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When once recounting the "Grand Finale" of the Blackbirds' Royal Albert Hall performance, Charles Cochran stated "It was the unexpected and final entrance from the organ, down the steps, into the arena of Florence Mills, Johnny Hudgins, and the Blackbirds which sent the house wild with enthusiasm. Johnny Hudgins was encored and encored until it seemed as if his marvelously unattached limbs would fall off. One would have thought nobody could follow him. But the thunder increased as the slim body of Florence Mills went through more amusing contortions than you could imagine in a nightmare."
In the accompanying advertisement from the 1926 Charleston Ball programme, the London-based branch of the Gramophone Company Ltd. lists both British and American groups such as Jack Hylton's Orchestra, Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, The Savoy Orpheans, and others, when mentioning that "All the leading Dance Bands record exclusively for 'His Master's Voice'." Some twenty-five years earlier, and eventually going on to become one of the most recognized trade-marks in the world, it was indeed at the London offices of the Gramophone Company Ltd., in 1899, where the company's co-founder Emile Berliner would first notice a painting hanging on the wall, by British artist Francis Barraud, of a small dog with cocked head posed in front of the horn of a gramophone machine.
The inquisitive, little terrier used as the painting's
model, and shown listening to his master's voice
coming from within the horn of the gramophone, went
by the name of "Nipper," and had been the actual
pet of Barraud. Shortly after requesting another
copy of the image from the artist, Emile Berliner
would immediately travel to America to file for
a U.S. trademark, and was ultimately granted permission
for use of the combined image and slogan "His Master's
Voice" by the U.S. Patent Office on July 10th, 1900.
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In one of the many, additional pages
of the Royal Albert Hall programme (not shown), Miss Florence
Mills, as well as several other of the celebrity judges,
attempts to provide her personal account of "The Origins
of the Charleston." In Miss Mills' account, she states
"I have heard as many stories of the origins of the Charleston
as I have heard cures for colds. I believe the one relating
to Pickaninnies (popular cartoon characters of African-American
children) dancing it on the Plantations outside Charleston,
South Carolina, in the late 'fifties, to the Negro tune
called 'Take Your Foot Out of the Mud and Stick It in
the Sand' to be the most authentic. The dance undoubtedly
possesses the wild abandon of the aboriginal, and may
date that far back."
In the accompanying page from the Charleston Ball programme,which
is actually comprised of two, half-page advertisements,
we see an announcement of the "Private Personal (Dance)
Lessons" of Miss Amy Greenwood, with "Expert Tuition In
All Modern Ballroom Dances including Charleston," as well
as a mavelously detailed announcement for the "West End
Training Courses" of the "Mannequin Academy Delaroche."
While Miss Amy Greenwood is not listed as a judge for
the evening's competition at Royal Albert Hall, she is
impressively credited in her advertisement copy as "Finalist,
World's Dancing Championship, 1925-25; Second Place, Mixed
Group Fox-Trot, 1925; and Judge, "Star" Championship,
1926. In the text that accompanies the Delaroche ad, we
can also see offers of "Free Interviews" for their world-renowned
"Training courses for Mannequins."
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As another, amusing document
of the enormous enthusiasm for American jazz culture
in Britain's capital, and the exuberance caused
by dances such as the Charleston, the accompanying
advertisement for the dance instruction of "Twice
Champion Ballroom Dancer of the World, 1924-25"
Miss Barbara Miles politely requests her potential,
London students to "Please Charleston Quietly."
In her ad, she explains "I have evolved a simple
method whereby I and my highly-trained staff guarantee
to teach you the basic steps of the Quiet (or 'Flat')
Charleston in one lesson." Stating the location
of the lessons provided by Miss Miles and her staff
as The Mostyn Hotel, Portman Street, Mayfair, the
ad also mentions a "Vacancy for an Articled Pupil,"
as well as "Demonstrations of Modern Ballroom Dancing"
given by both Miss Miles and Mr. G. Ward.
Combined with Miss Miles' advertisement, and appearing
on the lower half of the accompanying page, the
management of a local, London theatre cleverly places
an advance, employment offer to "four champions
of the Albert Hall Charleston Competition" from
the evening's performances. In an ad placed by the
Plaza Theatre, the copy reads "The Management of
the Plaza Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, offers an
engagement to four champions of the Albert Hall
Charleston Competition for the week commencing Monday,
December 20th. For full particulars apply to-night
… Mr. Francis Mangan, Plaza Box (Albert Hall)."
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