[78-L] Chop Suey Dancing

[Taylor Bowie]

My brother-in-law's parents were born in China....he loves Chop Suey!  And 
Egg Foo Yong.  And Chow Mein with CRISP noodles!

Taylor


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lennick" <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Chop Suey Dancing


> I've never heard of Chop Suey Dancing, but what do I know? Here's the
> WackyPackia take on Chop Suey, complete with a notation that it was 
> Chinese
> Food for Americans that the local Chinese wouldn't eat.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_Suey
>
> dl
>
> Margaret Still wrote:
>> I came across a weird new term today while looking at some Reginald Marsh
>> prints from the late 20's. Several featured girl couples dancing on a 
>> dance
>> floor with restaurant booths in the background, and all were titled "Chop
>> Suey Dancing."
>>
>> Google came up with some (but very few) references to Chinese restaurants 
>> in
>> the New York City area and San Francisco which supposedly had mediocre
>> Chinese jazz bands which were enjoyed anyway by customers there for the 
>> food
>> and dancing.
>>
>> Apparently at least some of the dancing was tap-dancing:
>> http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/583059/tap-dance/242811/Nightclubs
>> which says:
>> The "Chop Suey circuit" of Chinese nightclubs-primarily in San Francisco 
>> and
>> New York City-featured artists such as Toy and Wing (Dorothy Takahashi 
>> Toy
>> and Paul Wing) and catered mainly to white tourists and military men and
>> women.
>> ===
>>
>> There must have been a larger audience, since the girls in the Reginald
>> Marsh prints seem to be young, healthy, normal girls who make regular
>> paychecks at a dull job, out for a good time - not tourists.
>>
>> Does anyone here know more about the fad of tap-dancing in Chinese-run
>> nightclubs?
>>
>> Is "Cornet Chop Suey" by Louis Armstrong and The Hot Five and Hot Seven a
>> reference to Chop Suey & Dancing joints? I wonder if much later 78's such 
>> as
>> one I own by Jimmy Preston and his Prestonians on Gotham 170 titled "Chop
>> Suey, Louie" might even much later be referencing the old weird Chop
>> Suey'n'Tap Dance joints.
>>
>> Best,
>> Margaret G. Still
>>
>>
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