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Did you know
- TriviaA sign in the nickelodeon states that Enlargements are 20 cents. This would be equivalent to about $3.70 in 2020.
- SoundtracksWail of the Winds
(1935) (uncredited)
(Red Nichols' theme song)
Music by Harry Warren
Performed by Red Nichols & His World Famous Pennies
Published 1939 by Witmark & Sons
Featured review
I suggest you first have a few beers and try to relax...THEN watch this short. If that doesn't work, try more beer!
"Red Nichols & His World Famous Pennies" aren't exactly a household name today, but they are featured in this obscure Vitaphone short. It begins with a lady at a nickelodeon putting coins in the machines and cranking them. What's weird is that music, too, comes out of them and each time she goes to a different machine, it's a way of introducing the next musical number. The idea is pretty clever. Unfortunately, most of the songs are pretty poor. One in particular, however, is a standout. The song "Sleepy Time Down South" is amazing and a product of its time. The song is a very patronizing song in which blacks are called 'darkies' and words like 'mammy' abound. It is bound to make more than a few folks mad if they see it today. As for me, I just found it a bit distasteful and dated. Too bad you would probably get fired for showing this to school kids--it is a great illustration of how far we've come as a society and I would love kids to see what was very acceptable not all that long ago. And, you really DON'T have to follow my advice in the summary...but then again, you could!
helpful•02
- planktonrules
- Aug 24, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Melody Masters (1935-1936 season) #5: Red Nichols & His World Famous Pennies
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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