Michelle Michelle has done it again! I am so happy she suggested this amazing performance from the Nicholas Brothers! I'm sure Alexia doesn't remember this, but I'm sure at some point we must have watched the brothers together, as her grandfather was one of their greatest fans and admirers. We watched "Orchestra Wives" a couple of times, another amazing movie from that beautiful era, also featuring The Nicholas Brothers and their great but painful to watch dance routines as Lex can attest. By the way, if everybody is curious to see what her grandfather looked like back in the 40s, look no further than "Down Argentine Way". His resemblance to actor Don Ameche was uncanny! Later in his acting career, he appeared in the "Cocoon" movies as well as In "Harry and the Henderson's". Thanks again guys and to Michelle Michelle!! 👍
Mario ! 👋 I’m sure Alexia doesn’t remember this, but we were traveling cross country in a ‘39 Buick. We were in search of jazz, swing and jive and we found it all in the Cotton Club. Cab was always happy to see us and the horn section lifted their hats as we took our seats in the audience. But our table was special - Cab would wander by mid-song to let us contribute to the lyrics. He sang, “The Jim jam jump on the Jumpin’ jive …” And Alexia answered, “Makes you dig your jive on the mellow side.” I had just chimed in with, “Hep Hep,” when Alexia jumped onto the next table and gave those Nicholas Brothers a run for their money. Who knew she had taps on those heels ?👠 👠. Wow, those were great times. 💖
Love your comment, Mario! I’m so glad that Alexia is familiar with movies and tv shows from before her time. And I love hearing about her grandfather and his car and General Motors. And Don Ameche is an icon. Thanks! 😊💕
All done in ONE Take!!! The Nicholas Brothers were stunning. I live in LA and just found out that there is a dancing school for kids and adults run by one of the brother's daughters and granddaughter here. I saw them interviewed on TV. Cab Calloway's most famous song is "Minnie the Moocher." He was an incredible entertainer. This clip is from the movie "Stormy Weather" wich also starred Lena Horne, and that was her signature song. During these years, they made some musicals with all-Black casts (such as this one) because some studios made films for all Black theaters and all Black audiences, which is ridiculous, because who WOULDN'T "T be entertained and thrilled by this kind of talent!! We are so lucky these films are preserved.
In the future, I would recommend avoiding “colorized” versions of black-and-white films. It's like defacing a piece of art. There are many musicals in color in the 1940s worth checking out, especially the MGM-integrated musicals from the Arthur Freed unit. This one, Stormy Weather, is from Fox, and they were known for maintaining the vaudeville tradition and keeping most musical numbers confined to the stage, as opposed to meshing the musical number with the narrative.
Considered by most people to be the best dance routine ever by these two brothers...They were still moving smooth as they got old and Cab Calloway was a great performer himself.
This is the type of entertainment we lost with the advent of the television and the video streaming services. A true shame that this type of entertainment is gone.
This performance was incredible, and it was done in ONE take. I remember that from a film history course I took. Harold Nicholas from the Nicholas Brothers was in one of my favorite movies of all time. The Five Heartbeats. As soon as I saw him, I recognized him, even though it was almost 50 years after this performance. He portrayed Ernest "Sarge" Johnson the groups choreographer. And when he danced, he was just as smooth in 1991 as he had been back in the 1940's.
My mom passed away back in 2001, but I remember when she had told me that she had seen the Nicholas Brothers live when she was just a little kid. My grandfather (her dad) took her to New York to see them at the Apollo Theater. And here is something that you'll be surprised by. They did that whole dance scene for the movie in just one take. That shows you just how good they were. You two both had very good reactions to the video.
This is pure joy! So much to unpack here. If you’ve seen the Blues Brothers, you’ve seen Cab Calloway. Stormy Weather was a groundbreaking movie for African-American audiences, and so great to show that clip here. Joe Jackson covered this song on his album Jumpin’ Jive. Way to go Michelle, and great reaction, Nick and Lex! P.S. You may want to fix the spelling of “Nicholas Brothers” in your title.
I was going to direct them to Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive! That's an excellent album dedicated to "jump blues" which was a big band swing groove style. Tracks on the album include Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby, Jack You're Dead (hilarious!), Five Guys Named Moe and Tuxedo Junction. Super great stuff and so well done.
If I didn't know any better, I would have thought this was done with CGI. I love watching other people watch this video and saying "Wow!" when they're only getting started because that's how I was when I first saw it.
What you kids today fail to realize is that EVERY cabaret performance was LIVE. There was NO lip synching to a prerecorded track. Cab Calloway and his Orchestra did entire sets six nights a week, live. The Nicolas Brothers would have performed pared down versions of that number several nights a week, live. Back then, you had to know your stuff, or you wouldn't have a job.
It brings joy to watch your faces! The song was Jumpin’ Jive from 1939! Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra. The film, Stormy Weather was from 1943. I usually prefer black and white but this was the clip I found. And yes, music and dance offers joyful escape from the reality of life. Movies were a big diversion during the war and probably cost less than 50 cents. Lol. Thank you! And Happy Birthday 🥳🎂 to you both! ❤
Great request MM that era was unique with great music and entertainment. A very different time than now. The dancers were unbelievable. The flying crotch buster dance move does me in every time. ❤️❤️
Love this video- I'd seen it before in black and white and with my jaw on the floor during the stairs/splits section! Cab Calloway has long been a favorite, and it is such an amazing thing to see such talented dancers! So glad you introduced our friends to them!! 🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
2 of Cab Calloway's hits are Minnie the Moocher and St James Infirmary. Cab Calloway lasted until 1994, the brothers both lasted into the 2000's, dance is great exercise.
So glad you found this. Simply the greatest Dancers of all time putting together the greatest choreography of all time - and the greatest thing is that NO-ONE today could match this. People always assume that the stars of their own time must be the greatest ever and they rarely are. Mcenroe and Borg would have beaten any modern tennis-player. Anyone who enjoyed this should also check out Cab Calloway's contribution to the movie the Cincinnati Kid. He was a talented actor as well as a great Band Leader.
This clip from the movie is one of my favorite videos ever, it's SO much fun to watch. Just a quick reaction suggestion: "Sing Sing Sing" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, is possibly the greatest Big Band instrumental you've ever heard. In fact, you might have heard it already, it's so famous. It literally Rocks out with the Big Band sound. ❤✌
Great stuff. I love that Lex knows a lot of those old shows and things i grew up watching. I assume she has seen American Graffiti ? If not, that's a good one.
Have to listen to Joe Jackson’s version from his album, Jumpin’ Jive, which many consider the definitive swing album. Of course this is the original and totally amazing. And the dancing is sheer perfection!
My grandfather and my mom taught me a lot of the "swing" moves which I used in the disco era... helped win alot of competitions.... the splits was one of my signature moves. If you are not well warmed up and done your stretch exersizes you can definitely hurt youself... The guys were pros....
The king of scat and the greatest dancing duo. I always got a kick out of the sax player leaning over and one of the brothers swinging his leg not to hit him in the head
The Nicholas Brothers were a great dance pair who spent more time in the air than on the stage, it seemed. And Cab Calloway was no slouch either! This is old time and real jump jive! Thanks for making this reaction video. Cheers and be well.
LOVE Spike and His City Slickers. Spike demanded high level performances from his band. Not only did they have to be thr best at their instruments, they had to have split second timing to pull off a joke, then get back to their instruments. And watching Spike at his props table...the guy was an athlete.
A wonderful request from Michele Michele. Cab Calloway is a blast Jumpin Jive indeed oh boy. So many artists have been influenced from this music. Cab could Scat sing better than anybody. JK already pointed out his contribution in the blues Brothers, where he performed mini the moocher. Great to see Nick and Lexi‘s face shine brightly and make gasping Sounds with the flying crotch buster dance move happened repeatedly. Hard to walk after witnessing that but I can sing soprano now. Fun stuff keep them coming.👍👍
So Stormy Weather is the movie this is from and had a lot of the great black artists of the time. Notice what they are doing with their hands when they do the jumping splits down the stairs - they catch themselves a bit.
The zoot suit was introduced in LA by Hispanics and Black men, in 1942 the year BEFORE this movie was made, they were outlawed by the War Production Board as being a waste of materiel. This suit was also worn in the 1930's.
This performance was done in one take. Both the Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway were just about the best there ever were in their respective fields. Callaway was actually one of the last surviving master jazz singers. Unfortunately, the Nicolas brothers aren’t OK. They’re both dead, but it had nothing to do with this performance I don’t think. Lol.
B.t.w. have you heard Ksenia Buzina do Superstar ? French horns, clarinet and all. A fine tribute to Karen Carpenter. In my humble opinion, done perfectly.
Imagine the amount of practice and choreography and athleticism that had to go into the Nicholas Brothers' routine. Cab Calloway and the band were smokin' too!
I’m glad to see that you two young people do not romanticize the past. Things were simpler back then but at the same time people across the country struggled just like people struggle today. Like you said, there was a war going on at that time so people have a certain mindset because their loved ones were being killed in a foreign country. Also during that time a lot of things that we consider crimes today were not crimes back then such as domestic violence And child abuse. Sexual abuse was so taboo to talk about that even is known, no one would help the victim. It was kept hush-hush because people didn’t talk about such things. Most people made the best of what ever circumstances they were in. That’s all you could do.
I love the golden age of swing. Its regrettable we dont have big bands like Count Basie's Orchestra around any more. I watched the original B&W Stormy Weather because of Fats Waller. Lena Horne and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson had memorable performances. The plot itself was a bit thin
There are big bands around, just not as many. My husband plays bass in one, and they play a wide range of popular and obscure songs from that era- Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tad Dameron, Louis Prima, the Dorsey brothers, etc.🙂
I think the word you’re looking for is…..elegant. The women were all slim an impeccably dressed,the guys were stylish and sharp and the vibe was happy. Great stuff.
This is pure entertainment and of the type that enthralled my Father and his generation. A friend of mine took my Dad to a concert he did in his later years I think at Disneyland. I had to work so I couldn't go. My dad was on one of his visits from England. To see CC live meant so much to him.
This is the perfect example of the phrase they don't make them like this anymore, and it makes me so sad that we have lost the joy in entertainment that we had back then, what have we replaced entertainment like this with, reality tv and talent shows, so so very sad, the big band jazz era was such a great time. Another great Cab Calloway clip is him signing Mini the Moocher towards the end of the Blues Brothers movie when he was 73 years old and it is impeccable. I think I must have been born 40 years too late (in 1967) to appreciate the greatness of the Jazz age.
Sometimes the price of fame is too great. Amazing, but I would rather be me. Nice reminder though that in the past, they knew how to have a good time. It isn't a recent invention.
I know you don’t watch many videos but two I would highly recommend would be Jeff Healy “see the light” from a 1980’s television broadcast and his performance with Stevie Ray Vaughan doing “Little Sister”. Either of them will blow you away.
This routine was recorded in one take. The Nicholas Brothers were the best to ever do it. Sadly, they didn't get the spotlight they deserved in movies due to the times. Today is better than yesterday even with all the problems in the world.
The Nicholas Brothers are the Real Kool Kings of Dance and Class! dancers Fred Astaire nor Gene Kelly could touch the Nicholas Brothers in performance. (don't get me wrong Astaire & Kelly were good) however, the Nicholas Brothers were great! Due to racism & bigotry in America! Majority of white dancers were seen on tv shows and placed in many movies becoming moving stars! NicknLex, by the way doing the splits was easy I could do it in my early thirties! it takes flexibility & knowing how to land! Watch the scene again, look were they placed their hands : - ) as they are coming down to the floor they push off from the floor with their hands with the right timing. It's that easy, now you know. One more thing those are real black soldiers during world war l l in America's segregated military!
This is the type of entertainment we lost with the advent of the television and the video streaming services. A true shame that this type of entertainment is gone.
There's a lot of bad things going on today as all through time. People back then endured despite their circumstances and our people didn't let racism deter their goals and success. It wasn't all Jim Crow and racism, mainly in the north and south. Regardless black American still prospered and had strong families. Today, black culture is in far worse shape today than back then.
Everyone focuses on the splits themselves. What about the power in their legs just sliding back up to standing? It seems to me that it has to be so much harder to get back up so smoothly. Amazing ability!
Yes! Most people see the splits and think what they would do to a non-dancer. They were consummate dancers and of course knew just how to do them without injury. But the way they would come up out of the splits was truly unbelievable. As you commented, so smoothly. Simply the best!
Lex likes old movies from the 40s and 50s and old cars? You’re my new BFF. And you like old TV shows as well and what about old radio shows from the 40s and 50s? They’re called old time radio or OTR By the way, my user name is the title of a Joan Crawford movie from the 1940s.
My dad grew up during the swing era and exposed me to many of the big bands. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, etc... Glenn Miller was the one that caught my interest, I think mostly because of The Glenn Miller Story starring Jimmy Stewart. Here's a clip from the movie Sun Valley Serenade featuring his band, the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandrich... and Milton Berle. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V2aj0zhXlLA.html
It's been said countless times that the American movie musicals from the 30s through to the 1950s with the "big band" muscians entertainers were the peak American art form. CRAZY TALENT. Raw and uplifting. Lex and Nick if you haven't yet watch 'Anchor's Aweigh' and 'Singin' In The Rain' starring Gene Kelly. And also 'Swing Time' and 'The Band Wagon' with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Those three were masters of dance and choreography and pioneered so much. I mean, Michael Jackson himself said straight up if it wasn't for Astaire he wouldn't have developed those moves!
If you look very closely you'll see that when they do a split their "vitals" don't touch the ground. The Nicholas Brothers may very well be the greatest dance team of all time as they could literally climb up a wall, do a back flip, and land on their feet.
Everybody in the comments section by now has expressed my same thoughts. All I can say is, "Bravo, Mr. Calloway", " "Bravo, Brothers Nicholas", and "Bravo Michele"!!! 🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
You sure got a show for your $$ back then, didn't ya?! Watched the Music Grammys this year..Nothing even came close to this kind of class/musical/dancing talent. I've only seen a few guys that could do splits like that...(James Brown and Middleweight kickboxing champ Bill "Superfoot Wallace (1973-1980, 24-0, many fight highlights available on utube) . Also gladdens me knowing after the swing era ended, lots of these great musicians got jobs working at Hannah-Barbara and Warner Bros studios, playing on thousands of cartoons. Loved the awe in your faces watching this one!
I Love Love Love Love Love The Nicholas Brothers!!!!! I Am A Huge Fan!!!!! I Grew Up Watching And Falling In Love With Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire Etc. And I Started Tap Dancing At The Age Of 3 Years Old And I Am Now 39 Years Old And I Am Still Tap Dancing Today!!!!! I Have Now Been A Tap Dancer For 36 Years!!!!!
It's very ironic that during that time we were behaving "properly", respectful, well-manner, dressing immaculately...but we still were getting lynched.
Cab Calloway wanted to have several rehearsals because of the complexities of the routine but the brothers told him not to worry about it, just play the music once through with them and they'll be fine. SO they did IN ONE TAKE
Hi Nick & Lex, I'm a minute older than you two😂soI've seen this many years ago, when it was still old😄, and of course Cab Calloway is also Wonderful but this was So Exciting Entertainment😁
Hi Guys, I remember as a kid watching Cab Calloway. It was the song "Minnie The Moocher" that was the most famous and I'd seen many times on tv. I have not seen this before. I think you can guess where they got the idea for "I want to be like you" from Jungle Book. Great music because I also like The Glen Miller Band, but the dancing is on another level. Extraordinary skills. What a brilliant request Michele, and showing that this channel really will checkout so much more genres than any other reaction channel..... & Ooo my eyes are watering ! 😳 There is a movie on the subject Nick was speaking of called "The Green Book" [2018 ] I cannot recommend enough. A true story that is an incredible watch, about a working-class Italian-American bouncer who becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South. Seriously amazing how .. they were both treated. I love retro like Lex. Sometimes I wish I was born then. Mind you .. the 70's was the best in every way as a teenager.....and not a smart phone in sight. Real physical friends. This reaction was great. I enjoyed this immensely, thankyou ! Jim X
Also one of the Nicholas Brothers was married to Dorothy Dandridge. One of the most beautiful black women of this time besides Lena Horne. There is a movie about Dorothy Dandridge starring Halle Berry
6:00 It was 81 years ago that the Nicholson Brothers did this stunt, and it is still utterly amazing. I've tried to understand how it's even humanly possible. Fayard was 5'4" and Harold was 5'2". I think their light weight was a very important factor.
The Nicolas Brothers were huge stars. They were filthy rich from their performances from a young age even during the depression because they were so in demand. Considered to be the best dancers of their time by many.
"STORMY WEATHER" was the name of the movie that this clip is from, from 1943. World War II was going on at the time this was made. I MISS tap dancing, it's such a dying art now. My dad was in BIG BANDS during the late '40s and early '50s, he played clarinet, saxophone, flute and violin. So this reminds me of my Dad in this era, and when I was a little girl (I was born in 1947) and before I started school, my dad was a full time musician and the Big Band he was in, would tour the South in the winter months and play the BIG BALLROOMS in the large hotels that were popular at that time. He always took my mom and I along on these tours. I don't remember any other band members bringing their child along. He continued playing until he was 98, he died when he was 102 in 2020. I LOVE all the movie musicals from the '30s, '40s, and '50s. I think ALEXIA would LOVE watching some of those movies with all the great dancing done by Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Syd Charise, and so many others. Just beautiful. I think she would love to see some of the BUSBY BERKLEY musicals from the '30s and the gorgeous costumes and intricate dance routines done by many many women. NOTHING like that any more, and VERY complex Yes, you mention how everyone is dressed, that is how it was and even into the '50s and '60s. We were always dressed up when we went out of the house, to the supermarket, shopping downtown (no malls then) in the big department stores, going out to dinner, even if it was a casual dining place, to school, to the doctor, dentist, train trips, on the airlines. Now in the last 30 years or so, our dress as become more and more casual (no matter where we are going , with maybe a few exceptions) to almost "slovenly" LOL ! I mean, seriously, I have seen people in the stores wearing pajamas and or slippers, or just outfits that you wonder WHY they are going out of the house in them! I don't know, it just seems that back when I was a child in the late '40s and '50s, a teen in the '60s, turning 21 in 1968 and young adult through the late '70s people cared what they wore out in public, and tried to look thei best. I am glad I grew up during those periods. I miss those days, too much technology now for me, it's a little scary.
You should try others like Calloway's Minmie the Moocher; Fiddler on the Roof; Singing in the Rain, & Sound of Music. Lots of Joy in those old classics.
I love old movies and old cars too, maybe cos I am old (just turned 77) because the cars in those periods looked DIFFERNT from each other, today, all the cars look basically the same to me, they are boring.
