Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of exceptional swing dancers that was first organized in the late 1920s by Herbert "Whitey" White in the Savoy Ballroom and disbanded in 1942 after its male members were drafted into World War II. The group took on many different forms and had several different names and sub-groups, including Whitey's Hopping Maniacs, Harlem Congeroo Dancers, and The Hot Chocolates. In addition to touring nationally and internationally, the group appeared in several films and Broadway theatre productions. Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. were among the group's celebrity regulars.
Beginning in the late 1920s, White, a bouncer at the Savoy Ballroom and former dancing waiter, began organizing exceptional dancers, first under the aegis of George Snowden and then under White himself. Although many members felt mistreated by White, many admired his promotion of the dance.[1]
In 1934, at the age of 14, Norma Miller became the youngest member the group.
In 1935, the group competed in a dance contest called the Harvest Moon Ball at Madison Square Garden.[2] The group then went on a 7-month European tour.[3]
In 1938, for a second time, the group competed in the Harvest Moon Ball, hosted that year by Ed Sullivan. Sullivan invited members of the group to perform on Toast of the Town (later called The Ed Sullivan Show).[3] The group also competed in the contest in 1939 and 1940.
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performed in the movie Hellzapoppin' (1941), where they executed breathtaking flips, slides, kicks, splits, and lifts.[6][7][5] When they returned from filming, the group went to Rio de Janeiro to perform. Because of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, they were unable to find transportation home and ended up staying for 10 months, nearly exhausting all of their energy and money.[3][5]
After the group disbanded, White moved to Oswego and opened a restaurant. He died of a heart attack in September 1950.[1]
MembersEdit
Al Minns, Leon James, Frankie Manning, and Norma Miller are the most notable members of the group - Minns and James in part for their role in the research of Jean and Marshall Stearns's influential book Jazz Dance, Minns for his work with the Hot Shots during the swing revival in the 1980s, Manning for his role in contributing to the swing revival after Minns died in 1985, and Miller for her presentations and instruction at Herräng Dance Camp up until her death in 2019.[5]
Ruthie Reingold, Harry Rosenberg, and Jimmy Valentine were the only white members of the group. Although mixed race dancing was accepted at the Savoy Ballroom, it was frowned upon by the general public and they are not in any of the early videos of the group.
Member listEdit
Black MembersEdit
Louise "Pal" Andrews
Eleanor "Stumpy" Atkinson (Watson) – 4"11" tall; joined the group in 1937, known for her footwork
Pettis Dotson "Snooky" Beasley – known for doing a step called the lock[1]
Lennie Bluett
Clyde "Brownie" Brown – for a time, Whitey's right hand man[1]
John "Tiny" Bunch – at over 300 pounds, his nickname was a joke, but he was revered for his liveliness despite his size. His partner was the petite Dorothy "Dot" Moses.[1]
Eunice Callen
Wilda Crawford
Mildred Cruse
Joe "Big Stupe" Daniels
Joyce "Little Stupe" Daniels
Eddie Davis
William Downes
Elnora Dyson
Arlyne Evans
"Long-legged George" Greenidge
Foster "The Dancing Man" Hickson
Belle Hill
Cornelia "Connie" Hill – won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Russell Williams
Russell Williams – changed his name to Rasul Ali Ibm Aleem in the 1950s; won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Connie Hill; killed trying to break up a fight
^Stevens, Tamara (2011). Swing dancing. The American dance floor. Santa Barbara, Ca.: Greenwood. p. 84. ISBN978-0-313-37517-0.
^rikomatic (2020-08-26). "Watch Jimmy Valentine, a Legendary One-legged Lindy Hopper, Throwing Down with Sylvia Sykes". Yehoodi. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
^The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America: a history and filmography of their "jukebox" musical films of the 1940s. Terenzio, MacGillivary, Okuda. 1954. page 72.ISBN0-89950-578-3
^The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America: a history and filmography of their "jukebox" musical films of the 1940s. Terenzio, MacGillivary, Okuda. 1954. page 96.ISBN0-89950-578-3
External linksEdit
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at Savoystyle.com
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at StreetSwing.com
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers search on YouTube featuring samples of their work
October 25, 2023
whitey, lindy, hoppers, professional, performing, group, exceptional, swing, dancers, that, first, organized, late, 1920s, herbert, whitey, white, savoy, ballroom, disbanded, 1942, after, male, members, were, drafted, into, world, group, took, many, different,. Whitey s Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of exceptional swing dancers that was first organized in the late 1920s by Herbert Whitey White in the Savoy Ballroom and disbanded in 1942 after its male members were drafted into World War II The group took on many different forms and had several different names and sub groups including Whitey s Hopping Maniacs Harlem Congeroo Dancers and The Hot Chocolates In addition to touring nationally and internationally the group appeared in several films and Broadway theatre productions Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr were among the group s celebrity regulars Contents 1 History 2 Members 2 1 Member list 2 1 1 Black Members 2 1 2 White Members 3 Filmography 4 Broadway theatre 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditBeginning in the late 1920s White a bouncer at the Savoy Ballroom and former dancing waiter began organizing exceptional dancers first under the aegis of George Snowden and then under White himself Although many members felt mistreated by White many admired his promotion of the dance 1 In 1934 at the age of 14 Norma Miller became the youngest member the group In 1935 the group competed in a dance contest called the Harvest Moon Ball at Madison Square Garden 2 The group then went on a 7 month European tour 3 In 1936 the group began a tour of the U S with headliner Ethel Waters While in California they met the Marx Brothers Allan Jones and Maureen O Sullivan and made their film debut in A Day at the Races 1937 a movie for Metro Goldwyn Mayer They danced and sang in the number All God s Chillun Got Rhythm which featured singer Ivie Anderson and other members of Duke Ellington s orchestra 4 Dave Gould the choreographer was nominated for an Academy Award for the dance sequence 5 In 1938 for a second time the group competed in the Harvest Moon Ball hosted that year by Ed Sullivan Sullivan invited members of the group to perform on Toast of the Town later called The Ed Sullivan Show 3 The group also competed in the contest in 1939 and 1940 Whitey s Lindy Hoppers performed in the movie Hellzapoppin 1941 where they executed breathtaking flips slides kicks splits and lifts 6 7 5 When they returned from filming the group went to Rio de Janeiro to perform Because of the Attack on Pearl Harbor they were unable to find transportation home and ended up staying for 10 months nearly exhausting all of their energy and money 3 5 In 1942 the group went on a 3 week tour with Cootie Williams and Pearl Bailey that included performances at the Apollo Theater the Howard Theatre in Washington D C and the Royal Theatre in Baltimore 3 The group disbanded shortly thereafter since the males were called into service during World War II 2 After the group disbanded White moved to Oswego and opened a restaurant He died of a heart attack in September 1950 1 Members EditAl Minns Leon James Frankie Manning and Norma Miller are the most notable members of the group Minns and James in part for their role in the research of Jean and Marshall Stearns s influential book Jazz Dance Minns for his work with the Hot Shots during the swing revival in the 1980s Manning for his role in contributing to the swing revival after Minns died in 1985 and Miller for her presentations and instruction at Herrang Dance Camp up until her death in 2019 5 Ruthie Reingold Harry Rosenberg and Jimmy Valentine were the only white members of the group Although mixed race dancing was accepted at the Savoy Ballroom it was frowned upon by the general public and they are not in any of the early videos of the group Member list Edit Black Members Edit Louise Pal Andrews Eleanor Stumpy Atkinson Watson 4 11 tall joined the group in 1937 known for her footwork Pettis Dotson Snooky Beasley known for doing a step called the lock 1 Lennie Bluett Clyde Brownie Brown for a time Whitey s right hand man 1 John Tiny Bunch at over 300 pounds his nickname was a joke but he was revered for his liveliness despite his size His partner was the petite Dorothy Dot Moses 1 Eunice Callen Wilda Crawford Mildred Cruse Joe Big Stupe Daniels Joyce Little Stupe Daniels Eddie Davis William Downes Elnora Dyson Arlyne Evans Long legged George Greenidge Foster The Dancing Man Hickson Belle Hill Cornelia Connie Hill won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Russell Williams Leon James Sonny Jenkins Ann Johnson Dottimae Johnson Walter Count Lefty Johnson Frances Mickey Jones Thomas Tops Lee won the Lindy Hop division of the 1940 Harvest Moon Ball with Wilda Crawford nicknamed Tops due to his high opinion of himself Johnny McAfee Emily McCloud Maggie McMillan Frankie Manning Lucille Middleton Mae Miller Norma Miller Al Minns Dorothy Dot Moses Mildred Pollard Billy Ricker Willa Mae Ricker Naomi Waller Esther Washington Freida Washington Oliver Buckles Washington Thomas Washington Billy Williams 1 Jerome Williams Russell Williams changed his name to Rasul Ali Ibm Aleem in the 1950s won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Connie Hill killed trying to break up a fightWhite Members Edit Ruthie Reingold 8 Harry Rosenberg 9 Jimmy Valentine 10 Filmography EditA Day at the Races Metro Goldwyn Mayer 1937 with the Marx Brothers Manhattan Merry Go Round Republic Pictures 1937 Radio City Revels RKO Pictures 1938 Keep Punching M C Pictures 1939 1 aka Jittering Jitterbugs featuring the Big Apple Hellzapoppin Universal Pictures 1941 Hot Chocolates Cottontail RCM Productions 1941 Soundies The Outline of Jitterbug History RCM Productions 1942 Soundies 11 Sugar Hill Masquerade Minoco Productions 1942 Soundies 12 Cabin in the Sky Metro Goldwyn Mayer 1943 Killer Diller All American News 1948 4 members of the groupBroadway theatre EditHot Mikado with Bill Robinson Black Rhythm 1936 Cotton Club Revue with Cab Calloway 1938 References Edit a b c d e f g Manning Frankie Millman Cynthia 2007 Frankie Manning Ambassador of Lindy Hop Philadelphia Temple University Press ISBN 978 1 59213 563 9 a b Sago Renata August 10 2018 From Harlem to Herrang An Original Lindy Hopper Blooms in Sweden The New York Times a b c d Norma Miller National Visionary National Leadership Visionary Project 2013 A Day at the Races Library of Congress Retrieved July 24 2020 a b c d McFadden Robert D May 6 2019 Norma Miller Lindy Hopping Queen of Swing Is Dead at 99 The New York Times Sago Renata October 1 2015 At 95 Years Old Norma Miller the Queen of Swing Still Reigns WGCU TV Alive And Kicking Chronicles Deep History Of Swing Dancing NPR April 9 2017 THIRTEEN Specials Frankie Manning Never Stop Swinging PBS retrieved 2023 05 25 Stevens Tamara 2011 Swing dancing The American dance floor Santa Barbara Ca Greenwood p 84 ISBN 978 0 313 37517 0 rikomatic 2020 08 26 Watch Jimmy Valentine a Legendary One legged Lindy Hopper Throwing Down with Sylvia Sykes Yehoodi Retrieved 2023 05 25 The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America a history and filmography of their jukebox musical films of the 1940s Terenzio MacGillivary Okuda 1954 page 72 ISBN 0 89950 578 3 The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America a history and filmography of their jukebox musical films of the 1940s Terenzio MacGillivary Okuda 1954 page 96 ISBN 0 89950 578 3External links EditWhitey s Lindy Hoppers at Savoystyle com Whitey s Lindy Hoppers at StreetSwing com Whitey s Lindy Hoppers search on YouTube featuring samples of their work Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Whitey 27s Lindy Hoppers amp oldid 1161884724, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
