WOMAN OF HUGE TALENT

Trumpeter and singer Valaida Snow told many stories about herself. She was a huge star in the 1930s. A set of sides she recorded in 1936-37 London is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature.

PHANTOM DANCER

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week. I’ve been bringing you The Phantom Dancer on radio 2SER, and now online, since 1985.

Listen on-air every Tuesday 12:04-2:00pm AEST (+11 GMT) and online

See this week’s full play list and video of the week below.

VALAIDA SNOW

was the daughter of vaudevillian parents and trod the boards herself at an early age in a duet act with her sister, Lavaida.

Her father was murdered by the Elephant Man in a pay dispute

DANCER

In the early 1920s she blew New York away with her tap dance act.

Louis Armstrong hailed her the greatest performer he had ever seen when he caught her act in a Chicago club. While playing trumpet, she stepped into seven different pairs of shoes in a line, including clogs and Russian boots, in each pair she’d do a different step related to the shoes. Her tap dancing was rated as up there with Bojangles.

WORLD TOUR

In the early 1930s, Valaida toured Asia and Europe, performing in Shanghai, Batavia, Rangoon, the Balkans, Paris and then London. She then starred in a Broadway show with Ethel Merman.

LONDON

Relevant to the records on this week’s Phantom Dancer, Valaida starred in Lew Leslie’s London production of ‘Blackbirds of 1934’. This lead to the Parlophone records I’ll be spinning for you today.

She did return to US for shows in Los Angeles and New York City based on the sell-out shows she’d been doing in London and she sold out shows in the US, too. During her time in LA she claimed to have made movies with Cary Grant and Miriam Hopkins.

GOLD TRUMPET

Returning to Europe she played and recorded again in London. She appeared in Switzerland, Paris and The Netherlands where Queen Wilhelmina presented her with a gold trumpet. In 1939-40 she played and recorded in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

ARREST

Despite the Nazi occupation of Denmark, she returned there in 1941. She was arrested and interned in a Gestapo prison in Copenhagen.

She returned to the US, broken, in 1943, as part of a prisoner exchange.

She never recovered from her Nazi imprisonment, weighing only 70 pounds when she returned to the US. Her incarceration’s debilitationg effect on her health killed her career.

She continued to perform in clubs in the US until she died in the mid 1950s.

VIDEO

This week’s Phantom Dancer video of the week features Valaida Snow singing and playing trumpet on ‘Patience and Fortitude’ on a soundie with the Ali Baba Trio in 1946

13 NOVEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #340
107.3 2SER Tuesday 13 November 2018 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) National Program: ArtSoundFM Canberra Sunday 7 – 8pm and early morning on 24 other stations.
Set 1	Swinging 1940s Radio
Intro + Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby	Shep Fields New Music (voc) Tommy Lucas	‘One Night Stand’ Copcabana NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 9 Aug 1944
The Man I Love	Red Rodney (tp) Gene Krupa Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 31 Mar 1946
9:20 Special + Close	Cab Calloway Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ New Zanzibar New York City AFRS Re-broadcast Jul 1945
Set 2	Sweet Music on 1930s-40s Radio
Open + If You Were Mine	Art Kassels and his Kassels-in-the-Air	Walnut Room Bismarck Hotel WGN Mutual Chicago 1940
Medley	Fairchild and Carroll	WEAF NBC Red 15 Sep 1937
Say Si, Si + Close	Frank Geoghan Orchestra (voc) The Octet	Terrace Room Hotel Statler WHK Mutual Cleveland 5 Apr 1940
Set 3	1940s Variety Show
Theme + La-la-la + Don’t Fence Me In	Victor Arden Stage Band (voc) Chorus and Barry Roberts	‘Manhattan-Merry-Go-Round’ WCEAF NBC NY 12 Oct 1944
I Got Rhythm	The Flexible 5	‘California Melodies’ KHJ Mutual LA 1940s
Send Me Someone To Love + Close	The Little Sisters (voc) Harry Zimmerman Orchestra	‘California Melodies’ KHJ Mutual LA 1940s
Set 4	Dixieland Radio
Have Your Chill	Coots Grant (voc) Kid Sox Wilson (piano)	‘This is Jazz’ WOR Mutual New York City 3 May 1947
Bluein’ The Blues	Preacher Rollo and the 5 Saints	‘Dixieland Club’ AFRS Re-broadcast 5 Sep 1951
Strut Miss Lizzie	Eddie Condon Group	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue Network New York City 17 Feb 1945
Set 5	1930s Swing Radio
Down South Camp Meeting	Benny Goodman Orchestra	Madhattan Room Hotel Pennsylvania WABC CBS NY 20 Nov 1937
Cotton Pickers’ Congregation	Russ Morgan Orchestra	Paradise Restaurant WJZ NBC Blue NY 14 Oct 1938
Bugle Blues	Count Basie Orchestra	Aircheck Savoy Ballroom NYC 30 Jun 1937
The Man I Love	Del Courtney Orchestra	Aircheck Rainbow Room New Kenmore Hotel Albany NY 31 Oct 1938
Set 6	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra 1956 Radio
I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (theme) + Long Sam	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Statler Hotel WRCA NBC NY 1956
Too Close For Comfort	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (voc) Tommy Mercer	‘NBC Bandstand’ NBC Radio & TV NY 1956
Open + Opus Number One	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Statler Hotel WRCA NBC NY Dec 1955
Too Young To Go Steady (voc) Lynn Roberts	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra	‘NBC Bandstand’ NBC Radio & TV NY 1956
Set 7	Valaida Snow
I Wish I Were Twins	Valaida Snow (tp & voc)	Comm Rec London 18 Jan 1936
Where Is The Sun?	Valaida Snow (tp & voc)	Comm Rec London 7 Jul 1937
I Must have That Man	Valaida Snow (tp & voc)	Comm Rec London 8 Sep 1936
Swing is the Thing	Valaida Snow (tp & voc)	Comm Rec London 14 Jul 1937
Set 8	Cardboard Records
Pardon Me, Pretty Baby	Sam Lanin Orchestra (voc) Paul Small	Hit of the Week Records New York City
I Found a Million Dollar Baby	Don Vorhees Orchestra	Hit of the Week Records New York City 10 Sep 1931
Let’s Get Friendly	The New York Twelve (voc) Smith Bellew	Hit of the Week Records New York City May 1931
I’m Keeping Company	Hit of the Week Orchestra (voc) Scarppy Lambert	Hit of the Week Records New York City Aug 1931