Is It Love or Is It Conscription?

Paper Doll

In this Soundie, the Mills Brothers sing the title song to a cut-out image of Dorothy Dandridge, which then comes to life and dances for them.

7.0

1944

Is You Is, or Is You Ain't My Baby?

The King Cole Trio and Ida James perform the title song in this Soundie.

7.8

Hot Chocolate

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at their best along with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performing for this "Hot Chocolate" musical short.

7.5

I Look at You

Alan Ladd was discovered by Sue Carol for his incredible voice in radio. And then she married him. In I Look At You, he is sweet and graceful. And at the very beginning of his career in film. He sings and leads Rita Rio's all-girl band while she dances around him.

6.5

This Love of Mine

Stan Kenton and his Orchestra perform "This Love of Mine" with Cyd Charisse and other dancers

3.7

1926

La Fiesta

Anna Case sings a song while the Cansino family dances in the background.

5.5

The Chool Song

1942 Soundies musical short starring The King's Men

6.2

Air Mail Special

Count Basie does a little rhyming rapping before going into this Benny Goodman instrumental composition. While he's playing, plenty of couples are jitterbugging constantly until, one by one, they get tired and start to fall down on the floor.

7.0

My Lost Horizon

Les Brown and His Orchestra perform "My Lost Horizon" with Doris Day

1945

Dance, Baby, Dance (Tantze Babele)

Mel Tormé and the Mel-Tones sing the title song in this 1945 Soundie (a short film produced to be played on jukebox-like Panoram machines).

8.0

Minnie the Moocher

Cab Calloway performing his famous hit "Minnie the Moocher".

6.0

When Hitler Kicks the Bucket

"When Hitler Kicks the Bucket" is sung by Toni Lane. The lyrics recount all the delightful things that will happen on the day of Hitler's funeral.

4.5

Dipsy Doodle

1943 Soundies musical short starring Larry Clinton

1945

Why Did I Fall for Abner?

1945 Soundies musical short starring Merle Travis

1946

Stone Cold Dead in the Market

Big Band leader and 1930s Broadway starlet Gracie Barrie sings a lovely little ditty about a wife’s revenge on her cheating husband. (Oddball Films)

8.0

Jammin' in the Panoram

Helen Huntley and Stan Kenton and His Orchestra perform "Jammin' in the Panoram."

5.5

Au Reet

Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra perform "Au Reet"

Friendly Tavern Polka

Sylvia Froos features in this Vitaphone short from 1941.

6.0

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Lew Hearn and Phyllis Kenny perform "Deep in the Heart of Texas"

Good Nite All

Johnny Taylor sings "Good Nite All" at a house party.

Recommended Movies

6.8

1957

Silk Stockings

After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell—with the help of an American movie producer. A remake of Ninotchka (1939).

6.9

1968

Star!

Gertrude Lawrence rises to stage stardom at the cost of happiness.

6.4

2008

Hounddog

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

8.1

1998

Bee Gees: One Night Only

The brothers Gibb perform their greatest hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's including many songs written for and made hits by other artists but never recorded by the Bee Gees themselves.

6.7

Buck Privates

Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.

6.2

1991

For the Boys

Talented USO entertainer Dixie Leonard and comedian Eddie Sparks deal with their relationship over the course of 5 decades from World War II to the Vietnam War era to their twilight era in the 90's.

7.3

2019

Anima

In a short musical film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Thom Yorke of Radiohead stars in a mind-bending visual piece. Best played loud.

7.9

1985

Live Aid

Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"

6.3

2000

Coyote Ugly

Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sidelined by the accolades and notoriety she receives at her "day" job as a barmaid at Coyote Ugly. The "Coyotes" as they are affectionately called tantalize customers and the media alike with their outrageous antics, making Coyote Ugly the watering hole for guys on the prowl.

6.5

1990

Mo' Better Blues

Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.

6.8

2013

Battle of the Year

A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.

6.5

1961

Too Late Blues

Ghost is an ideological musician and leader of a jazz band who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds than compromise himself. His peripatetic performances lead him to cross paths with a singer, while his masculinity is thrown into question following a violent brawl.

6.4

1948

The Pirate

A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

7.6

2020

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

The story of the triumphs and hurdles of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, otherwise known as the Bee Gees. The iconic trio, who found early fame in the 1960s, went on to write over 1,000 songs and have 20 No. 1 hits throughout their career, transcending more than five decades of changing tastes and styles.

7.2

2020

Black Is King

This visual album from Beyoncé reimagines the lessons of "The Lion King" (2019) for today's young kings and queens in search of their own crowns.

7.7

2017

Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated

A personal and intimate look into Demi Lovato's life as not only a regular 25 year old, but also one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

7.3

1987

Prince: Sign 'o' the Times

In 1987, to capitalize on his growing success in Europe, Prince toured extensively to promote the album of the same name and sales increased accordingly. However, the United States remained resistant to his latest album, and sales began to drop; it was at this point that Prince decided to film a live concert promoting the new material, for eventual distribution to theaters in America. Featuring the band that accompanied Prince on his 1987 Sign o' the Times Tour, including dancer Cat Glover, keyboardist Boni Boyer, bassist Levi Seacer, Jr., guitarist Miko Weaver, drummer Sheila E. and former member of The Revolution keyboardist Dr. Fink, the film sees the group perform live on stage (although "U Got the Look" is represented by its promotional music video).

5.9

1980

The Jazz Singer

A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer.

7.4

2016

Supersonic

Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.

7.3

2020

Zappa

With the help of more than 10,000 dedicated Zappa fans, this is the long-awaited definitive documentary project of Alex Winter documenting the life and career of enigmatic groundbreaking rock star Frank Zappa. Alex also utilizes in this picture thousands of hours of painstakingly digitized videos, photos, audio, writing, and everything in between from Zappa's private archives. These chronicles have never been brought to a public audience before, until now.