THE JESTERS - 01/11/1934

THE JESTERS

Duration: 03 mins 54 secs
Black & White with Sound

American comic trio The Jesters impersonate famous US radio singing stars.

Titles read: "NOW Pathe Pictorial has pleasure in presenting - THE JESTERS - The famous American Comedy Team in their burlesque of American Broadcasting".

Pathe Studio, London.

Various shots of The Jesters, three men in white tie and tails, standing around a microphone with a grand piano in the background. They introduce some popular American radio stars and impersonate singers Bing Crosby, Morton Downey's little brother, Upsidedowney, Russ Columbo, Katy Smith, Scram Sam (?) and Arthur Tracy. They make much of the different sponsors of each star - it's quite funny.

They finally do a good impression of the Mills Brothers singing a fast version of "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You".

Note: snatches of songs heard in the impressions are 'When The Blue of the Night', 'Carolina Moon', 'You Call It Madness', 'When The Moon Comes Over The Mountains' and 'Marta'.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• impersonate
• Pathe
• PathePictorial
• jesters
• thejesters
• Croon
• Crooners
• Singers
• crosby
• russcolumbo
• katesmith
• arthurtracy

[laughingsal]

great stuff- but wish you could lose the title on top.

[furlight]

um?

what title??

THE JESTERS - 01/11/1934

??

Is there anything I can do??

Please let me know : )

~confetta

[rnchy]

What fun, i never heard of these Brits!

[howiekim25]

an absolute treat....we need more like it!

[TheWhatsinaname]

@laughingsal Unfortunately the name of this early British Pathe production, or soundie (early music video) was: THE JESTERS -- and furlight couldn't have provided anymore of a title to it.

[CarlDuke]

These guys are great.

[Willtap]

Great Fun. Absolutely Brilliant, certainly capturing

the voices and the style. Excellent

[BaltoJoey]

Singin' Sam (The Barbasol Man) was a radio singer sponsored by Barbasol shaving cream.

[unclealand]

Thanks for the paragraph, but everyone I've shown this clip to agrees that they were VERY VERY similar, from the costumes to the patter to the choice of songs. Doesn't mean they weren't fun. Just derivative.

[nedsparks]

The group in this clip is one of several, worldwide, that called themselves "The Jesters." The Jesters in San Francisco were given the name by announcer/ producer David Fowler, who encouraged them to form a trio to sing with Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Fowler originally called them the "Royal Jesters," and they did not fashion themselves after the group in this clip. And their sponsor was Peps-O-Lux.

[HarborGuy]

Great fun thank you, is the "MC" Groucho?

[tdub1941]

Great stuff - I love it!

Tom Warner = tdub1941