Vintage Popular Music in American Films

this page first published by John Wright, 26 Oct 1997
last update 22 Oct 2007vintage@jabw.demon.co.uk

Films featuring American Jazz or Dance Bands 1927-1947

As well as on records, jazz and dance band music was recorded for films during the 78 rpm era. This page is the first part of a list of American films known to feature bands, seen and heard, some not identified. Note: Bands may also appear in films listed in the Entertainers and Popular Song film lists.
If you can add to this list, can fill in any of the gaps or if you know of websites or books dealing with old movies that might have useful information then please e-mail me.

Recent updates to listing:

Updates from 'Who Sang What On The Screen' by Alan Warner (1984)

Updates from 'Great Songwriters Of Hollywood' by Warren Craig (1980)

Updates from 'Black Beauty, White Heat' by Frank Driggs, Harris Lewine (1982)

Updates from 'Halliwell's Film Guide (1993, Ninth edition)

You may find videos of some of the films on the net at Amazon.com. In the list below those with Order Today! can indeed be ordered via their link. For the other films you can use the search link at the foot of this page.

Films : A-C

FILM	DATE	FEATURING
Around The World	1943	Kay Kyser's Band Ish Kabibble Ginny Simms Joan Davis Misha Auer SONGS Don't Believe Everything You Dream Candleight And Wine He's Got A Secret Weapon They Chopped Down The Old Apple TreeGreat News In The MakingRoodle-Ee-DooA Moke From Shamokin
Artists And Models	1937	Louis Armstrong's Orch, Andre Kostelanetz Orch Yacht Club Boys, Connee Boswell, Martha Raye, Judy Canova SONGS Whispers In The DarkPop Goes The BubbleStop You're Breaking My HeartI Have EyesPublic Melody Number One
Atlantic City	1944	Louis Armstrong Orch, Paul Whiteman Orch Belle Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Buck & Bubbles, Jerry Colonna SONGS Nobody's SweetheartAin't Misbehavin'After You've GoneI Ain't Got NobodyDarktown Strutters' BallMister Gallagher And Mr SheanOn A Sunday Afternoon
Ball Of Fire (GB: The Professor And the Burlesque Queen)	1941	Gene Krupa Orch Barbara Stanwyck voice may be that of Martha Tilton SONGS Drum Boogie
Bathing Beauty	1944	Harry James Orch, Helen Forrest SONGS I Cried For YouHora StaccatoI'll Take The High NoteTrumpet Blues And Cantabile
Battle Of Paris	1929	a band including Miff Mole (tb) Gertrude Lawrence SONGS They All Fall In LoveHere Comes The BandwagonWhat Makes My Baby BlueHousekeeping For You
Beat The Band	1947	Gene Krupa Band, Frances Langford SONGS Beat The BandKissin' WellI'm In LoveI've Got My Fingers CrossedShadow Rhapsody
Behind the Eight Ball (GB: Off The Beaten Track)	1942	Sonny Dunham Orch Ritz Brothers Carol Bruce Dick Foran SONGS You Don't Know What Love IsWasn't It WonderfulMr Five By FiveDon't You Think We Ought To Dance?When My Baby Smiles
Belle Of The Nineties	1934	Mae West, Duke Ellington Orch (Gene Austin is NOT in this film) SONGS I've Got To Wash My Sins Away Before The MorningMy Old FlameTroubled WatersMy American BeautyWhen A St Louis Woman Comes Down To New OrleansThe Memphis Blues
Best Foot Forward	1943	Harry James Orch Lucille Ball William Gaxton June Allyson Gloria De Haven SONGS Wish I MayThree Men On A DateEv'ry TimeThe Three B'sBuckle Down WinsockiAlive And KickingTwo O'Clock JumpThe Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Betty Co-Ed (GB:The Melting Pot)	1946	Jan Savitt Orch Jean Porter SONGS Put The Blame On MameYou Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
Big Broadcast	1932	Cab Calloway Orch, Vincent Lopez Orch, Eddie Lang, Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, Arthur Tracy, Mills Bros, Boswell Sisters, Donald Novis SONGS Please(BC,EL)Where The Blue Of The Night Meets The Gold Of The Day(BC)Here Lies Love(BC,AT,VLO)Tiger Rag(MB)Goodbye Blues(MB)Kicking The Gong Around(CCO)Minnie The Moocher(CCO)Hot Toddy(CCO)Crazy People(BS)Shout Sister Shout(BS)Dinah(BC)The Boswell Weeps(BS)When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain(KS)It Was So Beautiful(KS)Marta(AT)Nola(VLO)Trees(DN)
Big Broadcast of 1936	1935	Ray Noble and his American Band, Ina Ray Hutton Orch, Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Richard Tauber, Lyda Roberti, Nicholas Bros., Vienna Boys Choir SONGS I Wished On The Moon(BC)It's The Animal In Me(EM)Miss Brown To YouThrough The Doorway Of DreamsDouble TroubleWhy Dream?AmarguraCrooner's LullabyGoodnight SweetheartThrough The Doorway Of Dreams I Saw YouWhy Stars Come Out At Night
Big Broadcast of 1937	1936	Benny Goodman's Orch Martha Raye, Benny Fields, Larry Adler, Shirley Ross, Leopold Stokowski SONGS Here's Love In Your EyeYou Came To My RescueCross PatchBugle Call RagI'm Talking Through My HeartVote For Mr RhythmHi Ho The RadioLa BombaNight In ManhattanHere Comes The Bride
Big Broadcast of 1938 Click and order the video Today! (NTSC format)	1937	Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orch, Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour, Tito Guizar, Kirsten Flagstad SONGS Thanks For The MemoryDon't Tell A Secret To A RoseYou Took The Words Right Out Of My HeartMama That Moon Is Here AgainThis Little Ripple Has RhythmThe Waltz Lives OnZuni ZuniSawing A Woman In Half
Big Show-Off	1945	Anson Weeks Orch SONGS Cleo From RioHoops My Dear
The Big Street	1942	Ozzie Nelson Orch Lucille Ball (dubbed by Martha Mears) Henry Fonda Eugene Pallette SONGS Who Knows?
Birth Of The Blues You can order the video of Birth Of The Blues Today! (NTSC format)	1941	Bing Crosby, Jack Teagarden Orch, Mary Martin (Danny Polo dubbed Bing's clarinet) SONGS The Birth Of The BluesSt Louis BluesTiger RagCuddle Up A Little CloserThe Waiter And The Porter And The Upstairs MaidGotta Go To The JailhouseWait Till The Sun Shines NellieMemphis BluesBy The Light Of The Silvery MoonMy Melancholy Baby St James InfirmaryAt A Georgia Camp MeetingWaiting At The Church
Blockbusters	1944	Jimmy Noone band SONGS Apex Blues, aka Bump It
Blues In The Night	1941	Jimmy Lunceford Orch, uncredited singer Will Osbourne Orch Priscilla Lane SONGS Blues In The NightThis Time The Dream's On MeHang On To Your Lids KidsSays Who, Says You, Says I
Breakfast In Hollywood (GB: The Mad Hatter)	1946	Nat King Cole Trio, Spike Jones & His City Slickers SONGS Solid Potato Salad (NKCT)Better To Be By Yourself (NKCT)Hat For Hedda Hopper (SJCS)Glow Worm (SJCS)
Bright Lights	1931	Frank Fay SONGS Chinatown, My ChinatownI'm Crazy For Cannibal LoveSong Of The Congo
Broadway	1929	Gus Arnheim and his Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors SONGS BroadwayHot Footin' ItHittin' The CeilingSing A Little Love SongThe Chicken Or The Egg
Broadway Babies	1929	. SONGS Broadway Baby DollWishing And Waiting For LoveJig Jigaloo
Broadway Gondolier	1935	Ted Fiorito Band Dick Powell, Mills Brothers SONGS Lulu's Back In TownThe Rose In Her HairLonely GondolierOutside Of YouYou Can Be KissedThe Pig And The Cow
Broadway Rhythm	1943	Tommy Dorsey Orch Lena Horne Hazel Scott George Murphy Ginny Simms Charles Winnegar SONGS All The Things You AreSomebody Loves Me(LH)Brazillian Boogie(LH)Milkman Keep Those Bottles QuietManhattan SerenadeSolid Potato SaladPretty BabyOh You Beautiful DollIrresistable youIda, Sweet As Apple CiderWhat Do You Think I Am?
Broadway Scandals	1929	. SONGS What is Life Without Love?Can You Read In My Eyes?Love's The Cause Of All My BluesWould I Love To love You?Kickin' The Blues Away
By Request	1935	Claude Hopkins Band SONGS I Would Do Anything For YouChasin' All My Blues AwayCalifornia Here I ComeShineChinatown, My Chinatown
Cabin In The Cotton	1932	Les Hite Orchestra featuring Lionel Hampton George Ordendorf Bette Davis Richard Barthelmess SONGS Willie TheWeeperShe'll Be Comin''Round The Mountain
Cabin In The Sky	1943	Louis Armstrong Orch, Duke Ellington Orch, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Buck & Bubbles SONGS Cabin In The Sky(EW)Ain't It De TruthLi'l Black SheepLife's Full Of ConsequenceHoney In The Honeycomb(LH)Taking A Chance On Love(EW)Going Up(DE)In My Old Virginia Home(DE) Things Ain't What They Used To Be(DE)I Gotta SongShineHappiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe(EW)
Caldonia	1945	Louis Jordan Orch SONGS CaldoniaBuzz MeHoney Chile
Campus Rhythm	1943	. SONGS Walking The Chalk LineSwing Your Way Through CollegeIt's Great To Be A College GirlCollege Sweetheart
Carolina Blues	1944	Kay Kyser and his Band Ann Miller Victor Moore SONGS Poor Little Rhode IslandThere Goes That Song AgainThinking About The WabashYou Make Me Dream Too MuchThanks A LotMister Beebe
Check And Double Check	1930	Duke Ellington Orch SONGS Three Little WordsOld Man Blues
Cigarette Girl	1947	Russ Morgan Orch SONGS It's All In The MindThe More We Get TogetherHow Can You Tell?They Won't Let Me SingHoneymoon On A Dime
Close Harmony	1929	Jesse Stafford Orch Buddy Rogers SONGS She's So I DunnoI Want To Go Places And Do ThingsI'm All A-TwitterTwelfth Street Rag
Convention City	1933	orchestra? Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Adolphe Menjou, Dick PowellThis film is lost
Convention Girl	1935	Isham Jones Orch SONGS ....
Coronado	1935	Eddy Duchin Orch Jack haley Leon Errol Johnny Downs SONGS You Took My Breath AwayHow Do I Rate With You?Keep Your Fingers CrossedMashed PotatoesMidsummer MadnessAll's Well In Coronado By The SeaDown On The Beach At OomphI've Got Some New Shoes
Crazy House	1943	Count Basie Band, Thelma Carpenter, Jimmy Rushing, Glenn Miller Singers with Marion Hutton, Delta Rhythm Boys SONGS Pocketful Of PenniesTropicanaGet On BoardLittle ChildrenMy Rainbow SongDonkey SerenadeCrazy HouseI Ought To DanceMy Song Without Words
Crimson Canary	1945	Coleman Hawkins, Josh White and others SONGS The Walls Of JerichoOne Meat Ball (And No Spaghetti)
Crooner	1932	David Manners (voice dubbed by Brick Holton), Teddy Joyce SONGS Three's A CrowdSweethearts ForeverI Send My Love With The RosesNow You've Got Me Worrying For YouBanking On The WeatherIn A Shanty In Old Shanty Town
.	.	. SONGS .

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Can you fill in any of the gaps or know any other American movies featuring Jazz or Dance Bands ?

Then please e-mail me.