Mills Blue Rhythm Band

This is an excellent Vitaphone short--with great music and terrific dancing. I was surprised, then, that the Mills Blue Rhythm Band wasn't more famous. I'd never heard of them and this is their only credit listed on IMDb. Their music is very typical of the nice stuff that was being performed by other black performers at New York's "Cotton Club" and aside from a few (such as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway), most of the rest have been forgotten. It's a shame, as I really enjoyed this and the great tap dancing.

However, this is a short that some today might take offense to--so I am warning you. One character is the stereotypical black man of the time and at the end, there is a song and dance number with folks decked out in ridiculous supposedly native attire. Aside from putting a bone through all their noses, it couldn't have been much worse. It's a shame as otherwise this is a great short and one that will impress.