1937 Jitterbug: Benny Goodman & His Orch. - "Peckin' "

[ASeasonedWitch]

Dad would be 17 when this 'wild' music was out. I imagine my grandparents shaking their heads and wondering what the world was coming to and how any teenagers would live through the wild days of jitterbug.

Cheers and well wishes for a good 2012 to all!

[thecubanism]

Born in the forties, unfortunately in Britain, not Great Britain any longer, was a teenager in Britain in the fifties and longed to be a teenager in America, you had Elvis, Buddy, Eddie, Carl and who did we have, that lisping phoney Cliff Richards, been to America since, visiting most of the states but I think my most vivid memories are of the deep south, Gracelands, Sun Studios, Beale St, meeting Mr Lansky, going to New York for my 70th but determined to re-visit he hospitable South.

[ChopsForBohemians]

...That " JITTERBUG " magazine pictured , I think S.J. Perelman wrote about that one once...

[thecubanism]

Sheer pleasure, thanks pal.

[AceShot01]

Beautiful era of time and music, may this never be forgotton.

[tobrunive]

I love that Era, when computer and xbox and all that shit didnt existed, when toy could go to the street with your bike and play some baseball in the town field, ahhhhhhhhh

[DisneyMissieMouse]

@tobrunive i luv that era too!! :D

[everybodylovesmybaby]

Great tune and great pics! Really evocative of jitterbuggin'!

[alliecat1941]

We had no inside bathrooms here in this small city in Michigan untll at least early 50s....i remember big medal tubs and heating our water on the stove then for everything from doing dishes to bathing. and No didnt take bathes every day...we heated water and washed up at the sink and had baths only once or twice a week and showers??all didnt get showers installed until at least the 60s.

[millerrm01]

im 13 and this is pure gold!!! amazing i love all of Benny's songs!

[whitetigerw10]

It don't mean a thing, if it aint got that swing.

[JanaSklibova]

woohoo that's my kind of music! LOVE

[JMalmstrom]

Lack of air conditioning is more like it.

[afgkrafty]

Oh God, cannot believe what I am reading, people showered in the forties, both my flolks were in this era and they were immaculate people. My dad fought in WW2, there will never be another generation like them!!

[thesociallife1]

@afgkrafty they are the greatest generation in history! and this is coming from a 28-year-old:)

[Chiswick2]

People showered everyday in the 1940s, at least in the US anyway. These people are dancing, which is why they are sweating.

[Ratatulie]

rayodelsol80: MAN I LAUGH WITH YOUR COMMENT LIKE FOR 10 MINUTES!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rayodelsol80]

Ugh! look at the pit sweat on that guy at :43 seconds!!! Yuck. I'll bet he smelled ripe. How did people deal without deoderant back then???

[primeralives]

And the general population didn't bathe every day back then either sometimes only twice a week from what i heard. Thats just the way the world was back then.

[Direness]

People still bathed regularly during that time period, every day or every other day as needed. During war time they had to be more careful with their cleaning products like shampoo, soap, toilet paper and even towels because those products were in short supply due to chemical and cloth shortages. Even heat for your water was rationed in Britain. Now, women didn't wash their hair as often due to rationed shampoo AND they permed their hair into sets that helped with their fancy 40s hairdos.

[EyeLean5280]

@primeralives - You heard wrong. Americans have been daily bathers since at least the 1920s. Perhaps YOUR ancestors weren't very hygienic, but the rest of the population was.

[mdmphd]

This was hard but fun work,man! Plus that photo was taken at a WW 2 Canteen - he's a master jitterbugger and he's got little Tallulah Bankhead over HIS head! He was probably dancing all night because that was his job.

[irishbois]

forget that how did they deal with out it throughout history

[Direness]

They were using deodorants back in the late 1800s, so I'm very sure they had them during the 40s, especially since I've seen numerous advertisements for them from that time period for "Mum" and "Ban-o-dor." Not to mention they had sweat guards that could be sewn or safety pinned into clothing. Dancing makes you sweaty, even with modern antiperspirants. Swing dancers know this and bring several changes of shirts.

[McFlymcflangie]

@rayodelsol80 You have no idea what you are talking about. Apperantly you´ve never been to a party or celebration before. So sad.

[Mcoov]

@rayodelsol80 It takes A LOT of effort to dance like that. I should know. But it sure as hell is FUN!

[edgrosso]

There is dance within jitter bugging know as Peckin'. Dancers would make motions like kissing one another as their heads would bob back and forth from one side their partner's head to the other to the other...like giving a "peck" on the cheek. I danced many times to Goodman's peckin' but I never did the peckin' thinig. Too dangerous.

[NaptownStomp]

@edgrosso Peckin, while seeming smiliar to a peck or kiss, actually stems from 20s animal dances such as camel walks, turkey trot, the snake, and the fox trot. Peckin is meant to resemble Bird like behavior.

[kspm01]

Brilliant!

[camille885]

In effect, the 2nd World war brought Jitterbug in Europe, in a point such as in France in 1945, the famous singer of swing Johnny Hess sang " Je suis Jitterbug ". Thank you for your precision!

[beeswaxer]

thses guy's were wilder than rock and roll

[genia106]

Great song!

Boy, if I ever were to put whiskey, wine and gin within, shake it up and then begin..... I would have to be taken to the emergency ward!....and there would be no dancing for a long time! :(