On this page, you can learn about The American Songbook, The Rise of Radio, The Golden Age of Film, Swing Music and Dance, and Cleveland Nightclubs
The American Songbook of Popular Music
“The American Songbook of Popular Music”
The competition taking place during the action of Bandstand is held by The American Songbook of Popular Music. This is a fictionalized version of The American Album of Familiar Music. This was a radio program of popular music broadcast from 1931 to 1954, first on NBC and then on ABC. The show was directed by James Haupt and was sponsored by Bayer Asprin. André Baruch was one of the show’s announcers. The show would display songs from “The Great American Songbook”.
The Great American Songbook
A loosely defined Canon of 20th-century Jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes, mostly created between the 1920s-1950s. This includes standards written by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and others. There are MANY songs considered to fall under this umbrella term of America’s classical music.
The World of Radio
Local Cleveland Radio: WTAM
WTAM (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio. The company has passed through various owners over the years but from 1930-1955 NBC owned the station. During this time the station had a few recording shows and characters that locals would have known. During the 30s, Gene Carroll and Glenn Rowell had their own vaudeville humor show, and eventually so did Chester Lauck and Norris Goff in their show Lum and Abner. During the 40s, Bob Hope had a Tuesday night 10 pm radio show featuring various music including orchestra recordings. They would also broadcast sports events such as Cleveland Browns games. André Baruch, who is a real person in Bandstand, was a radio announcer, news commentator, talk show host, disc jockey, and sportscaster. He was a familiar voice for many Americans after WWII when he and his wife, Bea Wain, worked as a disc jockey team presented on ABC and NBC billed as Mr. and Mrs. Music.
The Start of Radio
In the late 1880s scientists and businesses began developing the radio. By the 1920s people were rushing to by radio. With this tool, Americans could listen to the news while making their breakfast, hear a church service from the comfort of their home, and listen to music whenever they liked with ease. Radio began mostly for government official announcements and such, but entertainment came to rule. On the radio, Americans could hear radio plays and news, plus hear familiar radio hosts play music for them (especially from that Great American Songbook). Radio became a large part of everyday life for a very long time, having its “golden age” from the 1920s-50s until television was available in homes effectively replacing radio in everyday life.
The Rise of Radio
Radio eventually came to have multiple broadcasting networks with their own stations. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (Once having both a Red and Blue Network and consolidating later), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and Mutual Broadcasting System (Mutual). Each company would have its own programming of live events like musical concerts, radio plays, news, sports play-by-plays, comedy acts, soap operas, children's shows, game shows, and more. Eventually with the development of tape recording smaller radio stations were created that would be tied to or owned by each company, these were local and could show off local news and music.
A Trip to the Movies
The Golden Age of Film
The Golden Age of Hollywood took place between roughly 1927-1960. The Silent movies ruled in Hollywood between 1910-1927 but the invention of sound production (specifically brought in the “Talkies”. The start of this era consisted of a clear style of hyper-genred films which were often made by creative teams tied to production companies. For example, Cecil B. DeMille’s films were usually made at Paramount Pictures, and Henry King’s were made for 20th Century Fox. In fact, the film studios that dominated Hollywood came to be known as the “Big Five”: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios., RKO Pictures., 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures. Many of the films made during this time are considered classics, some considered the best ever made, such as Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
MGM Studios
In Bandstand the theoretical radio competition has a reward of the winning band’s song being featured in the next MGM Film. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM Pictures) is an American media company specializing in film and television. The studio was easily the most dominant, popular motion picture studio in Hollywood during the Golden Age of Film. MGM has produced more than 4,000 films, some popular being Singin’ in the Rain, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and many more. MGM was known for hiring a number of well-known actors as contract players making their slogan “more stars than there are in heaven”. Some of the most popular stars during the 40s were Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Jeanette MacDonald, Myrna Loy, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and more.
Overview
Swing was incredibly important as a social experience during the 1930s and 40s. As America made its way through the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression as well as World War II Swing and jazz in general provided entertainment and escape for the nation.
Swing Music
Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the U.S. around the start of the 1930s and flourished during the late 30s through the end of the 40s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat and, similar to most jazz styles, would feature improvisational soloists. The style was a dominant form of American popular music because of its danceable quality, so much so that “to swing” came to mean a song had a good groove or dive. Common performers of this style were small jazz bands or big band orchestras which would include mostly brass and rhythm instruments. Popular musicians included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and the Dorsey Brothers. Much credit is due to the African American roots of jazz and swing music led by band arrangers like Fletcher Henderson and Eddie Durham. To the left, you can find a jazz piano tutorial explaining Swing music and a compilation of Swing music examples.
Swing Dance
Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed alongside the swing style of jazz music. Hundreds of styles of swing dance have been developed, some with particular regional origins. Like Swing music, the majority of swing dance began in African-American communities. Some of the most popular dances, still well-known today, are Charleston, Balboa, and Lindy Hop. Oftentimes big bands would perform as crowds participated in these social dances which allowed for making friends, meeting partners, expressing personality, and more. To the left, you can find examples and tutorials for swing dancing as well as a video about Lindy Hop’s Black American Roots and a link to Cleveland’s own current-day Swing dance club.
Night
Clubs
Jazz clubs or nightclubs are venues where the primary entertainment is live jazz music and alcohol is normally served. Jazz clubs of the time were sometimes small bars or large rooms with space for a big band. During the 40s the amount of space determined the club's popularity because larger rooms had space for dancers to move and swing. Some clubs were higher end than others charging a cover fee or such. Clubs were important places for social interaction, some might go to a different club on different nights to see certain performers or attend one club as a regular.
Cleveland Nightclubs
Live entertainment in Cleveland has never been lacking. Nightclubs presenting jazz and swing bands come and go fairly quickly meaning Cleveland has had many over the years. This section provides a brief highlight real of just some of Cleveland’s nightclubs from the 1940s.
To learn about more Cleveland jazz history check out this E-book here (especially chapter 12 about Cleveland Jazz Clubs):
Blue Wisp Jazz Club/Hot Spot
The club mentioned in the script may be an amalgamation of two real-life locations. The Blue Wisp Jazz Club was a Cincinnati, Ohio club known internationally that operated between 1977-2014. The location Donny mentions for the club is West 3rd and Superior Ave, which is the location of the former Hot Spot club.
The Rio Lounge/Loop Lounge
The Rio Lounge from the script may be a fictionalized version of one of the popular Cleveland jazz clubs, the Loop Lounge. The club was at 612 Prospect Ave and operated between 1948 and 1958. The Loop saw performances from stars like Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Lester Young, and many more.
Theatrical Grill on Short Vincent
The Theatrical Grill was Cleveland’s longest-running nightclub and a colorful spot. The club and its surrounding area were often active all day and all night and frequented by a range of people from felons to judges. The place is solidified in the hearts of many long-time Cleveland residents having opened in 1937 and closed in 1999.
Gleason’s
Gleason’s operated from 1942 until 1962 and was quite popular. The club was located in a predominantly black neighborhood and featured mostly blues performers like Bo Diddley, B.B. King, James Brown, Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., and many more.
Little Ted’s Restaurant and Bar (Secret Gay Bar)
Little Ted’s operated from 1944-1955. The small club, located at 304 Superior Ave Northeast, has a bar downstairs with space for musical acts. More importantly, the bar was known as a safe space for gay men at a time when little safety was to be found. Some bars had strict dress codes and rules like the “twelve-inch rules” asking that men make no physical contact but Little Ted’s offered more freedom. Unfortunately, due to the historical judgment of gay men as “deviant,” the club was known for being a spot with lots of crime, and most of its history was forgotten.