[78-L] Chop Suey Dancing ^ puns coming, be warned

[David Lennick]

Victor Borge's MGM album has him taking a request at one point for a Chinese 
Waltz..he finally realizes what's wanted and begins to play "Charmaine" (Chow 
Mein).

And in 1951 my uncle was doing his Nat King Cole imitation and singing "They 
tried to sell us Egg Foo Yong".

dl

Taylor Bowie wrote:
> 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
>>>