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Museum object · Time-based Media - Moving Images

Film clips from Stage Door Canteen

1943

New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America

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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 motion picture film strip with scenes from the feature film Stage Door Canteen. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. The footage opens with a group of people surrounding a man who speaks into a microphone. The man introduces Benny Goodman and the audience applauds before Goodman begins playing his clarinet. Shortly after, jazz singer Peggy Lee joins Benny Goodman and his orchestra on stage; the group performs the jazz song "Why Don't You Do Right." Immediately after their performance, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra perform another tune, "Bugle Call Rag." Members of the audience dance to this second performance.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2015.275.21.1a

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