Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of exceptional swing dancers that was first organized in the late 1920s by Herbert "Whitey" White in the Savoy Ballroom and disbanded in 1942 after its male members were drafted into

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The group, taking on many different forms and sub-groups, including Whitey's Hopping Maniacs, Harlem Congeroo Dancers, and The Hot Chocolates, were inspired by the choreography of Frankie Manning. In addition to touring nationally and internationally, the group appeared in several films and

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

productions. Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. were among the group's celebrity regulars.

History

Beginning in the late 1920s, White, a bouncer at the Savoy Ballroom and former dancing waiter, began organizing exceptional dancers, first under the aegis of George Snowden and then under White himself. Although many members felt mistreated by White, many admired his promotion of the dance. In 1934, at the age of 14,

Norma Miller Norma Adele Miller (December 2, 1919 – May 5, 2019) was an American Lindy hop dancer, choreographer, actress, author, and comedian known as the "Queen of Swing". Early life Miller was born in 1919 in Harlem, New York City, to mother Alma, a c ...

became the youngest member the group. In 1935, the group competed in a dance contest called the Harvest Moon Ball at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. The group then went on a 7-month European tour. In 1936, the group began a tour of the U.S. with headliner

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

. While in California, they met the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

, Allan Jones and

Maureen O’Sullivan Maureen Paula O'Sullivan (May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998) was an Irish actress who played Jane Porter (Tarzan)#Film, Jane in the Tarzan in film and other non-print media, ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She st ...

, and made their film debut in '' A Day at the Races'' (1937), a movie for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. They danced and sang in the number " All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" which featured singer Ivie Anderson and other members of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

’s orchestra. Dave Gould, the choreographer, was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the dance sequence. In 1938, for a second time, the group competed in the Harvest Moon Ball, hosted that year by

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television host, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York News ...

. Sullivan invited members of the group to perform on ''Toast of the Town'' (later called ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

''). The group also competed in the contest in 1939 and 1940. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performed in the movie '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941), where they executed breathtaking

flips Flip, FLIP, or flips may refer to: People * Flip (nickname), a list of people * Lil' Flip (born 1981), American rapper * Flip Simmons, Australian actor and musician * Flip Wilson, American comedian Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * ...

, slides, kicks, splits, and lifts. When they returned from filming, the group went to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

to perform. Because of the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, they were unable to find transportation home and ended up staying for 10 months, nearly exhausting all of their energy and money. In 1942, the group went on a 3-week tour with

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

and Pearl Bailey that included performances at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

, the

Howard Theatre The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., has been a pillar of the community since its opening in 1910. This historic venue, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, show ...

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, and the Royal Theatre in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. The group disbanded shortly thereafter since the males were called into service during

. After the group disbanded, White moved to Oswego and opened a restaurant. He died of a heart attack in September 1950.

Members

Al Minns,

Leon James Leon James may refer to: * Leon James (composer) (born 1991), Indian film composer and singer * Leon James (dancer) (died 1970), American Lindy Hop and jazz dancer * Leon James (footballer) (born 2001), Thai footballer {{hndis, James, Leon ...

, Frankie Manning, and

are the most notable members of the group - Minns and James in part for their role in the research of Jean and Marshall Stearns's influential book ''Jazz Dance,'' Minns for his work with the Hot Shots during the

swing revival The swing revival, also called retro swing and neo-swing, was a renewed interest in swing music and Lindy Hop dance, beginning around 1989 and reaching a peak in the 1990s. The music was generally rooted in the big bands of the swing era, swing e ...

in the 1980s, Manning for his role in contributing to the

after Minns died in 1985, and Miller for her presentations and instruction at

Herräng Dance Camp Herräng Dance Camp (commonly abbreviated HDC, officially Herräng Dance Camp Aktiebolag) is the largest annual dance camp that focuses on lindy hop, Boogie-woogie (dance), boogie woogie, tap dance, jazz dance, and Balboa (dance), balboa. It is ...

up until her death in 2019. Ruthie Reingold, Harry Rosenberg, and Jimmy Valentine were the only white members of the group. Although mixed race dancing was accepted at the Savoy Ballroom, it was frowned upon by the general public and they are not in any of the early videos of the group.

Member list

Members

* Louise "Pal" Andrews * Eleanor "Stumpy" Atkinson (Watson) – 4"11" tall; joined the group in 1937, known for her footwork * Pettis Dotson "Snooky" Beasley – known for doing a step called the

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

* Lennie Bluett * Clyde "Brownie" Brown – for a time, Whitey's right hand man * John "Tiny" Bunch – at over 300 pounds, his nickname was a joke, but he was revered for his liveliness despite his size. His partner was the petite Dorothy "Dot" Moses. * Eunice Callen * Wilda Crawford * Mildred Cruse * Joe "Big Stupe" Daniels * Joyce "Little Stupe" Daniels * Eddie Davis * William Downes * Elnora Dyson * Arlyne Evans * "Long-legged George" Greenidge * Foster "The Dancing Man" Hickson * Belle Hill * Cornelia "Connie" Hill – won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Russell Williams *

* Sonny Jenkins * Ann Johnson * Dottimae Johnson * Walter "Count" "Lefty" Johnson * Frances "Mickey" Jones * Thomas "Tops" Lee – won the Lindy Hop division of the 1940 Harvest Moon Ball with Wilda Crawford; nicknamed Tops due to his high opinion of himself * Johnny McAfee * Emily McCloud * Maggie McMillan * Frankie Manning * Lucille Middleton * Mae Miller *

* Al Minns * Dorothy "Dot" Moses * Mildred Pollard * Billy Ricker * Willa Mae Ricker * Naomi Waller * Esther Washington * Freida Washington * Oliver "Buckles" Washington * Thomas Washington * Billy Williams * Jerome Williams * Russell Williams – changed his name to Rasul Ali Ibm Aleem in the 1950s; won the Lindy Hop division of the 1939 Harvest Moon Ball with Connie Hill; killed trying to break up a fight

White Members

* Ruthie Reingold * Harry Rosenberg * Jimmy Valentine

Filmography

*'' A Day at the Races'',

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

(with the

) *'' Manhattan Merry-Go-Round'',

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

*'' Radio City Revels'',

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

*'' Keep Punching'', M.C. Pictures, 1939 (aka ''Jittering Jitterbugs,'' featuring the '' Big Apple'') *'' Hellzapoppin',

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

,''

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

*'' Hot Chocolates'' (''Cottontail''), RCM Productions,

Soundies * ''The Outline of Jitterbug History'', RCM Productions, 1942 Soundies * '' Sugar Hill Masquerade'', Minoco Productions, 1942 SoundiesThe Soundies Distributing Corporation of America: a history and filmography of their "jukebox" musical films of the 1940s. Terenzio, MacGillivary, Okuda. 1954. page 96. * '' Killer Diller'', All-American News, 1948 - 4 members of the group

Broadway theatre

* Hot Mikado (with

Bill Robinson Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20 ...

) * Black Rhythm (1936) * Cotton Club Revue (with

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

) (1938)

References

External links

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
at Savoystyle.com

at StreetSwing.com
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
search on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

featuring samples of their work {{authority control Dance companies in New York City Lindy Hop Swing performance troupes African-American dancers American dancers