for fans of swing.
Hellzapoppin (1941)
A crazy comedy where the storyline is not important. In fact, it’s mainly a collection of jokes and performances. The significance of the film for swing lies in its iconic Lindy Hop scene (around 52:00 min), featuring the dance troupe Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, choreographed by Frankie Manning, who also appears in the film.
- Info on IMDb
- Full movie on archive.org
- Full movie on YouTube
- The most important part – iconic dance scene performed by Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers
Stormy Weather (1943)
Don’t expect outstanding acting performances. What you will see, however, are excellent dance and musical performances (Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway).
Hi-De-Ho (Cab Calloway Orchestra) (1947)
Exceptionally bad acting performances and a naïve plot, but excellent performances in which Cab Calloway truly shines.
The Swing Thing (1972)
Nice BBC document telling the story of swing. The film contains a large amount of authentic archival footage. You will meet Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and others.
Swing Kids (1993)
Nazi Germany on the eve of World War II. Swing has been banned for political and racial reasons, and young people are finding different ways to cope with the restrictions. Nazi Germany as portrayed in Hollywood is certainly different from historical reality in many ways. However, what is bad for historical accuracy is good for Lindy Hop performances, which look impressive in a Hollywood-style depiction.