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Swing Era: Cab Calloway -- Hi-De-Ho and Other Movies

This is an amazing video. There is a full length movie filmed in 1947 called Hi-De-Ho, starring Cab Calloway and his buddies. Amusing in its dated treatment of women and certainly an interesting view into black American culture of the time, the film is memorable only when Cab performs. On stage, the man glitters even a half a century later.

However, it’s the series of musical videos that follows the movie that captures the heart. Filled with energy and joy, these marvelous tracks get the dullest couch potato’s toes a-tapping. Filmed in the 1930s and 40s, these short numbers showcase Cab Calloway’s incredible gift. The productions are slick and professional. Many of the songs are set against a backdrop where shadows become characters in a skit. Most notable in this category is "Minnie the Moocher," where a plaid tux-coated Calloway sings to the shadow of a woman. Clever and compelling, this version is far superior to the rendition of the same song in the movie. No human can match Calloway’s charisma. The shadow woman simply emphasizes that fact, and lets Cab be Cab.

Although many other entertainers perform in these musical vignettes (and they are wonderful), Calloway’s personality leaps off the screen. A consummate artist who clearly enjoys what he does, he charms the audience in numbers like Blues in the Night and Call of the Jitterbug. In One For My Baby, Calloway’s mischievous twinkle belies the sad lyrics -- who would walk away from such a sense of fun? St. James Infirmary is definitely not the blues in Calloway’s version either.

The power of the talent evident in this DVD won’t be lost on today’s audiences. Thank you, IDEM for reintroducing Cab Calloway to the world.

Written by: Joyce Faulkner

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