Knee Deep In Music

Styles and Smiles

September 1938 •English

Frank E. Jessop presents a revue of the dancing and singing acts of the time.

The Song Writers' Revue

November 1929 •English

This short showcases composers and lyricists of songs that are now considered standards of American popular music. For several of these song writers, this is their only known appearance in a theatrically released film.

Number Rap #17

January 1988 •English

Kids rapping about the number 17.

Litter Rap

January 1990 •English

A rap teaching kids how to use a waste basket.

Seize

June 2019 •French

Exploring the obsessive, compulsive, and competitive side of the dance world, Seize deconstructs the festive, enchanting, and imperfect image of Quebec folklore. It is through the synchronicity of movement, concomitant rhythms, the appropriation of space, and tangible coincidences that the jiggers convey their passionate obsession with this art.

Sapovnela

February 1959 •Georgian

Amidst the hills of the ancient city of Mtskheta, an aging man nearing his hundredth year is forced to make way for a new road being paved through the blossoming garden of floral delights that he loves and cares for.

I'm Much Obliged

May 1936 •English

Newspaper columnist Mr. Inquisitive telephones readers to ask, "What would you like to do?", with the chosen responses being eligible for a prize. The callees include torch singer Vera Van, bandleader Lester Cole (and his Texas Rangers), and other late-period vaudeville acts, all whom are ready to perform.

Dirty Computer

April 2018 •English

The story of a young woman named Jane 57821, who is living in a totalitarian near-future society where citizens are referred to as 'computers.' 'Dirty Computer' explores humanity and what truly happens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when mind and machines merge, and when the government chooses fear over freedom.

A Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Double Feature

April 1966 •English

A prototype of modern music videos, this is an animated film set to the music of two popular tunes recorded by Herb Alpert and his Latin-flavored brass ensemble - "Spanish Flea" and "Tijuana Taxi". Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2003.

King for a Day

June 1934 •English

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.

Broadway Ballyhoo

December 1935 •English

In this musical short, three barkers for a New York City sightseeing bus drum up customers with songs and nightclub tours.

Spook Sport

January 1940 •English

It's midnight in a graveyard. The principal characters are spooks, ghosts, bats, bells, and, at the end, the sun. As midnight strikes, 12 spooks appear, then two ghosts. They move to the music's rhythm. Against the black night, they are blue and yellow. Bats appear as does a xylophone of bones. Mist rises, spooks swirl. A bell tolls. The sky turns light blue, the ghosts' dance slows. Then black night returns bringing intimations of frenzy. Bones play snare drums; spooks peek out of square graves. Scary faces appear. Frenetic movement takes over. A rooster crows and all return to earth as the sun's light appears.

MER

April 2023 •English

A paralyzed girl finds difficulty living a normal life, so she participates in a ritual to metamorphize into a mermaid to replace her useless lower half.

Pie, Pie Blackbird

June 1932 •English

Short featuring musician Eubie Blake and his orchestra, singer Nina Mae McKinney, and young tap dancers Fayard and Harold Nicholas.

The Flame Song

October 1934 •English

In the kingdom of Florestan, a weak Prince Henry is ousted from power by his calculating cousin, Prince Basil. While exiled in Paris, Henry learns that the people are suffering under the tyranny of Basil's corrupt monarchy and decides to return to his homeland. Posing as the chauffeur of a traveling playboy--who is in reality Henry's manservant--he manages to make it across the border unmolested. But how will he be able to reclaim the throne?

Daybreak Express

January 1953 •English

Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording "Daybreak Express", this is a five-minute short of the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated subway station in New York City.

A Walk in the Old City of Warsaw

January 1958 •Polish

Little heroine, a music school student, wanders through the backstreets of Warsaw's Old Town and discovers a world to which others have no access. It is a world of extraordinariness and beauty of sounds. And these are sounds that are the most important thing for the girl – the hubbub of children, the sounds of the street, the puffing of a tractor, the tuning of an organ, the sweeping of a broom and the sound of jets flying overhead.

The Wedding of Jack and Jill

April 1930 •English

In the day

January 2025 •English

In the day three girls wander the idyllic St Kilda pier, basking in the rays of a sweet summer day.

The Doll Shop

September 1929 •English

Early Vitaphone short.