SAVOYSTYLESHOP
Vintage Videos
Instructional Videos

BIOGRAPHIES
First Generation:
Shorty George
Leroy Stretch Jones
Twistmouth George

Hot Chocolates

 

Also known as Cottontail
Soundie *
1941


The Golden Age:
Whitey's Lindy Hprs.
Sandra Gibson
George Grenidge
Leon James
Ann Johnson
Dorothy  Johnson
Norma Miller
Al Minns
Frankie Manning
Billy Ricker
Willa Mae Ricker
Russell Williams

MOVIES
 After Seben
The Big Apple
Call Of The Jitterbug
Can't Top the LHop
Cootie Williams
Cottontail
Day At The Races 
Chicago &
All That Jazz 
Frankie Manning
 Instructional Videos 
Hellzapoppin'
Hot Chocolates 
Jammin'the Blues 
Jittering Jitterbugs
Killer Diller 
Malcolm X 
Manhattan
Merry-Go-Round
Queen of Swing
Radio City Revels
The Spirit Moves
Stompin' at theSavoy 
Swing Kids
Swingin'at the Savoy
Symphony in Black

History
African Roots
Reading
   The Whitey's Lindy Hoppers group that appears in this soundie was also known as the The Harlem Congaroos.They were the undisputed stars of all the groups of Whitey's dancers. After completing the filming of Hellzapoppin', the group had a contract to do a second film for Universal Studios. However, Whitey received an offer for them to perform in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and decided he did not want his dancers to wait around for a script that was offbeat enough to incorporate the Black dancers.Such scripts had proven to be few and far between in the past. In order to break the contract, Whitey agreed to make this soundie, which was an enormous hit throughout the United States. The bombing of Pearl Harbor took place while the Harlem Congeroos were in Rio, and they were unable to get back home to the United States after their 6-week engagement was over.

They spent 6 months working to make enough money to secure their safe passage back to the USA and finally managed to fly back to Florida, where they arrived with no money in their pockets to make the trip back to New York. In Miami they discovered that the soundie of Hot Chocolates was a big hit and was on every jukebox! They found employment with a nightclub owner who capitalized on the popularity of this soundie by advertising that he had the "Hot Chocolates in Person!"
Cast:  

Duke Ellington Orchestra  featuring Ben Webster

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers  (In order of appearance):
William Downes and
Frances "Mickey" Jones

Norma Miller and
Billy Ricker

Al Minns and
Willa Mae Ricker

Ann Johnson and
Frankie Manning

 
*SOUNDIES were short musical filmclips that were played in jukeboxes in the thirties and forties.The device that played them used a mirror. The films were made in reverse and then their mirror images were projected to the viewers.


[The soundie "Hot Chocolates" is available from the Savoy Style Swing Dance Shop in the DVD compilation Jammin' with the Greats.]

Written and researched by Judy Pritchett with Frankie Manning (C)1995,1996,1997.May be reproduced only with explicit written permission. Last updated:14 August 2011.
Send your suggestions, corrections or comments to judyp@mcn.org