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Dancing Queen: 1942

September 1942. "Local dance hall in Richwood, Nicholas County, West Virginia. Photos document U.S. Department of Agriculture efforts to recruit adolescents and adults as farm labor to relieve manpower shortage for harvesting New York State crops." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

September 1942. "Local dance hall in Richwood, Nicholas County, West Virginia. Photos document U.S. Department of Agriculture efforts to recruit adolescents and adults as farm labor to relieve manpower shortage for harvesting New York State crops." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

 

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

Famous company

WurliTzer of course not only made iconic juke boxes but also their mighty theater organs, some of which are still in operation.

Selections #2, 6, 7 and 8

The second one down is "Midsummer Matinee" by Russ Morgan.
No. 6 is "Ev'ry Night About This Time" by The Ink Spots.

No. 7 is most likely "Abraham" by Freddy Martin

No. 8 is "I Threw a Kiss in the Ocean" by Benny Goodman (Peggy Lee vocal)

Amazing Images From Our Past

I have been a member of the Shorpy community for many years. During this time I have been amazed of the variety and quality of photos that came from the Depression years. This collection of photographs exist because several US Government agencies actually paid photographers to document the country during that time. What we now have is an incredible and diverse collection of photos that record our country during the most difficult economic times in our history. Some of these photos have become quite famous, but the rest which Dave has shown us I find endlessly fascinating. I am thankful the politicians at the time had the vision to fund this, and most of all the photographers who brought them to us.

[Also the Library of Congress, repository for this vast collection, whose contractors and employees are still busy scanning the negatives. The ones we've been seeing on Shorpy were digitized and uploaded only days or weeks before being posted here. - Dave]

Only song title I can make out

First row, bottom: "The Nickel Serenade" by Les Brown (misspelled as "Less", I think).

Save the last dance for me

Frank and Joe Hardy taking turns with Callie Shaw. Iola Morton, the pleasantly plump sister of Chet Morton, is not a happy camper.

1941 Wurlitzer 850 Peacock

It appears that this 78 rpm jukebox was one of the most technically advanced of its time, according to this collector.

Swing Out Sister

I would guess that her biggest problem is catching her breath between dances. I can't imagine her sitting out many numbers.

p.s., It's easy to dance to swing music, just about impossible to dance to bebop.

If not rock

Since rock 'n' roll would not become a thing for more than 10 years, I am wondering what those teenagers were dancing to. Bebop? Swing?

That look --

Her song just came on!

"Leeks are for geeks"

... might have been a good slogan for the USDA to lure Wallace, Ferrell and Josephine or their fellow foot stompers from their mountain home, 'cuz Richwood is home to the longest continuously running festival celebrating America's native wild leek, the ramp. (As if you didn't know!) The Festival seems to be a Spring affair, so they might just be looking for something new anyway. (We know the juke box never left town...much to its eventual regret)

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