Film clip of "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" from Sweet and Lowdown

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 motion picture film of The Benny Goodman Quartet performing "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" in the 1944 musical film Sweet and Lowdown. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with variable-density optical sound. The footage opens with Johnny Birch (James Cardwell) and a woman seated at a dinner table. Johnny asks her to join him for a jam session after their drink, to which she responds that she “doesn't do late dates.” In the next scene, Benny Goodman can be seen playing the tune to "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" with his clarinet while three other band members play the drum, bass guitar and piano. At the end of their performance, Johnny, who is seated in the audience with a female companion, attempts to join the band onstage by playing the trumpet, however, Benny gestures that he shouldn't.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗