Jumpin Jive - Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers

[strawberries404]

WOW!!!!!! The don't have words in English to express how well that was done. I'm sending this video to my mother. And they were fine, too.

[KnightmareDub]

gramatik!

[tmacart]

For you youngters out there. These are real dancers.This is called TALENT...THESE ARE ENTERTAINERS...LIVE BAND, REAL MUSICIANS PLAYING- GREAT TIMING, DANCING, with athleticism. Never get tired of watching this. Nobody alive now can do this.

[pittsburghmuggle]

That was awesome. Came here because I ws reading Stephen Ambrose's DDay book and read that the air troops who were delayed watched this movie, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. When I saw that Fred Astaire had been impressed by this sequence, I had to see it for myself. Awesome!

[rachegar]

Ok this is where it all began...

[gpcolucci]

THIS WAS AN ERA WHEN BLACK MUSIC RULED,YOU CAN'T COMPARE C(RAP) OR HIP HOPE SHIT TO THIS..THIS IS TALENT..THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS ARE AMAZING...PLEASE GOD..BRING THIS ERA BACK WHEN EVERYONE WASN'T TRYING TO BE A BAD ASS GANGSTER AND MUSIC WAS FUN...NO ONE CAN MATCH THE TALENT OF THESE MEN NOW DAYS....

[todd11561]

amazing ...... what talented dancers

[woverby1963]

my god ive never seen anything like this! These guys were a super phenomenon, loving this stuff! And they are doing it in coat and tails, amazing!

[DschayBee]

4:12 standing up like a boss

[lesceptique]

Gregory Hines said that a movie couldn't be made of the Nicholas Brothers --because there's no one alive today who can do what they did.

[strawberries404]

@lesceptique I believe it.

[KrazyKartoonKid]

56 people are Lady Gaga worshippers

[JustMeJennyG]

@KrazyKartoonKid I like this & Lady Gaga t-___-t

[1984msmocha]

Amazing dancing....and these guys did it til they were up in age ( the brother on the left mostly was sarge, the choreographer,in the five heartbeats) no one entertains like this anymore.

[26snoopy82]

Man I wish I could dance like that. That's ten times better than how Michael Jackson.

[strawberries404]

@26snoopy82 Michael who? Honey, what Michael did was just walk around. This was real moving and shaking!

[rckmmmm]

THANKS FOR THE GREAT POST. i remember the first time i saw michael jackson dance in the "bad" video. i was amazed. but THIS..........i dont even KNOW WHAT TO SAY. youve done us all a great favor.

[thepoeticamerican]

And now think of entertainers today...

[thepoeticamerican]

And now think of entertainers today...

[monikermike]

I couldn't help but begin to clap with the audience at the end...too awesome!

[Foogayzee]

I say all that like this video start an uprising for a big band revival.

[italianannamaria]

@Foogayzee Did you know that Bruce Springsteen's drummer from the E Street Band, Max Weinberg's first love is the big band era. And he was Conan's band leader for years while he was touring with Bruce. Max started his own big band revival after he was done with Conan.

[blackimpressions]

That was great, BRAVO!!! was he the one in the five heart beats, WOW! all this time I didnt even know that.

[BigBlockTA79]

Cab, his band, the Nicholas Brothers dancing = ABSOLUTELY IMPECCABLE!!!! I thoroughly enjoy watching something like this that the world will never see nor hear the likes of again. 11 on a 1-10 scale!!!

And, thanks for moderating the posts. I wish more would do it. Sometimes censorship is called for.

[BigBlockTA79]

Cab, his band, the Nicholas Brothers dancing = ABSOLUTELY IMPECCABLE!!!! I thoroughly enjoy watching something like this that the world will never see nor hear the likes of again. 11 on a 1-10 scale!!!

[THB79]

You don't see hoofin' like that anymore, anywhere.

[MrBazza86]

Yeah! Entertainment! . . . Sorry for being excited . . . I've been watching X-Factor-type shows for the last 10 years and I haven't seen any!

[Dyesbro]

WOWWWWWWWWWWW

[embracesme]

I love Cab Calloway and the Nicholas brothers

[Yossome]

Imagine all the pussy these guys got.

[sierria64]

@Yossome I READ HAROLD WAXED A LOT OF ASSES IN THE DAY

[idunno22909]

Beautiful work :D 

[shadowgouhl5000]

No one can do the splits like that anymore. You would have to be very flexible.

[jahrastapack]

thats a hepcat right there man

[loveandpeace71]

Woooow. I´m impressed. I had to wait 5 minutes to make a comment. I can´t believe how awesome this was. 

[Dyesbro]

@loveandpeace71 AMEN to that!!! I am in awe. When I think about what we call entertainment now compared to this, I am just in awe. I cant imagine the amount of work and practice and energy this required.

[TheGranule]

Note Cab truckin off stage @ 1:45-1:47

[BLACKIESBOY]

@TheGranule

I wonder where he went...

[AWheel84]

Any dancer worth their salt gives these men credit. Fred A. to Mike J.

[cottoncandycutie02]

i am danceing to that song in dance 2:

[nothosaur]

"The jim jam jump is a jumpin' jive -- makes you like your eggs on the Jersey side."

Does this mean that the jive makes you wake up early enough to eat breakfast in New Jersey before commuting to work in New York City?

Any other ideas?

[BJMallory]

@nothosaur It means you like your eggs "sunny side up." :) Why it means that, I'm not sure. I'm guessing it's because New Jersey is on the eastern seaboard and the sun rises in the east - hence, the expression.

[quixotecroc]

Cab slyly walking out after they start dancing is adorable. This is now their show, man.

And while you can't deny that Fayard and Henry are total champs, you absolutely have to hand it to the band for keeping their cool when there's feet flying and kicking two inches from their faces.

[GypsyFairy85]

@quixotecroc

You mean Fayard and Harold not Henry.

[quixotecroc]

There are so damn many things to love about this video.

The horns at the intro? Man, that is some hot fire already, then Cab spins round at us with "BOY!" and you can tell you're about to get your face rocked!

Then he introduces the Nicholas Brothers and shit gets real.

[sierria64]

damm ..just the shit thats all

[tyrenebanks72]

They are all amazing and full of talent! It is not common to see this type of dancing these days but these guys nail it and smile all the way through :)

[DandyLion662]

Awesome number. I'm going to have to seek out this movie cuz I've seen the Fats Waller pieces and they're great too. What dancers.

[scottjoen]

Fred Astaire called this the greatest movie musical number he'd ever seen.

[shadowgouhl5000]

If they were able to recover from those splits so quickly then they knew what they were doing. I don't think it hurt that much for them.

[songstocherish]

So much energy!

[kjw291]

Real entertainment, I'm happy it was recorded so I can enjoy it over and over!

[MrBeefaroo]

Frankie Boyle brought me here.....

[cacacacosa]

I never thought I'd say this... But I'm here because of Frankie Boyle. Glad I am, tho, great tune.

[GrizeldaGrundle]

This is AMAZING.....you KNOW those splits had to hurt though

[gerrythrash]

That's badass. 

[tilden02]

@gerrythrash That's REAL talent. Where has all the talent gone these days!

[ampeyro]

For a moment i vished to see them fall over the musichans

[Juuuliaaan100]

wanna play fallout 3 ! *-*

[grapefruitssour]

This is how swag was born

[AWheel84]

@grapefruitssour THIS IS "SWAGGER!" Not the shit you see today.

[strawberries404]

@grapefruitssour OH YEAH!!!

[KCTidusProductions]

Cab Calloway, what a great performer!

[artsychild1351]

ok what the Nicholas brothers did, I dont care WHAT era your are in, that shit is DOPE!!!!

[Jazzell815]

dont know who i love more harold or melvin!

[bixntram]

This guy was just pure rhythm underneath all the jive.  He NEVER stopped swinging.

[MsSharikins]

How could anyone not like this?



[Roadmaster97]

Such an inspiration

[seacuc]

There is no one around today, really no one, who is as cool as Cab Calloway & the Nicholas Bothers.

[boysselle]

what happened to black-americans? you guys were full of fun! Now you music talks about sex, etc. Bring your groove back. Saludos, amigos

[tilden02]

@boysselle Sad but good point!

[LampLightZDL]

Gramatik!

[crice6505]

4:01 HOLY TESTICLE TEAR BATMAN!

[TGeniaal]

awesome video thx for ultpoad

[TheJazzlover99]

I love cab calloway, the best scater around.

[TheJpgr1958]

Absolutely breathtaking. Unbelievable. Such class, elegance and grace. 2 giants in the genre of dance. BRAVO!!!!

[purplypassion]

The perfect antidote <3

[cher128bx]

Anyone notice the way the piano player's fingers danced over those keys????!!!!

NO piano teacher can teach that. That is a talent comes from the soul!!!!

[purplypassion]

Damnn! We need this era NOWWW

[gregoryagogo]

Love the deco chandelier!

Love they way they end always with that gesture!

[perosthedog]

You know with a bit more practice those Nicholas brothers could be pretty good at that tap dancing stuff

[coldsoulschmidtbull]

Any one know the name of the song where he says gooba gooba gooba gooba, ahh ahh ahh ahh, aye aye oh??? i cant find it and I really wanna hear it

[aldkdfdj]

thank goodness this was filmed for posterity

[aldkdfdj]

thank goodness this was recorded

[beLfism]

What a fucking genius, holy shit. They MADE THIS SHIT UP. I love jazz, but the math kills me

[COUCHmade]

1:44 Cab... the real SWAG!

[nyaishab]

this is wear hip hop originated from !

[sactiger]

No words... there are no words in human speech to describe this!!

[bentenelevenable]

Is that Nick Cannon playing the drumset at the beginning?

[LiveMusicLove121]

@bentenelevenable Si, Cannon has been alive for 150 years... -.-

[ThomasBCullen]

holy shit. Real entertainment!

[crazybeardave]

Wonderful. Just wonderful. These guys must have Olympian legs- they don't even break a sweat! Harold flirts with girls in the audience with his smile through the whole thing! Staggering skill and talent.

[ninjawraith17]

4:00-4:12

I have no words that are able to do that justice. I can just applaud.

[happybirthdayto007]

woah i was NOT expecting all that........that was so fucking cool :D

[dal4018]

@happybirthdayto007 You mean the leap frog moves they did well SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!

[BLACKREDTAILANGEL]

Harold and Fayard Nicholas.

I remember the first time I saw this clip years ago. I...was...speechless!!. I could watch this all day.

And Cab Calloway!!! The Hi-de-ho Man himself. Check how he walks off to let the Nicholas Brothers do their thing. Soooooo cool!!!

[ldalanejones]

This is music love it.

[ElegantHogg]

Amazing! All the so called 'dancers' we have now don't even come close to the talent and skill of these men! Doubtful that anyone of them could pop up from a full split once let alone multiple times as The Nicholas Bros. do! IMO Kelly and Astaire were not quite as talented as this! LOVE THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS!!!!!

[ancientraver19881989]

great in every possible way

[YamiJ1987]

Fallout XD

[Denisaurous]

they make me feel so happy! haha

[smitten40]

A REAL LEGEND ALL THE BEST, FOR YOU DOUG FASION,,,,, LOVE YOU SO MUCH WOW YOUR SO MISS POPS I MISS YOUR HAM HOCKS,,,,,, BIGGS

[parevhokis]

très bons danseurs les freres Nicolas!!!!!

[lesceptique]

Absolutely astounding. When I see people dancing like this I feel like there's hope for the human race.

[jimaroo100]

I am a real fan of movie dancing. But in my 63 years i never saw the Nicholas Brothers till there was You Tube. Just goes to show you how ignorant I was.

I could watch these two masters dance all night.

Thank you for posting

[Laminad18]

Can anyone tell me what scale this song is in? I am trying to sample it and having a tough time. I think it is some sort of C but not sure if it is blues, minor or major and such.

[zack6849]

i wish music was like this now.... music today is completley ridiculous and is all about sex its pathetic

[SuperNumber777]

*Faints*

So incredible!

Now, however, we only see young folks doing those ridiculous dances like the 'Jerk' and -- and somethin' else. My, have the generations' fallen. I'm gonna learn how to be a Tap-Dancer.

[tilden02]

@SuperNumber777 Where has all the Talent, in general, gone? Glad I can at lease enjoy some of the past stuff. Even though, I'm sure this is only tip of the iceberg. I'll have to really do some hard research to find real talents (from the past).

[DanielGrinovero]

Increíble!!!!!!

[wileywalt]

52 people have 2 left feet!

[rmendel100]

freaking ridiculous good

[woverby1963]

just got this movie, never heard of these guys, they are awesome, the movie is a classic , such good music and dancing, dont make these anymore.

[lostvocals4]

One of the greatest moments in musical film history. Calloway at his peak - a great song done with supreme confidence and cool!

I wonder if his band was augmented for the film with studio players. Anyone know?

[freddyastaire36]

GLORIOUS! The Brothers were TREMENDOUS and not surprisingly, Mr Astaire was RIGHT-ON w/ his comment !

[everybodylovesmybaby]

Ouch! That hurts!

[galaxion500]

those jumping splits still kill me to watch. these guy are a spectacle.

[JRebel617]

Yes I'm black and I rap but I'm so glad blacks brought America away from compositional music, they brought emotion and feeling into music. I love the blues and jazz. Through music blacks expressed themselves and America learned to express themselves as well. The beat generation, hippies and all the other counter culturalism movements after the liberation of blacks were caused mainly from the influence of music, it literally change America! Blacks play a huge role on why America is America today!

[handal1973]

Wish i was on the blacks table there !!!

[ksaaHD]

THAT WAS....FREAKIN AWESOME ! :O

[AcidLifeform]

if aliens will come one day on Earth i will show them this video!

[TheWidowFlannigan]

this is the greatest thing ever. if entertainment were still like this i wouldn't have all that ennui and shit.

[MIXERPILOT1]

THAT...IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheReneex]

Nothing tops this performance. It's a shame that America allowed such a disturbing law as Jim Crow to perpetuate, forcing truly talented African-Americans to accept, only secondary, usually degrading roles in films!

[OBIT3]

I think it was Gregory Hines who said that CGI would have to be used if Hollywood ever decides to do a movie on the lives of the Nicholas Brothers, because no dancers alive would be able to duplicate their moves.

[sierria64]

ASTAIR , KELLY AND EVEN POWELL HAD TO GIVE IT UP .. THE BEST DANCE EVER FILMED IN THE MOVIES

[2tim149]

1 of my Fav movies of all time. I can watch this routine over & over & always get hyped.

[flammasherman]

@2tim149 Yes, totally agree, I have to get a fix at least once a week of this masterpiece, wish I'd been in the audience !.

[Kaleestraza]

Tailcoats are the shit.

Also, 4:01

[handal1973]

Wish i was there ! golden days .

[kathrynmarie20]

wholy smokes that was way cool.. ha very great dancing and good for the men that did the crazy splits on count and never behind

[Lalaloveits]

51 people are jealous of his moves cause there white.

[mattmarblo]

nick cannon get of those drums

[sevenbegore]

Man I just love the showmanship of the musical performances back in the swing era. Time when you could bust a leg singing for a living.

[asada6]

Doesn't get any more cooler than Cab

[xHolyCrapx]

Fantastic!

[invalid937]

That sax player in the front did not like those dancers jumping over his head. hahahah

[UnexistedWords]

grammatik

[azindn]

That is some serious tapping and splits.

[TrollAttack1]

wow.

[abikelpie]

I wince every time they land. and I'm a girl...

[ImLiezer]

thats musik!

[oneluv72]

THIS WAS DONE IN ONE TAKE!!!!!!

[the44118]

For a moment I wished I was born in that era after watching this until I remembered I was black!

[lnm00996]

@the44118 LOL Ok!! The way they were laughing, dancing and just living life. It could ALMOST make one forgot what an awful and disturbing period that was in American history.

[05alexandrou]

@the44118 Unfortunately back then black people had some rights restricted, cause whites were stupid and thought blacks were bellow them. Dark era if you asking me, but the music was amazing!

[dal4018]

@the44118 Join the club too bad this isn't color would be perfect.

[AppleSouffle]

The44118, even back then, you could have moved to Europe. Even in the 1940s, in most European countries there was much less prejudice against people of African ancestry, except Germany.

The Germans were nasty, even to each other! During the war, German people spied on each other and reported their neighbors to the Gestapo for not being German enough or pro-Nazi enough. That was worth a no return trip to a concentration camp.

[ihopetowin]

@the44118 They rose above all that rubbish and hatred. Let them be a reminder to all of the power of poise and grace.

[chettmansberger]

@the44118

A very sad fact of that era. But for what it's worth, when my Dad (white) toured one-nighters with Big Bands in the 30s & 40s, the whole band frequently and gladly stayed in cheap motels out of town, rather than hotels for "whites only"

If one member wasn't welcome, then they ALL marched! Musicians then and now, are family. As Dad put it, "If they could swing, they were AOK. Black, white, green, purple... who cares? A good person is a good person!" He taught us well.

[g0nz01984]

@chettmansberger

beautiful message! Hope their message lives on! If only! Thank you.

[chettmansberger]

@g0nz01984

Thank you, and I'll do my best 'til my dying day, to spread that word. It's just skin, for Heaven's sake, and we all have it. It's the people we are inside of it who count!

[thea1mweb]

@chettmansberger tl;dr

[skasha99]

@chettmansberger - ...... and music has brought us all closer and has enlightened us all in someway.

The only thing that makes me sad is that artist nowadays are selling sex and violence more than true talent.

[dal4018]

@chettmansberger Your father was great man too bad there weren't more like him in this country

[chettmansberger]

@dal4018

Bless your heart! Yes, he was a great man and father. A musician for 70+ years. Played with Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and so many others. When we lost him two years ago, he'd lived a wonderful life of 93 years.

If you'd like a treat, youtube Zeke Zarchy. My cousin did an interview as a college project years ago, and it's filled with nothing but fabulous memories, photos, and forties music that he played in (as a background). Happy Holidays!

[KrazyKartoonKid]

@chettmansberger Your dad's a hero. Especially now that we're living in a society where it's every man for himself

[chettmansberger]

@KrazyKartoonKid

Dear Kid,

Bless your heart! Yes, Dad was able to see into who a person really was for all his 93 years, and passed that gift of love and knowledge onto his kids. If you look up "Zeke Zarchy" on Y.T., you'll see what I'm talking about. It was an interview one of our cousins did as a film-making project, and the photos and backgroud music are pure classics.

Happy New Year, and all the best thoughts to you and yours! :>

[ZannieDibiase]

@the44118 lol...

[lisalvjones]

@the44118 another reason i wouldn't want be born in that era is because Jesus Christ the competition was stiff. Everyone was exceptionally talented. Imagine having to perform after them..artist now would be boo'ed to death.

[DatingZion]

@the44118 Hey! Thanks the the mafia, black folks were quite respectable at the cotton club--as long as they didn't mix with the white patrons. Cab Calloway though was quite an entertainer and I'm sure it didn't matter to anyone who he spoke to.

[pauldavidclub]

Well, it actually wasn't ONE take, as a previous comment states, there are more than a few cuts during the Nicholas' Bros dance routine, but it's still fab!

[cher128bx]

There is nothing, absolutely nothing in our culture today that can compare to the genius of these performers.

They were, and still are, our American trophies.

[rexkid]

@cher128bx closest dancers i would say to match these guys would be a duo called hilty and bosch out in japan...but they're still nothing compared to these guys

[Kryptonitexxxxx]

those splits down the stairs...oh gosh. O.o

[Kryptonitexxxxx]

the guy on the drums looks like nick cannon.

[Cyndova1]

@Kryptonitexxxxx

The guy on the drums is J. C. Heard, he was my father in law.

[CaliforniaAfrican]

My people gave this world some beautiful culture: tap dance and jazz.

[MrFinalSlam]

this was back when you HAD to be awesome at your job. now look at us...

[vargavision]

@MrFinalSlam Amen dude. Amen.

[Psychohistorian42]

Amazing. Was looking for the bit Calloway did on Sesame Street, but remembered how epic this number was.

[skatykt]

I sometimes forget that music is playing because my brain is freaking out on how amazing the Nicholas brothers are.

[yam83]

Phenomenal!

[COSIMAROB]

ARTE PURA,SONO FANTASTICI

[Miniumette]

God? He cant tap dance!

Let's not deny these boys credit for their own hard work and dedication.

[Rosalila]

the annotations were a great addition to this video <3

[KimMessengerOfRap]

NOBODY BUT GOD CAN BLESS SOMEONE WITH TALENT LIKE THAT! WOWWWW!

[QPRTokyo]

just fantastic

[fightnatic]

50 people mistook the dislike button for dis-i-like

[valigott]

@fightnatic ou, seems like you're not funny :(