Dancetime Tap Dance History

Tap Dance History: From Vaudeville to Film is a collection of rarely seen original film footage from Soundies and short films of the 1930's and 1940's.

Let's Scuffle

"Let's Scuffle" is a short subject -- a single song-and-dance number -- that appears to have been cut from a feature-length movie: to be precise, a 'race film'. (This was the term used by American cinema exhibitors in the 1940s and earlier for any movie with an all-black cast, intended primarily for distribution in black neighbourhoods at a time when many American cinemas were segregated.) The song-and-dance performer here is none other than the great Bill Robinson.

King for a Day

A talented tap dancer who can't get an audition uses his prowess at playing craps to gain ownership of a musical show, making himself the star.

One Mile from Heaven

A female journalist travels to a new neighborhood after getting a (false) lead and is surprised by what she finds.

Road Demon

At the Indianapolis Speedway mobsters try to bump off a young racer just as they did his dad. Junk yard owner tap dances.

Hooray for Love

A wealthy young man falls hard for a beautiful showgirl, and her wily father quickly realizes the naïve boy would make the perfect investor for his daughter's new show. Comedy with music.