Difference between revisions of "Chapter 18"
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'''"Heavy-side Bounce'''"<br /> | '''"Heavy-side Bounce'''"<br /> | ||
"Heavy-side bounce" is Harlem ballroom / dance slang from the mid-1920s through the 1940s. | "Heavy-side bounce" is Harlem ballroom / dance slang from the mid-1920s through the 1940s. | ||
| − | It refers to a specific way of carrying weight in rhythm while dancing, especially in early swing, jazz walk, and Lindy Hop. It is not about jumping | + | It refers to a specific way of carrying weight in rhythm while dancing, especially in early swing, jazz walk, and Lindy Hop. It is not about jumping; it’s about where the weight sits in the step. It comes from Black social-dance tradition. |
'''"the Civilized World's Most Sophisticated Couple"'''<br /> | '''"the Civilized World's Most Sophisticated Couple"'''<br /> | ||
Although Rex and Rhonda are likely fictional, that tagline was a stock publicity line used for ballroom exhibition dance duos in the late 1920s and 1930s, especially in hotel floor shows, supper-club revues, and radio-remote dance broadcasts. | Although Rex and Rhonda are likely fictional, that tagline was a stock publicity line used for ballroom exhibition dance duos in the late 1920s and 1930s, especially in hotel floor shows, supper-club revues, and radio-remote dance broadcasts. | ||
Revision as of 10:17, 7 November 2025
Contents
Page 126
his enthusiasm with the dizzy-stick
"dizzy-stick" was 1930s slang for a marijuana cigarette, a joint.
Arnold Rothstein and Legs Diamond
Rothstein (1882-1928) and Jack "Legs" Diamond (1887-1931) were real-life underworld figures whose stories set the template for the "gentleman gangster" and the "dapper killer" archetypes that later filled noir fiction. In November 1928, Rothstein was shot at the Park Central Hotel, reportedly over an unpaid poker debt of about $320,000. Legs Diamond was known for his daring personality, flashy clothes, and fondness for showgirls. Known as "the clay pigeon of the underworld" because of how many times he was shot and survived, in December 1931 he was shot in bed in an Albany boarding house, almost certainly a mob hit. He became a tabloid folk hero, the Irish dandy-gangster who defied bullets and lawmen until the end.
Rothstein financed operations that Legs Diamond worked on or later tried to take over, but viewed Diamond as unreliable — flashy, violent, too hot-headed for "The Brain’s" style. After Rothstein’s murder in 1928, Diamond tried to move into his rackets, which brought him into conflict with other New York mobsters like Dutch Schultz.
not just Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall was the Democratic political machine that dominated New York City politics for nearly two centuries — a legendary blend of grassroots organizing, patronage, and corruption. Wikipedia
but worst and least merciful [...] New York real estate
Perhaps alluding to D. Trump, former NY real-estate tycoon.
Page 127
Portland sets fast, Rosendale lasts longer
Refers to two types of cement, both historically important in American construction. Limestone in the Rosendale area was found to produce a hydraulic cement (one that sets underwater). Although Rosendale cement was prized for durability and slow curing — making it ideal for masonry, foundations, and underwater construction — by the early 20th century, it lost ground to Portland cement, which was faster to set and could be made anywhere from artificial mixes.
Racine, where Danish pastries were invented
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Danish immigrants settled heavily in the Midwest, especially in Chicago, Racine (Wisconsin), and Omaha. Chicago, already famous for its bakeries and food fairs, became the hub of Scandinavian baking traditions. Around the 1910s–1920s, Danish master bakers began opening neighborhood bakeries, adapting traditional wienerbrød recipes to American ingredients (sweeter doughs, more fillings, and icings). The American Danish pastry was born in Chicago, but its soul was preserved in Racine. Chicago made it fashionable; Racine made it traditional.
Page 128
"Only a harmless episode of international transnavigation..."
This mock-grandiose, pseudo-scientific nonsense is typical of how W. C. Fields characters delivered their lines.
"even along the death trail"
The "death trail" was a nickname used by touring entertainers — especially Black musicians, dancers, comedians, and novelty acts in the 1920s–1940s — to describe a particular stretch of small-town theater bookings that were underpaid, under-promoted, dangerous to travel through, racially hostile, and often physically exhausting due to long distances between stops. That is, it was the worst leg of the tour, the part where careers could stall, acts could break up, and performers could go broke (or worse).
Page 129
Club Afterbeat up in Harlem
Although this is likely a fictional joint, in Harlem slang of the 1920s–40s, the "after beat" scene meant when the main clubs closed and musicians & dancers went somewhere unofficial to keep the music going. The "after beat" also refers to beats two and four in 4/4 time.
"Heavy-side Bounce"
"Heavy-side bounce" is Harlem ballroom / dance slang from the mid-1920s through the 1940s.
It refers to a specific way of carrying weight in rhythm while dancing, especially in early swing, jazz walk, and Lindy Hop. It is not about jumping; it’s about where the weight sits in the step. It comes from Black social-dance tradition.
"the Civilized World's Most Sophisticated Couple"
Although Rex and Rhonda are likely fictional, that tagline was a stock publicity line used for ballroom exhibition dance duos in the late 1920s and 1930s, especially in hotel floor shows, supper-club revues, and radio-remote dance broadcasts.
