That last video I just posted about Liverpool in 1959 shocked me because it was within my time frame, and yet it seemed from an ancient past, like early this century, especially with those old washing machines, and yet here I am today sending this post from a smart phone. But I had an even bigger shock at a Christmas Lindy Hop dance once in London.
I remember going to Christmas lindy hop events at the dance school where we went where we are allowed up bring some alcoholic drinks and food to share. We would dance a little and socialise, and in the corner they would play Frankie Manning videos shot at the Savoy Club from the 1930's. They were very old, black and white, and grainy, low quality films, but Frankie Manning was simply amazing.
Anyway, these videos were made before WW2, and were around the time of the early Laural and Hardy films, and everyone that had starred in those films would now long gone, I thought, so you can imagine my absolute surprise one day when Frankie Manning turned up at my dance club for the Christmas dance. He was friends with our dance teacher because she had gone to America to get training training from him, and now he came to her every Christmas dance. Sadly, he died the following year after that Christmas dance where I saw him.
Anyway, I just couldn't get my head around the fact that he was still alive, when I had seen him dancing in such very old, pre WW2, films. I said to the teacher, how it was amazing that he was doing Lindy Hop from such a long time back, and she said he invented the dance. Phew! I tilt my hat to Frankie!
There's some of the old footage in this mini documentary.
Hellzapoppin' in full color | Colorized with DeOldify
The dancing was choreographed by Frankie Manning.
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