Harlem Stride
“Mr. Beebe,” this terpsichorean tribute to dapper dress, is from a 1944 Kay Kyser vehicle, “Carolina Moon.” The clip stars a 23-year-old Harold Nicholas, the younger half of the legendary tap-dancing duo the Nicholas Brothers.
His attire is Regency-cum-zoot suit: ascot, high hat, and swallow-tail coat paired with wide-legged trousers, multiple watch chains, and spats.
While to our knowledge Mr. Brummell never lived in Harlem, we still like to think the he was the inspiration for this number, or at least for the top half of Nicholas’ outfit.
A sample of the lyrics:
I’ve heard them say
Clothes he throws away
Are the clothes that they’ll wear next fall
And it’s also said
When he goes to bed
His pajamas are as groovy
As a Technicolor movie
The ensuing dance routine features endless cringe-inducing leaps ending in the splits, a signature move of the Nicholas Brothers. Clearly the baggy pants were meant to keep trouser seams from splitting.
Fred Astaire called the Nicholas Brothers’ routine to Cab Calloway’s “Jumpin’ Jive” in “Stormy Weather” the greatest musical number he had ever seen.
Last year webmaster Chenners was at a vaudeville revue where Fayard Nicholas was present. At intermission Chenners, who’s a huge fan, pushed his was through the aisle in hopes of shaking the legend’s hand. Alas a young lady stepped in and monopolized Fayard’s attention, making any further insistence gauche. Chenners gave up.
Fayard died soon after.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:52 am
Made my morning!
July 31st, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I have a hunch that this glorious number is a nod to Lucius Beebe, the dandy chronicler of 1940s Cafe Society, and his legendary wardrobe. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:
“A noted boulevardier, Beebe had an impressive and baroque wardrobe. Beebe’s clothing included 40 suits, at least two mink-lined overcoats, numerous top hats and bowlers, a collection of doeskin gloves, walking sticks, and a substantial gold nugget watch chain. Famed columnist Walter Winchell referred to Beebe and his wardrobe as “Lucious Lucius.” Beebe’s sartorial splendor was recognized when he appeared in full formal day attire on the cover of Life over the title of “Lucius Beebe Sets a Style.”Many of Beebe’s articles and columns addressed men’s traditional fashion. He was especially fond of English bespoke tailoring and shoes and wrote glowing articles about noted court tailor Henry Poole and Company and noted bootmaker John Lobb, whom he patronized on a regular basis. He also liked men’s hats and wrote of the history of the bowler hat.”
“Luscious Lucius” also makes an appearance in the lyrics of “Zip!”, Rogers and Hart’s comic meditiations of an intellectual ecdysiast (that’s stripper for you fellas in the cheap seats) from “Pal Joey.”
I was lucky enought to see both Nicholas Brothers a number of years ago when they appeared at Filmfest DC. The session began with a dance clip of them as kids from one of their earliest films, after which they made their entrance and launched into a couple hours of anecdotes. They had us all entranced from the start. It concluded with the opening clip sceened again, this time with Fayard and Harold, by then in their 60s or 70s, dancing in front of the screen, duplicating the same movements—perfectly of course, That quartet with their younger selves was one of the most amazing and touching performances I’ve ever seen.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:50 am
The moral of this story is to never give up. If Chenners would have only knocked that young lady aside then perhaps he could have shaken the hand of a legend. Numquam cede, numquam succumbe!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I’ve too much tact to knock ladies around, unless that’s what they’re into.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:57 am
“Dapper dress”? “Tap-dancing duo”? “Zoot suit”? This is fucking embarrassing. It has little if anything to do with dandyism. Dandies would not be caught dead watching this shit, which was to the ’20s and ’30s what rap music has been to the ’90s and today. So why is it on Dandyism.net?
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Language, Trad. Language.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:51 pm
For the record, I sent a cordial e-mail to LBT a couple weeks ago, since we obviously live near each other.
He didn’t fucking respond.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:48 am
Wait a minute. I only just now watched the clip because LBT condemned it. Is he seriously comparing this charming celebration of dance and affirmation of life to the aura of crime and death found in much rap music? Because if he is, he’s not only foul mouthed, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 am
I wonder what are Laguna Beach Trad’s views on vulgarity and dandyism? We should invite him into our forum if only to balance out all us prim and proper gentlemen.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:56 am
Tap Dancing is to the 1920s what Rap Music is to the 1990s
Sounds like a wrong answer on the analogy portion of a standardized exam.
Great piece, by the way. I saw the pair tap a little bit when I was very young, along with a number of the legends and a then up and coming Savian Glover. It was a great show and I’ve always had an appreciation for tap, though I never tried to learn. I’ll leave that to the truly talented.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
The funny thing is that the fabulous Mr. Slim Gaillard wrote a pretty nifty song about Laguna Beach, that I’m sure LBT would object to on all sorts of grounds…I used to live in Laguna and I must say, I’m glad I didn’t (knowingly) know the fellow.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
“Cringe-inducing leaps”? “Baggy pants”? “Signature move”? The “splits”? The only thing “cringe-inducing” here is this little web ode to vaudeville. It’s quite vomit-making and I almost feel compelled to spit out my G&T. Almost.
As I said, this must be a joke.
Crikey, I think you chaps are a bit light in the loafers, as they say. (Living as I do in Laguna Beach, I recognise the type). Anyway, you fellows are free of course to enjoy the “zoot suits” and “tap dancing,” but please don’t confuse it with dandyism.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Do you really live in Laguna? I thought that you were just pretending. ARIN indicates that your IP address is in the Atlanta area.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Ooh! Did she just call us queer? Is that even an insult anymore?
I wonder how she would feel is this faggot’s seconds knocked on her door and asked her to walk?
August 4th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Being a gentleman — or a dandy — involves the ability to appreciate and identify true style wherever it occurs. That’s definitely the Nicholas Brothers, either solo or together, and a whole lot of other things that you might dismiss. Personal taste is fine, Trad, but you’re showing a decided lack of style in your comments here.
August 7th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Yes, as the handle indicates, I live in Laguna Beach. Why that should be relevant to the present discussion is beyond me, unless your aim is to track me down and engage me in a bout of fisticuffs for holding unpopular opinions.
As any student of Brummell would know, Dandyism is not about flamboyance or acting in an undignified fashion. And it is decidely not about ‘tap dancing’ (?) or doing the ’splits’ (??) or performing other circus activities. The man himself was quite understated. But maybe I am preaching to the (all male) choir here.
I honestly do not believe I am saying anything controversial. My point being, I think a post paying tribute to vaudeville performers and dancers is out of place on a website ostensibly dedicated to Dandyism.
August 7th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Fisticuffs? I was going to buy you a drink.
August 19th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
[...] “‘Mr. Beebe,’ this terpsichorean tribute to dapper dress, is from a 1944 Kay Kyser vehicle, ‘Carolina Moon.’ The clip stars a 23-year-old Harold Nicholas, the younger half of the legendary tap-dancing duo the Nicholas Brothers.” (via Dandyism [no, I have no idea why I read that site, I just do]) [...]