[Dixielandjazz] Pete Smythe

[G. William Oakley]

Nope.  Different spelling and pronunciation.  But,  speaking of Pete Smith
Specialties they are sometimes shown on Turner Movie Classics or Fox Movie
Channel.

This from the seb site Jitterbuzz.com:

In the 1930s, MGM was forced to create a lot of material to fill the
programs of its vast empire of movie houses. At that time, an evening at the
movies included two features, interspersed with various "short subjects"
which included newsreels, travelogues, cartoons, documentaries, and other
items. One of the most successful producers of shorts was a man named Pete
Smith who had a quirky, nasal voice. His shorts were almost surrealistic,
featuring a wide variety of experts (archers, bowlers, horsehoe pitchers,
etc) doing seemingly impossible tricks. Instead of being a diversion, the
Pete Smith Specialties came to be major attractions. People would come to
see a picture that was a real stinker if the marquee said "New Pete Smith
Short"

In 1942, Smith took on Jitterbug in a film short called Groovie Movie, a
comical look at the world of Swing dancing, starring Jean Veloz, Arthur
Walsh, Chuck Saggau, and Irene Thomas. The 9 minute film spoofs both dance
instruction and efforts to find high culture in jitterbug. Taking on the
Arthur Murray visual techniques, Jean and Arthur appear in uniforms that are
half black and half white with foot- and hand-prints to show proper
position. An animated sequence of footprints begins logically and soon
becomes a hopelessly complictaed mess. Through the parody and comedy,
Groovie Movie shows some of the finest examples of the Hollywood Style of
Lindy Hop that have ever been filmed. Today, Swing dancers continue to mine
this cult film for dance moves and techniques.

Best,

Bill

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Gunter" <jazzboard at hotmail.com>
To: <mcvouty78 at hotmail.com>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 3:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Pete Smythe


> When I was a kid I used to go the the Saturday matinees at the local movie
> theater to follow the latest installment of Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers or
> somebody.
>
> Anyway, they often ran a one reeler called Pete Smith specials which were
> really clever comic bits. You don't suppose there's a  connection here, do
> you?
>
>
> >From: "Ed Danielson" <mcvouty78 at hotmail.com>
> >To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> >Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Pete Smythe
> >Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:51:00 -0700
> >
> >Interesting that someone brought up the late Pete Smythe.  I didn't
realize
> >he was well known outside of metro Denver.  I had the distinct pleasure
of
> >working with Smythe briefly back in the early 1970s, as a board operator
> >and straight man.  Pete was an awfully nice guy, and quite a good piano
> >player.  He and a partner had bought the radio station where I was
working,
> >with the idea of launching a radio comeback for Pete, who had been off
the
> >air for a number of years.  So Pete worked the morning drive shift from
his
> >"general store" just as he had when I was a kid.  He was very
entertaining,
> >though the East Tincup shtick seemed kind of dated.  Johnny Carson once
> >called Homer and Jethro the "Smothers Brothers of the stone age;"
> >similarly, Pete came across as the Garrison Keillor of the stone age.
> >Other than Pete's show, the day's programming was devoted to a sort of
> >"beautiful music" format:  the million-and-one-strings orchestra playing
> >the pre-war great American songbook.  (I used to sneak a Ralph Sutton
> >record on now and then.)
> >
> >Did I say this was the 1970s?  You can imagine how Pete's folksy charm
went
> >over in the disco era -- particularly in Denver, at that time full of
> >boomers who had moved here in the 1960s and 1970s because they thought
the
> >city would be more sympathetic to the counter culture than other places.
> >He bombed, unfortunately.  Although he maintained co-ownership of the
> >station for a few years, the partnership struggled to find a format that
> >took off.  I suggested they turn it into a jazz station -- after all, the
> >ratings were already the lowest of any Denver FM station at the time, so
> >what did they have to lose?  Management demurred, but, after all the
staff
> >were replaced, myself included, the station did became a jazz station -- 
> >the first KADX, call letters eventually appropriated by Dick Gibson for
the
> >jazz station he later operated -- playing bebop, fusion, soul jazz and
> >everything else but trad or swing.  Ultimately it was sold, and became a
> >country-western station, but that's another story.  That frequency is now
> >Denver's oldies station.
> >
> >"You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backward."
> >-- James Thurber
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
> >Concerned that messages may bounce because your Hotmail account has
> >exceeded its 2MB storage limit? Get Hotmail Extra Storage!
> >http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Dixielandjazz mailing list
> >Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> >http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Concerned that messages may bounce because your Hotmail account has
exceeded
> its 2MB storage limit? Get Hotmail Extra Storage!
> http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz