The greatest tap dancing act in the movies! They were grown men in this film, 1943. Harold was 22, Fayard was 29. There's a documentary about their lives here on youtube that's worth checking out. So talented! I am a tap dancer and had the honor of meeting them in the 1990s.
Cab and his big band was the house band at the Cotton Club in Harlem back then. Amazing musicians. Listen to their feet...they are adding percussion sounds in time with the band. From the film "Stormy Weather". Lena Horne made the title song her trademark. She was my dad's favorite singer of all time.
So glad you gave this a shot. They stepped all over that stage. People of color just different... Cab Calloway doing bebop and scat... Basically the foundation of hip hop. Salute Queen 👑
Finally!! You see black excellence. I have been waiting for you to react to these brothers. These brother's have been dancing together since they were kids.
JT You've entered into the world of Swing music the Bandleader the conductor of the band and vocalist was Cab Calloway suave dapper he was it back in the day He had a very trailblazing career in the 30's 40's he was in the Janet Jackson Video Alright in that big white hat also the blues brothers movies. The Nicholas Brothers were stars since they were kids. I'll send you a link when I find it the youngest brother was in movies with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier Uptown Saturday Night and let's do it again and that scene you just watched was from a great movie Stormy Weather I'm glad you enjoyed it
This was amazing. Its hard for great dancers to do that now. The Nicolas Brothers were ahead of their time and legends. Also, Way down Argentina is a good one too. From reports.
That was the Nicholas Brothers…and this was filmed in 1943; and I believe it was shot in one take. I believe they were still in their late teens when they did that.
Harold Nicholas played Sarge in the Five heartbeats but he was with older brother Fayard Nicholas as The Nicholas and him and his brother were in Janet Jackson's Video for "Alright" that feat. HEAVY D. R.I.P to The Nicholas Brothers and Heavy D!
The one that looks familiar to you is Harold Nicholas, the younger of the two. He was also an actor with several films under his belt. If you've ever seen the movie, The Five Heartbeats, he played the choreographer for the group. You should definitely react to their video, "Lucky Numbers," from like 1935. They were little boys, but their dance skills were top-notch.
The Nicholas Brothers are dance GOATS.! This is from the movie Stormy Weather in the 40's. They did this scene in one take. RU-vid has another from them called--- I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.
Check out their dance number with Dorothy Dandridge to the song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" from the film Sun Valley Serenade. That was a primarily white film and the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy's scenes were cut out when the film played in the south.
Thank you for such a positive reaction from someone your age to a performance from mine. I hope you don't take offense at what I am about to say, but be assured it is out of love. I am 80 years old and have been playing jazz since 1949 when I was 6. I played in many venues where I was not only the only white guy in the band, but the only white guy in the building. In the 40's (I was born in 1943) nobody had a TV, very, very few people even had a radio, so the only opportunity they had for entertainment was to dress up "to the nines" as they used to say, and go to a dinner theatre where they could have a meal and dance the night away to music performed by people of this calibre. The people who played this music had begged, borrowed or stolen, an instrument and practiced their asses off until they could play at a level to join a band such as this. Yes, unfortunately it is true that the clubs were strictly segregated. I was never given a hard time being the only white guy there, but I am sad to say that a "colored" musician at the time would NEVER be allowed to play in a white band. In 1961 I enlisted in the US Navy as a musician and was assigned to the Naval School of Music in Washington DC, and one day I was called to the commandants' office. I reported, scared s---less wondering what I had done wrong only to be informed by him that a band playing at a local theatre had a trombonist fall ill and would I be willing to fill in, I said yes, and to my great delight the said band was the Count Basie Band.. Different times, different criteria, but by no means different abilities. I wished you would have commented on the skill of the musicians playing with no auto-tune, or electronic enhancement, but that was expected from those of us in the trenches. Glad you enjoyed this and congratulations on giving a great review. P.S. at 80 years old I am STILL performing.
This was from the movie stormy weather recorded in 1943 and the nicolas brother performed this same routine well into their older years, the two best tap dancers that ever lived.
For your own entertainment, watch the movie this is from, "Stormy Weather". Harold Nicholas was in the movie "Tap" with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. It's also a great movie. There were several other dance legends in it, as well as the introduction of Savion Glover. You need to realize that all of Michael Jackson's best dance steps were lifted from these old Vaudaville entertainers, geniuses all.
1943 WW-2 look at all the men in uniform..this was shot in one take..pure talent, it puts a shame to today’s artists in other words you don’t have nothing on these guys.
One just got educate African American Artist in the Cinema of old. Nicholas Brothers were one of the Best,and lets Not take nothing away from Cab Calloway, he was a True Maestro. No the Nicholas Brothers were doing those beyond their Prime. Cab Calloway was last in the Blues Brothers Film.
He's been in quite a few movies, but I mostly know him for his most famous role as Lil Seymore in "Uptown Saturday Night 😂😂😂 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RSQwE1_1Sk8.html
"First of all that story you just told is bullsh...! ...and third here's a little sumin' for n.....s who loud talk Lil' Seymour!!" Loved him and Big Percy 😂
I'll tell you one you need to check out....Nicholas Brothers, Down Argentine Way.....Stormy Weather (Jumpin) Jive was the best, but Down Argentine Way you will not be disappointed.
Because of the racial prejeduice back then, I wouldn't want to live in that era. But it's nice to know the brothers and sisters back then had The Cotton Club. If was THE place to be..If Cab and his Orchestra wasn't tearing up the joint, It'd be Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong or Chick Webb making life a little less tough for my Grandparents, who went there lots.
I wouldn't say they had the Cotton Club. Blacks were entertainment for white people at the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was segregated and did not "cotton" to black people. I think at a time or two they allow a huge black celebrity to enjoy the show.
Sure wish she had put the reaction video on a bigger screen, should be the other way around that little postage stamp screen is hard to watch - instead shes got herself full size, WTH??
