Sat 8/12 @ 5PM
Sun 8/20 @ 6:30PM
Sat 8/26 @ 5PM
MTV didn’t invent the music video, nor did the bands and record companies who began cranking out these clips at around the same time. The idea of making a short film of a song is an old idea dating back at least to the 1940s, when they were called “soundies.” With no MTV – and in fact, no TV of any kind, they were made to be playing on “movie jukeboxes” found in bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
More than 1800 of these short films were made between 1940 and 1946 and recently, a film distributor put together a collection of 200 of them. The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque will be screening 73 of them in three programs this month. So you can see, as well as hear, music legends from that era such as Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Count Basie and Dorothy Dandridge.
On Saturday August 12, the focus will be on music and dance with three sub-programs: Starting from Swing, with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and the Int’l Sweethearts of Rhythm, among others; Powered by Dance, showcasing dances from the era; and Heading Toward Rock ‘n’ Roll, with Les Paul, Maurice Rocco, Louis Jordan and others whose music contained hints of what became rock & roll.
On Sunday August 20, the films will look at aspects of City Life, such as public transit, house parties and ballgames; Stirring Up the Melting Pot, focusing on multiculturalism; and We’ll Drink to That, starring alcoholic beverages (much like today’s country music!).
And finally on Saturday August 25, love and sex will be in the air, with Is It Love or Is It Conscription: Heterosexuality and World War II;Loosening & Upending—Playing with 1940s Stereotypes of Women; and Jumping into Gender Play.
Get more information and tickets here.
Cleveland, OH 44106