American Masters: Cab Calloway

[P-Shark: The Revenge]

This came on PBS but you can watch the full video here.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/cab-calloway-sketches/watch-the-full-documentary/1999/

[mr_june]

Thanks. I thought I had recorded this but got another PBS program. Though I wasn't around during his hey day, I saw Stormy Weather and came away with a deep respect for Calloway. He is one the most energetic individuals I've ever seen. He was the "hardest working man in show business" before James came along. I'm going to watch this documentary to learn more about Cab. Next up for me is to find some info on the brothers who were tap dancing in Story Weather. Their routine was astounding to say the least.

[paladin]

Heres Cab and The Nicolas Bros.......with a little help from The Funks and Contours........excuse the blurry footage there is a better clip available. But since this was SDF...you know........

Anyway when I first saw this performance as a child I was blown away. The greatest dance sequence I've ever seen. Mind you I was floored when Harold turned up in Uptown Saturday Night as Little Seymore.....

[stephanie]

Gene Kelly said that they were the best dancers her had ever seen in his life. When I see them coming down the stairs in Stormy Weather I get chills. I consider Mr Calloway to be one of the first rappers! Thank god for the Blues Brothers because he was introduced to a whole new generation! I will watch this when I get home.

[nosey]

I guess my former brother-in-law's mother was a fan as she named him Cab Calloway Bookman. [[As a child I always thought that was odd.) Too bad that era is over as tap dancers were always on the bill for just about every stage show I saw or cabaret I went to in my ahem, younger days; especially the clubs in Atlantic City.