Cow-Cow Boogie

Here's an early soundie starring Dorothy Dandridge in a cowboy hat and a very short skirt singing the title song, with some dancers backing her up.

It's one of more than two thousand "soundies" produced between 1939 and 1947, meant to be played on a device called a Panoram. For seven years they could be found in bars, night clubs, and other places where people would gather. Think of them as music videos, available for viewing at a dime a song.

Miss Dandridge looks about 14 years old here, and plays it very sexually. She sings well, too, even though she is obviously lip-syncing to the playback.

Well, here's another Soundie I found on YouTube, this time with Dorothy Dandridge in cowgirl outfit singing the title song to a bunch of cowboys in a saloon with other female dancers accompanying her. Also appearing is one Dudley Dickerson as a shooter saying, "Yipee, solid man, solid!" after surprising himself shooting his guns at the ceiling! Quite a sexy presence Ms. Dandridge is and way before she became well known as Carmen Jones in the movie of the same name. It's a treat to both see these rarities on YouTube and to see IMDb listing many of these music videos of the time as things to comment on. I'm now seeking to watch many of these Soundies as I can just so I can comment on them here. So on that note, I highly recommend Cow-Cow Boogie.