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A Rave Review . . . And Another Interview

Word is starting to get out about Soundies: The Ultimate Collection.

In a New York Sun review that went online July 27, critic Mario Naves writes:

“Few items that have come through the transom in recent months have elicited as much joy, as much wonder and surprise, as ‘Soundies: The Ultimate Collection,’ a four-disc Blu-Ray set released by Kino Lorber. For devotees of American popular music, the package is nothing short of a necessity.”

He wraps up by saying: “What are you waiting for? ‘Soundies’ is a valuable contribution to our understanding of 20th century America and an indicator of how pop culture may well be the most effective agent for fostering true diversity.”

Read the full review here.

And for your listening pleasure, here’s a 12-minute Soundies conversation with Max Foizey, host of “Max on Movies” on KTRS radio in St. Louis and contributor to the movie website ZekeFilm.

Hear the conversation here.

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A Soundies Clip-a-thon!

To celebrate today’s release of Soundies: The Ultimate Collection, the folks at Kino Lorber have prepared a slew of film clips highlighting some of the top performances.

Here are three of my favorites.

The Charioteers in Swing for Sale (1941)

The Kim Loo Sisters in Gee! The Jeep Jumps (1944)

And Louis Jordan and His Band in Ration Blues (1944)

For more about Soundies: The Ultimate Collection, see the page on this website.

For ordering, there’s a deep discount on Amazon… and a discount on the Kino Lorber page, too.

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Soundies Come to NitrateVille

Interview Closes 100th Episode of Popular Podcast

 

Soundies interview with Susan Delson on Nitrateville Radio podcast

Just released! My interview with host Mike Gebert on his NitrateVille Radio podcast.

On his website, slide the timecode to 64:19 for the start of the interview, which runs roughly 40 minutes.

It was great to talk Soundies with Mike, who’s  a smart, lively interviewer and a terrific editor. The conversation is dotted with audio excerpts from a variety of Soundies, all of them spot on for the topic at hand.

Our interview closes out NitrateVille’s 100th episode. Congratulations to Mike, and thanks for making Soundies part of that milestone. 

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Soundies Now Streaming on Max

 

Soundies programs streaming on Max

Last summer I did some program consulting for Turner Classic Movies, capped by two nights of Soundies and related feature films in September.

Now, several of those September Soundies–and others that I suggested–are available for streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max).

The 5 programs include an all-star lineup in Season 1, followed by sets on big bands, dance, country-western, and wartime life.

With a little over two weeks to go before the July 25 release of Soundies: The Ultimate Collection, these programs are a terrific preview for Max subscribers.

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Sneak Preview: Shooting the Intros for a New Soundies Collection

 

Ina Archer and Susan Delson in the Library of Congress theater in Culpeper, VA

Last week I was at the Library of Congress Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Virginia with Ina Archer, an artist and media conservation specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This spring, Kino Lorber will release a collection of Soundies that I curated—24 programs worth. Ina and I were in the LC’s gorgeous Packard Campus Theater to shoot some of the on-camera intros.

We had a blast talking Soundies—everything from Paddy Callahan Has Joined the Army to Emily Brown.

Thanks to everyone at the LC, especially Rob Stone and David, the theater projectionist. And to our indefatigable crew, production manager Heather Buckley and DP Eric Thirteen.

More news about the Kino Lorber Soundies package to come.