Django Reinhardt on BBC TV

Teddy Dupont

Svanis1337 wrote: »

It states that her father Harry Davis is the guitarist.

He did sometimes play the guitar as well as lead the band but I don't know what he looked like. It does look like Beryl Davis singing though.

Steveareno

Thanks Teddy, that clip rocks. Whoever it is playing the sock rhythm on that Gibson archtop is giving it the business. If that's Beryl singing, she reminds me a bit of Janet Klein (and her parlor boys).
Swang on,

Teddy Dupont

Harry Davis was apparently a very tall guy and the one playing the guitar does look tall (if you can look tall sitting down) and does have similar features to Beryl. So I think there is a good chance that is him.

I've checked with the BBC archive and they have no notes on the 1938 TV program shown in the Radio Times as being aired on 3rd August. So it was probably never broadcast. ~X(

Teddy Dupont

As I understand it, all BBC TV programs had a broadcast log called a "PasB"' (Programme as Broadcast) that gave the precise running order and programme information for that day. All the other Django TV programs I've traced had one. It seems the 3rd August, 1938 program does not appear on the PasB for that day and therefore presumably was not broadcast.

Since it was intended to be only 10 minutes, I would doubt this was to be a live program. That is surely just too short to make it worthwhile and the chances of getting Django up and performing at 10am were pretty remote. I assumed it was the Le Jazz Hot video which I think Lew Grade's company commissioned to promote the Quintette's 1938 UK tour. If so, I had hoped the PasB would have told us more about that film which is still shrouded in mystery.

This says 1939 but I think it could be 1938:-

Svanis1337

One thing we can't rule out is that the film and perhaps also the documents were stolen. How else would the film end up where it did? Unless copies were made, or it was sold or given away when the company that owned it closed. There are lots of possibilities.

The film wasn't discovered in an archive and was completely unknown to have been made. Why? If it was only intended as sort of an advertisement, perhaps the BBC didn't care much for it and thus don't have any information. What's strange is that the film has a title, but no mention of the producers. The film is just a big oddity.

It was probably made by a small independent studio, making short films and advertisements. The narrator is slightly unprofessional though, and sounds nothing like your standard narrator around this time. It if was a small studio, it makes it even harder to reveal the identity of the films' producers.

An unbelievable scenario would be that the film was lost before it was supposed to air.

Steveareno

Le Jazz Hot is quite a production. Certainly makes you wonder about the funding and intention? Like you blokes are saying...a bit of a mystery. I assume it was played at cinemas before the main feature, in between the newsreels, cartoons and coming attractions, in order to promote the quintette's appearances. There must have been very few television sets in the UK (or anywhere else) at that time. What was the reaction like of the original viewers? Sure beats the hell out of my current choice of over 100 channels. That's a very clean print. Better than the last time I watched. Thanks for posting.
Swang on,

spatzo

According to Serge Bromberg the "Jazz Hot" film was a professional production involving several cameras and was probably shot by the BBC Film Section.
I once found the database of their films in 1938 and 1939 but couldn't find any hint about Jazz Hot. It should be interesting to watch what was the 230 footage of the Stars in Your Eyes.
I was not able the other day to find it again.
I am absolutely sure that the 10 minutes show of the BBC wasn't live but was the 10 minutes reel of Jazz Hot with 3 tunes as Delaunay already said.

Svanis1337

If you look at the way this was put together: youtube.com/watch?v=42ncxejJTdc and this: youtube.com/watch?v=8a3y5IMXM-0

Here is the final result of the Tatum footage after they mixed all the takes together:

youtube.com/watch?v=JycfQd9nk9M

It's possible that Jazz Hot was put together the same way. This is what I believe. It also explains the cuts, and why the sound seems to be synced sometimes and sometimes not. Basically they filmed the same thing several times in different angles using the audio track from one of the takes. When the audio track overlaps the same take which it was sourced from, the sound syncs. When another angle than that is used, they might be playing slightly different and it doesn't sync. I think this is why Delaunay seems to remember there being more than one tune. It was just the same tune with several takes. Django is sitting in different ways between angles, and it seems the audio is sampled from several takes as there are sound inconsistensies between Stéphanes and Django's solo. Most likely so that the sound would match up in the closeups.

Of course it's just a theory. It's kinda hard to explain but after seeing the clips I linked I think you'll understand.

One thing we know is that there was a normal camera on the set, as there is a photo from this session that was published in a magazine, back in the day.

Matteo

The clip with the Romany band is absolutely wonderful, so funny! They all look so happy, in such an innocent way. The way they all move to the rhythm, the total over-kill drum set, the man who carries in the microphone on a stand and disappears to the left just before Beryl starts to sing (but she still has to turn on the newly delivered micro herself), the male singing trio, the fellow to the guitarist's right who doesn't do anything but just sits there as happy as everyone else. What fantastic showmanship! You don't see that too often nowadays.

Steveareno

Thanks Svanis for the Art Tatum clips. Interesting camera angles and re-shoots. Love that Tiny Grimes pickin' on his four string tenor Gibson and Slam Stewart (of Slim and Slam) on bass. Also on the BBC clip, when the vocal trio refers to "music of a hilly billy band".
Swang on,