1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class as a production of I 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello, Welcome to This Day and History Class, 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: where we dust off a little piece of history every day. 4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: Today is May nineteen. The day was made nineteen fourteen. 5 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: Frank Benjamin Manning was born in Jacksonville, Florida, to Jerry 6 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: and Lucille Hadley Manning. Frankie would have a long and 7 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: storied career in dancing, choreographing, and teaching, and he would 8 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: become known as an ambassador of the Lindy Hops. When 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: Frankie was a child, he had many experiences with dance 10 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: and music. He danced while his family and friends played 11 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: instruments at his uncle's farm after their work was done 12 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: for the day, and he would go to parties with 13 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: his mom and watch people dance. By the time he 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: was ten years old, Frankie was dancing on his own 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: at home, but his mom told him that he was 16 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: too stiff to be a dancer. That comment sparked Frankie's 17 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: interest in dance, and he began practicing to music and 18 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: studying dancers at ballrooms and private parties. Frankie and his 19 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: friend Herman Jackson were going to social dances pretty much 20 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: every week and they started getting better at dancing. One 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: dance Frankie would attend was at the Renaissance Ballroom. While 22 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: he was at the Renaissance, he saw people doing the 23 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: Lindy Hop. The Lindy Hop is an energetic dance that 24 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:43,839 Speaker 1: originated in Harlem and was popular during the Swing era 25 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: in America. It has elements of Black dance like improvisation, 26 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: and of European dance traditions like partner dancing and embraces. 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: The African American vernacular dance evolved out of the Charleston, 28 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: the Collegiate, and the Breakaway. When Frankie was about fifteen 29 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: years old, he and his girlfriend did the Charleston, a 30 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: fast paced dance that involved swinging the arms and quick 31 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: foot movement. At a dance, people started throwing money at them. 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: Frankie considered it the first time he was paid as 33 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: a dancer. Frankie soon heard of the Savoy Ballroom, which 34 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: opened in nineteen in Harlem. The Savoy was a jazz nightclub, 35 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: and it was one of the few public spaces that 36 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: was racially integrated at the time. Many dance styles were 37 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: developed at the Savoy, and the Lyndy Hop was the 38 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: staple dance there. Frankie took his first trip to the 39 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: Savoy when he was around nineteen years old. He began 40 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: watching people dance and trying to learn from them, but 41 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: soon Herbert white asked Frankie to join his dance troupe, 42 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. That gave Frankie the privilege to get 43 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: in the Savoy for free and practice when the ballroom 44 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: was closed. He began refining his own all of the 45 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: Lindy Hop while he danced at the Savoy. In nineteen 46 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: thirty four, Frankie and his partner Hilda Morris won a 47 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: contest and performed shows for a week at the Apollo Theater. 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: The pair began to tour as dancers. As Frankie had 49 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: more success as a dancer and became known for his 50 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,679 Speaker 1: unique aerial moves, his professional dancing career gains steam. Frankie 51 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: and Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performed around the United States, France, England, 52 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: Australia and New Zealand. They performed in Singing in a 53 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: Dream on Broadway, the film Radio City Rebels, and the 54 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: film Held a Poppin. They toured with legendary jazz singers 55 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. The troop was invited to 56 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: South America to tour. While they were in South America, 57 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: the US entered World War Two. Frankie was drafted in 58 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: nineteen forty three. After the war ended, he did not 59 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: enjoy as much financial success as he had before. He 60 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: still performed in a new troop, and he toured with 61 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: big names, but the music and dancing in America had 62 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: changed and the Lindy hop was not as popular. Late 63 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: in Frankie's life, as a swing revival popped up in 64 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: the United States, he began touring the world teaching people 65 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: how to Lindy hop and how to teach the Lindy hop. 66 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: He also began working as a choreographer and one a 67 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: Tony Award for his choreography and the musical Black and Blue. Notably, 68 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: Frankie worked on Spike Lee's biopic Malcolm X. He died 69 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: in two thousand nine at age ninety four. I'm Eve 70 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,239 Speaker 1: Stepcote and hopefully you know a little more about history 71 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you'd like to 72 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: learn more about Frankie Manning, listen to the two parts 73 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: stuff you missed in History Class, Episode called Frankie Manning 74 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: and the Lindy Hop. And if you're so inclined, you 75 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: can follow us at T D i h C Podcast 76 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: on instag Ram, Facebook, and Twitter. Thanks again for listening 77 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 78 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 79 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:18,799 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.