Hellzapoppin

Message

lindyholic · #16 Post by **lindyholic** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 3:03 am

I think they worked on that scene for 2 days straight, doing the same stuff over and over, it wasn't easy but it got done. I heard this in an interview with Franky somewhere, I just can't find the clip of where he says it, but I believe when they were actually on the set it took two days.

I'm thinking a possibility is that they could have choreographed it to a different song (from what I hear is true, apparently it's done to Jumpin' At The Woodside) and the musicians could have written the music to the dancing? I don't know on that part, it's all just speculation. I found a way to get the music from the clip and my friend has cubase so he's gonna clean up the sound for me. But yeah...deffinately an amazing clip, my favorite part is the 2 swingouts Franky during his stint in the jam, they just look, well, amazing to put it simply.

Harrison

yedancer · #17 Post by **yedancer** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 8:53 am

lindyholic wrote:I'm thinking a possibility is that they could have choreographed it to a different song (from what I hear is true, apparently it's done to Jumpin' At The Woodside) and the musicians could have written the music to the dancing? I don't know on that part, it's all just speculation

According to Norma Miller, they were working on the set with a non-Lindy choreographer named Nick Castle, who was a famous black choreographer that all the black dancers knew. He of course knew Whitey's Lindy Hoppers by reputation.

This leads me to believe that they had worked out some choreography before they arrived at Hollywood, but ended up altering it. In one of his interviews Frankie said that they practiced non-stop to get it perfect. I'm guessing that when they got there and found out what the music was going to be, they probably re-worked the choreography as needed. I somehow doubt that the musicians wrote the music to the choreography.

Anybody know more about this Nick Castle guy and what exactly his job was?

Swifty · #18 Post by **Swifty** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 9:18 am

Mike has a Duke Ellington video, and it contains footage of WLH doing the same exact choreography, but the film is slowed down to match "Cottontail." It's obvious it's not just footage taken from Hellz. and it's obvious it doesn't fit the music.

This is was led me to ask the question about Hellz. in the first place.

Mike · #19 Post by **Mike** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 8:48 am

I think that video was shot sometime after Hellzapoppin'. It's definitely cool to see, especially with the closeups of all of the dancers groovin' to D.E.'s band before they have at it. It is funny that they had to slow down the dancing for the music in this one. It's pretty apparent since the ladies stay in the air for even longer than normal... Kind of a predecessor to the Matrix

Swifty · #20 Post by **Swifty** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 9:05 am

I got that Slim & Slam set over the weekend. It's good. The quality of Hellz. is good.

lindyholic · #21 Post by **lindyholic** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 1:02 pm

Once I get money I am buying that set then I think.

Harrison

funkyfreak · #22 Post by **funkyfreak** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 2:06 pm

yedancer wrote:Anybody know more about this Nick Castle guy and what exactly his job was?

http://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2ncstl1.htm

-FF