Jittering Jitterbugs

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A 16mm print of the film Jittering Jitterbugs. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. It opens with people dancing in a ballroom. The footage then cuts to a man identified as Baron on stage with women wearing long gowns standing opposite to him. Baron then says, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Frank Harrison will introduce, on my behalf, these lovely ladies." Mr. Harrison joins the group on stage, thanks Baron and introduces each woman to the audience who applauds. After some time, Baron presents a trophy to one of the women in the pageant. When the woman walks offstage, Baron takes the trophy from her. The next scene features a jitterbug contest. Couples compete on the dancefloor as a band performs onstage and audience members sit at tables in the flanks. One man, after learning of the jitterbug contest, raises from his seat and walks around the room, stopping at several of the other tables. At the last table he approaches, he touches one of the women seated at the table. The woman in turn slaps him in the face. The man responds by saying, "Woman, do you know who you slapped? You slapped the most jittering jitterbug that ever jittered." The two then join the other couples on the dancefloor. In the closing scene, the woman can be seen walking away with a trophy.

Catalog date

1943

Recorded places

United States, North and Central America

Recorded subjects

African American; Beauty culture; Comedy; Dance; Film; Jazz (Music); Race films

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