Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress

181 Pages·1993·6.5 MB·English

by  Rebecca D. Clear

JAZZ ONFILM AND VIDEO
INTHE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Rebecca D. Clear
MotionPicture,BroadcastingandRecordedSoundDivision
August, 1993
JAZZ ONFILMAND VIDEO
INTHE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Rebecca D. Clear
MotionPicture,BroadcastingandRecordedSoundDivision
August, 1993

TABLEOFCONTENTS
INTRODUCTION iii
HOWTOUSETfflSGUIDE v
FILMSANDVIDEOS 1
SELECTBIBLIOGRAPHY 149
GUIDELINESFORVIEWINGFILMSANDVIDEOTAPES 151
PERFORMERINDEX 153

"
INTRODUCTION
ThisisanannotatedguidetojazzperformancesonfilmandvideointhecollectionsoftheMotionPicture,
BroadcastingandRecordedSoundDivisionoftheLibraryofCongress. Includedaremorethan600documentaries,
televisionshows,concertperformances,theatricalfeaturesandshortsubjects,andvariouscompilationsofalltypes,
manyofwhichwereproducedinrecentyearsforthehomevideomarket. Theannotationswereculledfroma
varietyofsourcesavailableintheDivision,includingseveraloftheworkscitedinthebibliography,copyrightfiles,
filmandtelevisionreviews,periodicals,variousmanualandcomputercatalogfiles,andfrompersonalviewings.
Forthepurposesofthisresearchguide,thephrase"jazzperformances"typicallysignifiesatleastone
musicalnumberperformedonscreenbyatleastonejazzartist. Forfeaturefilms,therefore,titlesareexcludedin
whichanactorplaystheroleofajazzmusician(asdoesKirkDouglasinYoungManwithaHorn,1949),unless
accompaniedbyagenuinejazzmusicianperformingatleastonenumberonscreen(asdoesLouisArmstrongin
ParisBlues,1961). Inthesamevein,titlesfeaturingjazzonthesoundtrackonly(asinthemorningrideonNew
York'sThirdAvenue"El"scoredwiththeDukeEllingtontitlesonginD.A.Pennebaker'sDaybreakExpress,
1953)havebeenexcluded. Thatessentialreferencework,theNewGroveDictionaryofJazz(1988),servedasthe
finalarbiteronwhetherornottoincludeanunfamiliarordebatablejazzmusician. However,DavidMeeker'sJazz
intheMovies(1981)provedtobethemostvaluableresourceofall,providingkeyinformationaboutmanyofthe
titles.
DukeEllingtonisespeciallywell-representedinthisguide. In1991,theLibraryacquiredover15,000
Ellingtonsoundrecordings(publishedandunpublished)fromnotedEllingtoncollectorandauthority,JerryValbum.
TheValburn/EllingtonCollectionincludesmorethaneightyvideoand16mmfilmcopiesofEllingtonperformances
filmedthroughouthiscareer. Dr.KlausStratemann'sincrediblycomprehensivereferencework,DukeEllington
DaybyDayandFilmbyFilm(1992),provedextremelyhelpfulinshapingthesynopsesoftheValbum/Ellington
titles. Stratemann'sextensiveresearchhelpedidentifymanyuncleartitlesandprovidedawealthofinformationfor
describingthem.
Thoughouttheguidearemanyreferencesto"Soundies"and,lessfrequently,"SnaderTelescriptions.
Soundieswerecheaplymade,three-minutemusicalfilmshortsforuseincoin-operatedviewingmachines(trade
name"Panoram")thatweresomewhatanalogoustojukeboxesfor78rpmrecords. Soundieswerefilmedin35mm,
thenreducedtothe16mmandreverseimageformatnecessaryforthePanoramprojectors. Morethan2,000were
producedfrom1940-46,manybytheSoundiesDistributingCorporationofAmerica,Inc.,butonlyarelatively
smallpercentagefeaturedjazzartists. Despitetheiroftenpoorvisualquality,theyareimportantbecausetheymay
embodytheonlyvisualrecordofsomejazzartists.
SnaderTelescriptions(often"Snaders")werethree-and-a-halfminutemusicshortsproducedforsaleto
televisionstationsbytheSnaderTelescriptionsCorporationfrom1950-52. Numberingaround750,theycouldbe
usedbythestationsindividuallyasfillersorgroupedtogetherinlongerformats. In1952,theSnadersweresold
ctoheSatpuldyiomaFdielmasn,dIonnc.l,yawhrielcahtiavlesloyspmraoldlupceerdceintstaogwenwemruesijaczzshtoirtltess.frAollmt1ol9d5,2-m5o4r.etLhiakne1t,h1e00SoTeulnedsicersi,pttihoenyswweerree
producedfrom1950-54. In1955,manyofthejazz-relatedSnaderandStudioTelescriptionswereassembledinto
feature-lengthfilmsforreleasetotheatersundersuchtitlesasBasinStreetRevueandJazzFestival.Theywerealso
assembledintothirty-minutecompilationsfortelevisionundertheseriestitleShowtimeattheApollo. Boththe
SoundiesandTelescriptionshavebeenfrequentlyrecycledinrecentyearsinvariousotherguisesforcabletelevision
andhomevideo.
BecausethisguidewascompiledinthecourseofasummerfellowshipattheLibrary,therewasnotenough
tiimmmeentsoepcrooldlueccetioanscnoemvpelrettheelleissstroefpraellsejnatzsz-arevleartyedsutbisttlaenstiianltpheercLeinbtraagrey.oftThhoisseftiirtsltes.paHsospetfhurloluyg,hftuhteurLeiubprdaarty'ess
willuncovermissedtitles,aswellasaddtitlesnewlyacquired.
iii
ThefilmsandvideocassettesintheLibrary'sresearchcollectionsarenotavailableforloan,butmaybe
viewedattheLibrarybyresearchers withanappointmentmadeinadvance. Forfurtherinformation, see
GuidelinesforViewingFilmandVideotapesonpage149,orwriteto:ReferenceLibrarian;MotionPicture,
BroadcastingandRecordedSoundDivision;LibraryofCongress;Washington,D.C.20540;Telephone:(202)707-
8572;Fax:[phone].
iv
HOWTOUSETHIS GUIDE
Entriesappearalphabeticallybytitle. ThetitleandtheLibrary'sshelflocationnumberappearinboldface
type. Crossreferencesaremadefromalternatetitles,subtitlesandepisodetitlesinseries. Bracketedtitleshave
beensuppliedbytheLibrary'scatalogersbecausetheoriginaltitlesareunknownorunclear. Otherinformation
givenincludesthecollectiontowhichtheworkbelongs,theproductionand/ordistributioncompany,theyearof
release,keyproductioncredits,networkandtelecastdate(ifapplicable),alineofphysicaldescriptionfollowedby
theshelfnumber,andasummaryofcontents.
Thelineofphysicaldescriptionincludesrunningtime,whethertheworkisincolororinblackandwhite,
andformat. Entriesmaybeassumedtohavesound,unlessmarkedsilent. Forformat,filmsareeitherthirty-five
millimeter(designated35mm)orsixteenmillimeter(16mm)andvideosareeitherthree-quarterinch(3/4")orone-
halfinch(1/2"). All1/2"videosareVHSunlessBetamax isspecified. AllvideosareNTSC(theU.S.
transmissionstandard)unlessPAL(thetransmissionstandardwidelyusedinEuropeandelsewhere)isspecified.
Theperformerindex(p.153-171)includesallnamescitedintheannotations. Productioncreditsare
excluded. Whenabandorgroupismentioned,onlytheleaderisindexed,notthegroup.
Asaresultoftheresearchforthisguide,theLibraryiscurrentlymakingviewingcopiesforanumberof
worksthatwerepreviouslyinaccessible. Thesearenotedintheguidebythephrase"Ref.copyforthcoming"in
boldfacetypeinplaceoftheshelfnumber. Also,formanyoftheworkscitedinthisguide,theLibraryholds
additionalelements—negatives,finegrainmasterpositives,videomastersandsecondcopies. Forinformationabout
anyofthesematerials,consulttheDivision'sreferencelibrarians.
v

FILMSANDVIDEOS
ABOUTTAP.
LCOff-AirTapingCollection
GTNProductions,1986.
D2i9remcitnosr./,Prcooldourc,er3:/4G"eovirdgeeocTa.ssNeitteer.enberg. VBE5128
AcelebrationofjazzUpdancingwithanintroductionbyGregoryHinesandinterviewsandperformancesby
veterantapdancersSteveCondos,ChuckGreenandJimmySlyde.
ADVANCEDJAZZANDLATINIMPROVISATIONWITHEMILYREMLER.
CopyrightCollection
HotLicksProductions,1986.
D6i0remcitnosr.:,Mcaolrokr,Ka1p/l2"anv.ideocassette. VAB1571
AninstructionalvideowithjazzguitaristEmilyRemlerdemonstratingskillssuchassambarhythms,alternatingbass
lines,arpeggiolicksandV-Iresolutions.
ADVENTUREINRHYTHM.
CopyrightCollection
TwentiethCentury-FoxFilmCorp.,1961.
D8irmeicntso.r,:cJoalcork,S3ha5imnmdl.in;Producer:EdmundReek;Editor:AngeloRoss;Photographer:DonMalkFaEmeAs.4
ACinemaScopemusicshortfeaturingtheTommyDorseyOrchestrawithKayeBallardperformingpopular
standards.
ADVENTURESINSHARPSANDFLATS.
CopyrightCollection
H&ASelmer/ReidH.RayFilmIndustries,1963.
Director:JosephC.Spery.
23mins.,color,16mm. 2729
Apromotionalfilm,sponsoredbytheSelmerCompanyofNewYork,whichsuggeststoschool-agechildrenthat
musiccanenrichtheirlives,withBennyGoodmanplayingsoloclarinetpassages.
THEADVENTUREOFJAZZ.
SeeL'AVENTUREDUJAZZ-Excerpts.
AFTERHOURSWITHARTHODES. JamSessionNo.1.
CopyrightCollection
NorthwestTeleproductions,Inc./FoundationforAmericanJazzMusic,1979.
Director:AllenGray;Producer:C.EdwardThomas;Writer:JimDooley;Editor:GaryMedin.
29mins.,color,3/4"videocassette. 6347
TM"oJhuresttofianr,sCtlThorasulefcrkoWfPaaalrjkhaawmmi,tsheBsiTslhileoPenr,wi"ciet"hKaanHnidslBlaausrtdCcihBtryTohBwolnum,epssK,"oenn"nTaytinD"ARarovtoe'sfm,PBllaHuceeesr."b"aHnNadlulm,"bWAehrretsnHiotndhceelsuS,daeiRn"teCsdrGeMooaldeMdaLoroccvkhe,inSBgoenIngnn,.y""
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