Oct. 2, 2026

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/2/26 Edition

Show Notes
Transcript

On this week's show: songs about a high-octane drink, an article about Glenn Miller in Hollywood, a Dutch Bandleader, and how many bass players you can fit on a street corner. All this and much more on today's edition of the program.

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It's make-believe ballroom.

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Time Put all.

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Your cares away All the bands are here To bring

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good cheer your way It's make-believe ballroom time And free

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to everyone It's no time to fret, your dial is

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set for one. Just close your eyes and visualize in

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your solitude. Your favorite bands are on the stands and Mr.

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Miller puts you in the mood. It's make-believe ballroom time.

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We are of sweet romance. Here's your make-believe ballroom.

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Come on, children, let's dance, let's dance.

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Hello, world. I'm Jeff Bressler, turning on the lights of

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the make-believe ballroom and welcoming you into my crystal studio

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for another program of classic big band music from the

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1930s and 40s. Please get ready. I've got an amazing

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lineup of jazz, swing, blues, and boogie-woogie favorites coming your way. Friends,

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you're listening to the Make-Believe Ballroom, broadcasting almost continuously since 1935,

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and proud to be America's third longest-running musical radio program.

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And welcome, welcome, welcome. It's so wonderful to have you here.

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Tuning into the ballroom again this week. I hope you're

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having a great day. To make your great day even better,

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I present to you Mr. Will Bradley and Mr. Ray McKinley.

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Heard a hundred bands a-playing saw a million shadows swaying

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everyone was hip hip hooray and i was swinging a

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dream mr moon was singing sonnets making eyes at all

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the comets All the stars wore blue Easter bonnets. I

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was swinging a dream. I saw the little dipper cutting

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a Persian rug.

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Even the daddy dipper turned out to be a jet above.

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Just about when day was breaking, seemed as though the

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earth was quaking.

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I awoke and lay there shaking. I was swinging a dream.

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Thank you.

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Great track right there, Swingin' a Dream, recorded on the

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Vocalion label in 1939 by Will Bradley and his orchestra,

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with Ray McKinley stepping out from behind the drums to

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handle the vocals on that one. Folks, why don't I

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stay right here with another classic from Will Bradley and

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Ray McKinley, co-written by the great Don Ray, along with

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Huey Prince and Ray McKinley. Don Ray was a master

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at capturing hip, rhythmic slang, and in 1940, he took

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inspiration from Southern barrel house piano players, boogie-woogie players, from

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the 20s and 30s to write Beat Me Daddy 8

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to the Bar. Now, when Bradley's band cut it for

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Columbia in May of 1940, Freddie Slack's Boogie Woogie Piano

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and Ray McKinley's effortless vocal that you're about to hear

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turned it into an instant million-selling Boogie Woogie classic, and

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here it is.

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Oh, baby, daddy, hey, to the box.

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In a little honky-tonky village in Texas, there's a guy

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who plays the best piano by far. He can play

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piano any way you like it, but the kind he

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plays the best is eight to the bar.

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When he jams, it's a ball.

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He's the daddy of them all. The people gather round

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when he gets on the stand. Then when he plays,

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he gets a hand. The rhythm he plays puts the cats.

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In a trance.

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Nobody there bothers to dance. And when he jams with

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a bass and guitar, they holler, oh, beat me, daddy, hey,

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to the bar. A blink, a plank, a blink, plank, blink, plank,

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plunking on the keys. A riff, a rap, a riff, rap, riff, rap,

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rippin' out with ease. And when he jams with the

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bass and guitar, they holler, oh, beat me daddy, hey,

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to the bar.

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Oh, Venus, Freddie, hate to the bottom. Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Â© BF-WATCH TV 2021.

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That was Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar, cut

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back in May of 1940 on Columbia Records by Will

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Bradley and his orchestra. Unmistakable piano work there by Freddie

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Slack with Ray McKinley pulling double duty on the drums

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and vocals. What a rhythm and what a record. You're

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listening to the Make-Believe Ballroom coming to you today from

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the Crystal Studio. And now a Fats Waller tune performed

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by Larry Clinton and his orchestra, along with the vocal

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by Butch Stone. A song with the bizarre title of

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Abercrombie Had a Zombie. There's got to be a great

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story behind that title. There is. And I'll tell you

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the meaning of the tune after the record.

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Abercrombie Vanderslice the Third Was a Casper milk toast if

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you ever saw one.

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There are lots of stories going round.

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I heard.

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Oh, he's not the same as he used to be.

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Abercrombie had a zombie.

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Dear me.

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Abercrombie was so meek and quiet. Abercrombie was the tea

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room type. Oh, you'd never think he'd start a riot.

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Then Abercrombie had a zombie. Abercrombie never stole a handsome.

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Abercrombie never did a bump. Never thought of crawling through

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a transom. Then Abercrombie had a zombie. He never sassed

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a cop. passed a stop.

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He never drove a car into the Astor Bar. He

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never tried to wade into the Aquacade. He was just

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a Nicky, I'm afraid, but like that other famous sinner,

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Abercrombie met his Waterloo. He's the man who didn't come

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to dinner, cause Abercrombie had a zombie, or was it two?

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Abercrombie never hit Jack Dempsey Abercrombie never cut a rug

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Never tried to be a nightclub MC Then Abercrombie had

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a zombie Abercrombie never climbed a steeple Abercrombie never heaved

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a brick And he never went on We the People

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Then Abercrombie had.

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A zombie He never played roulette.

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He never made a bet.

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He never learned to fly or gave a blonde the eye.

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He never paid a fine or led a conga line.

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He was just a comic valentine. At times the slowest

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horse gets racing. Abercrombie's no exception then. He's as daring

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as that guy Dick Tracy. Since Abercrombie had a zombie

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or was a ten.

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That was Larry Clinton and his orchestra with Abercrombie Had

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a Zombie from 1940, penned, as earlier mentioned, by the

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legendary Fats Waller. Leave it to Fats to turn a

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New York bar trend from way back when into a

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hit record. When the notorious zombie rum cocktail swept the

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country in 1939, Waller gave his friend Jack Lawrence a call,

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and the two of them immediately jumped on the craze,

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writing a comedic story about a fellow named Abercrombie, as

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we heard, who had one drink too many and paid

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the price the next morning. Fun bit of 1940 novelty

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swing right here in the Crystal Studio. And as I speak,

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I am looking on Google. Were the ingredients of a

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zombie cocktail? Let's see what all the fuss was about. Oh,

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now I see. It turns out it's three different kinds

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of heavy-duty rum, including 151-proof rum, blended with lime juice, grapefruit, falernum,

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and a hint of herbs and spices. Well, no wonder

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Fats Waller wrote a song about it. Drink one of

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those and you're probably... Well, you're probably dancing the rumble

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with the living room furniture. Drink two, and you'll wake

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up somewhere in the middle of next week. Abercrombie had

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a zombie. Now, we might be talking about zombies today,

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but we certainly aren't walking dead here in the Make-Believe Ballroom.

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We've been coherently broadcasting, well, mostly coherently, ever since... Martin

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Block pioneered the whole DJ format at WNEW radio in

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New York back in 1935. Let's keep the turntable spinning

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with a record. Well, a record that has not often

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been heard. And when that's done, we're unlocking the make-believe

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ballroom mailbag and diving into some of your listeners' letters.

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So don't go away.

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The the the Â© transcript Emily Beynon.

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We can share our trouble all together It's.

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As plain as ABC And.

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You know that it will be much better If.

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You'll only share your love with me We can.

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Even share our hugs and kisses How much nicer.

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That will be And you know that I will always.

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Be near If you'll only share your love with me

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What's the use of our being apart?

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I will never let you go What's.

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The use, dear, of breaking my heart? Surely you will

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always know.

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We could even have a little cottage with a window.

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By the sea.

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And perhaps a cozy little cradle if you'll only share

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your love with me. Thank you.

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That was Share Your Love by the Callie Holden Orchestra,

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recorded out in Hollywood on June the 1st, 1932, featuring

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the Callie Holden Trio on vocal. Now, here's the inside

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story on that side. That record we just heard was

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never released to the general public. Victor Records privately pressed

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the disc. for a Los Angeles song plugger who worked

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for the Gene Johnston Music Publishing House. Now, in those days,

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song pluggers were the ultimate pitchmen for music publishers to

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convince a famous band leader to perform a new song.

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A plugger couldn't just rely on sheet music. He needed

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to prove the tune had potential. And by bringing a

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private demonstration record right into the dressing room or recording

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studio during a break, the plugger could play a full

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recorded band arrangement right there on the spot. I guess

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it was like the 1930 version of a modern demo

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track made purely to turn a new song into a

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smash hit. And lo and behold, Share Your Love did

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not smash, but crashed. into a smoking pile of rubble.

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The song was never recorded by anyone after that demo

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came out. So guys, a few weeks ago on the show,

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I played some music from the movie Sun Valley Serenade,

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and I got quite a few emails from listeners who,

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at my suggestion, watched the film starring Glenn Miller and

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his orchestra and enjoyed it. I received this email from

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Nate Gregg, who listens on the great jazz station WETF 105.7

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FM in South Bend, Indiana, where the Fighting Irish of

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Notre Dame play football and compete in the ACC, the

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Atlantic Coast Conference, against my beloved Miami Hurricanes. So Nate writes, Jeff,

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Loved your segment on Sun Valley Serenade. As a Glenn

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Miller fan, I dug up a newspaper article on Glenn's

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feelings about being in the movie. I think your listeners

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will enjoy it. Thanks, and that's signed by Nate Gregg. And, Nate,

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I will read that article after one by the man himself.

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Thank you. Â© BF-WATCH TV 2021.

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That was Glenn Miller and his orchestra with Slow Freight,

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recorded for Bluebird Records on January the 15th, 1940. And

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speaking of Glenn Miller, I got a wonderful piece here

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from the Make-Believe Ballroom mailbag sent in, as I mentioned

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before the record, by listener Nate Gregg. Now, Nate sent

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over a scan of a vintage newspaper column from the

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News Sentinel, out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Now, Nate couldn't

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spot the publishing date on the clipping, but based on

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what's written, this comes right from the spring of 1941

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when Glenn and the band were out at 20th Century

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Fox filming their big screen debut in Sun Valley Serenade.

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The article is titled, King of Jive, Glenn Miller Finds

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Ways of Hollywood are Baffling and Mystifying. And it reads,

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The King of Jive and Jitterbug Mania is really a

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very conservative fellow after all. Glenn Miller admits that he

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can't get used to the glitter and razzle-dazzle of Hollywood

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and its odd conception of what hours entertainers should work.

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Glenn seems bewildered by it all. As far as the

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boys are concerned, they wouldn't mind being around here all

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the time, Glenn said. But as for me, I can't

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get used to wearing makeup, which makes me feel self-conscious,

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and I can't get used to the idea of getting

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up early in the morning and getting into the groove

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at 9 a.m. My type of music is made for nighttime.

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It seems very odd to start getting hot with it

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right after an early breakfast. Glenn continued. Imagine what it's

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like on a movie set where they start you in

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the middle of a number and have you play about

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16 bars from an angle of a scene. The amazing

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part is that the results turn out perfect. I don't

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see how they do it. And what's more, I don't

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see how.

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I did it.

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How about that? Even the great Glenn Miller felt out

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of his element getting in the groove before his morning coffee.

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Big thanks to Nate Gregg for digging up that gem

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and sharing it with us all here in the Crystal Studio. Folks,

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to reach me like Nate Gregg. Gregg did, who listens

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on the jazz station WETF in South Bend, Indiana, I'm

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Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. That's Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. And in just

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a little while, another email from our friend Max Catani

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in Italy, who has uncovered yet another jazz gem.

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Little girl, you're the one girl for me, little girl.

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You're as sweet as can be, just a glance at you.

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Met love from the start, and oh, what a thrill

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came into my heart. Little girl, with your cute little ways,

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I am yours for the rest of my days. And

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this great big world will be diviner. Little girl, when

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you're mine, all mine.....

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That was Joe Venuti's Rhythm Boys featuring the brilliant guitar

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work of Eddie Lang. Joe Venuti, of course, on violin,

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and none other than Tommy Dorsey on trombone, recorded for

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Columbia Records back in June of 1931. Now, as incredible

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as Joe Venuti was on the violin, he was just

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as famous across the music world as the, well, I'll

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call him the undisputed king of practical jokes. They nicknamed

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him the Wild Fiddler from Philly. And he was constantly

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pulling pranks. But his most famous stunt took place on

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the streets of New York City. Now, I've told this

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story many times. But every time I play a Joe

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Venuti record, I think about it. So I'll tell it again.

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Venuti got hold of the local musicians union directory for

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New York City. And as a practical joke, he called

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up every single double bass player in town. Now, he

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told each of them that he had a high-paying last-minute

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gig and instructed all of them to meet at the

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exact same time on a busy New York City street corner. Now,

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right on schedule... Over 50 bass players looking for work

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marched up to the intersection carrying their giant upright basses,

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creating a massive instrument-clogged and human-clogged traffic jam. From what

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I've read, the police weren't happy. And the musicians' union

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ended up fining Joe a small fortune for that one. But,

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you know, when he was asked about it later... Venuti

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allegedly just laughed it off and said it was worth

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every single penny and some more because he had to

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pay out of his own pocket each bass player for

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his time. That's a great Joe Venuti classic. And speaking

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of classics, friends, you're tuned in to the one, the only,

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the original Make Believe Ballroom, America's third longest running radio

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music program. And it's the constant support from our wonderful

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00:35:26.900 --> 00:35:32.510
affiliate stations that keeps our records spinning across the country

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00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:36.969
each and every week. And I am delighted to welcome

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our newest station to the roster, WOUB, a premier NPR

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00:35:43.530 --> 00:35:49.940
affiliate out of Athens, Ohio, broadcasting from Ohio University, WOUB.

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has been on the airwaves across the Ohio Valley since

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the 1950s with, well, quality public radio arts and educational programming.

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It's an honor to have our show featured on their airwaves.

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So to all our new friends tuning in through WOUB,

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welcome inside the Crystal Studio and welcome to the Make-Believe Ballroom.

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Beep, beep.

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Thank you. Thank you. Man, I heard something. It was something, too.

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It wasn't talking to me. I just happened to be

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standing around and heard. Yeah, I heard it.

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What I heard.

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You know, that didn't buzz to me.

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I just happened to hear it. You know, Pete and

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he said that Salty said, but Salty didn't say where

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she got it. They came around and said that it

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was really a mess. So I'm not going to say

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just too much about it. Because I only heard, you know. Yeah,

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I heard.

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Say, Don, tell me you got some.

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Scandal going on.

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I got a little scandal, man, and got this way

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out west.

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But I ain't.

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Gonna say a thing about it.

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I heard it, you know.

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Well, come on, tell me a little about it.

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No, no, no, no, no.

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I'm sorry.

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Because I don't want this.

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Scandal to get out, see?

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You know, she said she couldn't hear so well, so

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she was kind of quiet.

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Boy, if it ever got out, it'd be all right.

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Well, come on, Sam, a little bit.

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No, no, no, because I don't know.

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Whether you talk or not, you see, and if it

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ever gets out, it's too bad, but.

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I only heard it, see? Â¶ Â¶ THE END.

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That was Don Redman and his orchestra with I Heard,

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recorded for Brunswick Records on October 15, 1931. Now, Don

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Redman stood just four feet, seven inches tall, but in

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the music world, he was an absolute titan. known as

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the Little Giant, Don is widely considered to be the

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father of modern big band arranging. Back in the 1920s

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with Fletcher Henderson, who we play so often here on

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The Ballroom, Redmond essentially invented the classic swing formula, which

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is pitting the brass section against the reed section, in

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brilliant call-and-response patterns that became the blueprint for every big

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band that followed. Don Redman. One more disc, then an

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email from our friend in Italy, Max Catani.

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Â¶ Â¶.

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Once there was a little girl Who lived next to

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me And she loved a sailor boy He was only

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three Now he's on a battleship in his sailor suit

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just a great big sailor man but he's just as

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cute bow bottom trousers coat of navy blue she loves

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her sailor and he loves her too.

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When they walk along the street, anyone can see They

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are oh so much in love, happy as can be

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Hand in hand they stroll along, they don't give a

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hoot He won't let go of her hand, even to

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salute Felt-bottom.

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Trousers, coat of navy blue She loves her sailor And

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he loves her too.

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Everywhere her sailor went She was sure to go Till

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one day he sail away, where she doesn't know. Now

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she's gonna join the waves, maybe go to sea. Try

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to find her sailor boy, wherever he may be. Bell-bottom trouser,

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coat of navy blue.

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She loves her sailor.

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And he loves her too. if her sailor she can't

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find on the bounding mail she is hopeful he will

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soon come home safe again so they can get married

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and raise a family Dress up all the kiddies in

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sailor's dungarees. Belt-bottom trousers, coat of navy blue. She loves

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her sailor boy and he loves her too.

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Â¶ Â¶.

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On Victor Records from 1942 World War II tune, Bell

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Bottom Trousers by Tony Pastor and his orchestra, vocal by

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Ruth McCullough and Tony himself. Friends, I got a wonderful

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message here from our Italian correspondent and super listener, Max Catani.

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Max has a real talent. for rescuing long-forgotten bandleaders from

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the history books and giving them the modern spotlight they deserve.

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His email to me this week was short, sweet, and

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strictly business. It reads, what a discovery I made. In

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the zip file, I sent some tracks by this wonderful

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Dutch orchestra from 1943.

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Best regards, Max.

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Well, as you could tell, Max was clearly in a

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hurry to get back to the music archives, but he

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handed us a real treasure with this one. The band

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leader's name is Dick Willybrants. In 1943, Willybrants was leading

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what many music historians now consider the finest swing outfit

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in the Netherlands. And despite wartime shortages and Nazi censorship,

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Willy Brandt's orchestra produced broadcast recordings that rivaled the top

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American bands of the era for sheer precision and drive.

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And thanks to Max... We have a large selection of

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these 1943 Dutch recordings ready to roll right here in

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the Crystal Studio. I'll play a couple. Let's sit back

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and take a listen.

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Â¦ Sing a song of sunbeams, let the notes blow

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where they may.

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Â© BF-WATCH TV 2021 you smile they're gonna give in

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folks will like you if you're never cross someday they

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may even make you boss you gotta sing a song

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of sunbeams let the notes fall where they may Sing

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a song of sunbeams in a light fantastic way. Life

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is never perfect, but it isn't always wrong. So the

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only thing to do is sing a sunbeam song.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Sing a song of sunbeams, let the notes fall where

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they may. Sing a song of sunbeams in a light

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fantastic way. Life is never perfect, but it isn't always wrong.

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So the only thing to do is sing a sunbeam song.

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That was Sing a Song of Sunbeams, pianist Dick Willybrant

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and his orchestra. recorded in the Netherlands back in 1943. Now, unfortunately,

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I don't know who the vocalist was, whether it was

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an American living in the Netherlands or a Dutch singer

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with a good American accent. Not sure there. Max sent

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20 tracks, and while I play this next one, I'll

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see if I can track down that vocalist.

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Thank you.

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