Palmy Days in the Parlor
An Evening of 1930s Music, Cartoons, and Pre-Code Berkeley
Saturday, April 2, 2005
Cocktails at 7 PM
Dinner in the Dining Room
Cartoons and "Palmy Days" in the Library
The 1885 Home of Carolyn Alderson
Takoma Park, Maryland
Members: $15; Non-Members: $18
All things vintage enthusiast Caroline Alderson invites fellow ADSW members
to her home in Takoma Park, MD for a convivial evening of deco cocktails,
music, dinner, early cartoons, and a rare pre-code Busby Berkeley feature
film.
The Alderson's 1885 house is packed with period furnishings, household items, and collectables from the 1890s through 1940s. Guest are invited to dial a recipe on the vintage cocktail mixer and sample libations to the tunes of Bing Crosby, Bea Wain, Al Bowlly, Helen Forest, and other crooners of the sweet band era. Dinner will be served on Caroline's vintage china and ruby, cobalt, and depression glassware.
After dinner cartoons include an early 30s news room send up, "A Little Bird Told Me", Max Fleischer's ingenious "Betty Boop and Grampy," and the priceless Fleishman soundie/cartoon "I Heard," featuring Don Redman's Orchestra performing title song and "How'm I doin?" (Hey hey- twee-twee-twee-twa-twa!) with sweet Betty.
The 77-minute 1931 feature film "Palmy Days" was Busby Berkeley's second as choreographer for Samuel Goldwyn, featuring comedian Eddie Cantor, with whom he had teamed the previous year in "Whoopee." This pre-code confectionary surrounds the intrigues of a wily fortune teller, Cantor's employer, in a chic bakery staffed by scantily clad chorus girls in the usual Berkeley fashion. Dazzling top shots, toe tapping melodies, and Cantor's vaudevillian Jewish humor charmingly embellish the customarily flyweight plot.
Order Tickets
ADSW Members: $15
Non-Members: $18
Full directions will be provided to all who register.
Ticket sales have closed.
Film Information
| Film | Information | Buy the Video |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Boop and Grampy | Synopsis and notes | |||
| I Heard | Review and lyrics | |||
| A Little Bird Told Me | Synopsis and notes | |||
| Palmy Days | Review | |||
| Whoopee | Details and reviews |
These cartoons and films have been distributed individually, in collections, and in boxed sets. For more information, visit these wonderful reference web sites:
For More Information
For more information, call ADSW at 202-298-1100 or contact ADSW by email.
Comments
Created March 7, 2005; Modified Thursday, November 17, 2005.
