The original ending to Swing Kids!
But before that, we have DJ Alan Kerr!
We've had an amazing new discovery here at the the Jam Cellar. It involves one of our collective favorites movies, Swing Kids. For more info, just check at the bottom of this email.
But, more importantly, we have an incredible month here at the Jam Cellar.
Balboa Buffett starts tonight!
Week 1 of our Balboa Buffet Series is SLIDES for Balboa and Lindy Hoppers. We'll show you the basics of all the major swing dance slides, and show you some places to put them into your Lindy and Bal. For Int/Adv dancers. From 8:30-9:30. Bal month continues next week with special guest Nick Williams. Click here for more info.
Next Week: The Brooks Tegler Small Group performs!
Bringing you the swing-era sounds of Benny Goodman and Chick Webb, you won't want to miss next week's LIVE Jam Cellar!
This month! Kate and Bobby teach Beginner and Intermediate 4-week Balboa Series at Glenn Echo on Thursdays!
Beginning this Thursday (Surprise!) at Glen Echo, Bobby and Kate will be teaching a four-week Balboa Beginner series at 8 p.m., and an intermediate series at 9 p.m., all of which are at the Bumper Car Bandstand. These will be different classes and material than the Jam Cellar series. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD
Sept. 12, SAC AU LAIT at the Bumper Car Pavillion
The up-and-coming Baltimore gangster-land dixieland jazz band is the band-of-choice for the Baltimore Swing Scene, and we're excited to give them their DC debut at the Bumper Car Pavillion. $13. 9 p.m.-midnight. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD.
Addition to last weeks DC ILHC props
I forgot to mention last week that Crista Seipp and her partner Jamie Cameron also took 2nd place in the Lindy Strictly.
Swing Kids Original Ending Discovered
I think I can depend on most of you having seen the movie Swing Kids. For those who haven't seen it in awhile, swing kids goes like this: Two friends, Peter and Thomas, are teenagers in 1930s Nazi Germany. They love swing music, awesome fashion, and hep slang, all of which are forbidden by the government. When a prank gone awry gets Peter thrown into the Hitler Youth program, his unstable best friend, Thomas, puts himself in so they can be together. Thomas, however, is soon brainwashed, and threatens peter about going out and dancing. Oh yeah, and at some point Peter meets this totally smoking girl at a dance and they date and then she disappears for the second half of the movie. Completely. At the movie's finale, after a bunch of dramatic action goes down concerning a crippled friend of theirs, Peter decides to rebel against the Nazi's by…going out dancing. And, who would show up to break up the party but Thomas and a gang of Hitler Youth hooligans. Peter and Thomas fight, and sort of make up, and Peter decides to further his protest by…getting on the truck to be taken to a work camp. Thomas waits behind. At the end, Thomas gives a "swing heil" salute.
According to this description, one can see how the ending could come off as anti-climatic. But, fear no more!!! It turns out that they have just discovered the ORIGINAL ENDING TO SWING KIDS, which I was able to get for a small cost. **
** please don't ever, ever ask me what I did to get this script.
Here it is:
Swing Kids Original Ending
WILLI
Holding up an umbrella, looking after the truck driving away with PETER on it.
Swing Heil! Peter! Swing Heil!
THOMAS looks on, stunned. When the truck turns the corner, leaving his view, he suddenly snaps out of it. He begins running.
EMIL
Berger, where are you going?
THOMAS
Over his shoulder.
I saw one go this way.
Cut to THOMAS running through allies, jumping over fences, and finally coming out onto a main street where the truck has just passed. He turns to run after the truck, using the same shot as earlier in the film, when THOMAS and PETER were running for a truck with a stolen radio.
THOMAS
Peter! Peter!
The gestapo guard (GESTAPO GUARD #93) on the truck, holding machine gun, stands up.
GESTAPO GUARD #93
You there, Heir Berger, what's your business?
THOMAS
Still running. Peter! Peter! Music swells. Swing Heil!!
(Note: Those of who will remember the final scene in the film will notice that the movie chose to end with Thomas simply saying “Swing Heil” to Peter at the dance. The reality of such a situation would be catastrophic. Thomas, being noted by the Gestapo lieutenant played by Kennth Bragnagh, would surely have been given up for a rebel, and sent to a similar work camp as Peter. Thus, the two's protest would have ultimately amounted to not much more than a probable death sentence, or, at the very least, years of forced labor at the Nazi war machine. In this, the actual real ending, Thomas's running after Peter shows that Thomas, who was willing to run so hard away from his open-minded beliefs, is willing to run back for them.)
Inspired, PETER rises, and pushes GESTAPO #93off of the truck, then jumping off of the truck himself. He falls, rolls, and gets to his feet. All the rest of the swing kids jump off as well, and scatter as the truck halts to a stop and GESTAPO GUARDS #94, #95, and #96 hop out and run after them, shouting in Nazi.
PETER and THOMAS unite and hug.
THOMAS
Noticing the guards coming.
We'd better get out of here.
PETER and THOMAS run off into an alley. As the camera ascends up the buildings and into the sky overlooking the alleys, we see the figure of PETER and THOMAS making their way through the maze of the city, GESTAPO guards running past on the lookout for other swing kids; but none following them. As the camera continues panning onto the horizon, we hear their voices.
PETER
So what do we do now?
THOMAS
Well, you decide. We could go to France. Or I guess we don't have to go there to resist, we could probably find something here if you want.
PETER
Why do I have to decide?
THOMAS
It's not like I'm making good choices recently.
PETER
Well, whatever we do, we need to make a stop first. I know someone who will want to come with us.
THOMAS
Who?
PETER
Efie.
THOMAS
The girl with the red dress?
PETER
Uh-huh.
THOMAS
Man, she looked like gold.
FADE TO BLACK
