A Jig In The Jungle (1941) - Dorothy Dandridge with Cee Pee Johnson and his Orchestra

[@logictheorist]

Imagine that, no auto tune, no CGI, and no PC censorship. Just beauty and talent. The band was pretty good too.

[@getreal4real169]

She was only 19 in 1941. So beautiful. She would have been 100 in 2022.

[@BrittanyLover-km4ol]

Unfortunately she had to take roles to survive. She was a goddess before Hollywood was ready for a black sex symbol.

[@windowzombie]

Through every piece of performance committed to sound and film, I'm in love with a gal I'll never meet.

[@1234pouvez]

@@BrittanyLover-km4ol This was 1941 when she was 19. On February 15th, 1955 she became the 1st African American actor or actress to sign a movie contract with a major studio 20TH Century Fox for a lucrative salary per film [lucrative for the 1950s] for starring roles only.

[@wizrom3046]

19 is a female's prime. Every year after 22 is a big slide downhill

[@forestdweller5581]

Thanx for all the info guys. I'm just wondering though because she does not look like a typical black girl...is she of mixed background?

[@a.n.watson8797]

She was absolutely adorable

[@manuseal5983]

Talent and Beauty

[@chrishofland2135]

“wherever you’re lookin’, you might see a missionary cookin’” The poet who wrote this deserves the Nobel Prize in Literature.

[@666toysoldier]

. From Alan Sherman's "Hungarian Goulash": See the Mau-maus, waving spears up at the sky. Friendly Mau-maus, eating missionary pie.

[@Senzotan]

His colleagues probably gave him one. Much as the Hollywood moguls do.

[@jax5434]

Absoloutly beautiful. She never got the recognition she deserved.

[@stankygeorge]

For 1941 she received an enormous amount of recognition.

[@denisemcdougal6445]

True

[@reuireuiop0]

By 1941, it was just the Dawn of black actors and singers getting recognition. Jim Crow was well alive way up to the sixties, that black entertainers couldn't use the artist entry to their own shows. Think she being able to star in movies was already a great achievement. But then, the accolades.. Hattie McDaniels had just won the first black Oscar, so . .

[@harpereion8702]

I think she got all the recognition she needed on February 15th, 1955, when she became the 1st African American actor to sigh a film contract with a major studio 20TH Century fox for a lucrative salary per film for star roles only. The was after her Oscar nomination for Carmen Jones. Today she has a star on Hollywood Blvd. and a Statue at HOLLYWOOD Gateway. I don't think she can get any more recognition than that.

[@johnervolina6738]

And that’s a shame

[@brianwaring9934]

Just a reminder on how talented and beautiful she was.

[@markg6605]

So talented

[@underzog]

Movies were censored;these "sounders were not. That is why we can drool over Dorothy Dandridge and her costume.

[@henrybrowne7248]

Yeah, it struck me as 'ahead' of its time . . . Either that or the other stuff was behind the times . .

[@1234larry1]

This was what is called pre-code. They enacted a morality code in 1930.

[@williamrowlands1789]

I think they were called "soundies". TCM plays them between classic movies on that channel.

[@ericf7063]

@@williamrowlands1789 Talkies?

[@frankfrank7921]

@@1234larry1 This 'soundie" is from 1941. 1941 is not pre-code. Also, the Hays code was not enacted until 1934 that's why "talkies" prior to that were called pre-code. Barbara Stanwyk and Miriam Hopkins to name but two had great success in very sexy roles back then.

[@hebneh]

I laughed out loud when the “missionary” popped up from the cooking pot at the end!

[@stephenlawson3161]

Thanks for the spoiler!

[@someguy7805]

He looked like Spike Lee, LOL!

[@mjt1517]

@@stephenlawson3161 you read comments before watching a 2 minute video? 😂

[@blockmasterscott]

@@mjt1517I was thinking that too. I never understood why people read the comments before watching a video and then complain about the posts talking about the content.

[@jinnbuster4753]

I remember my mother taking me to see Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones" when I was a kid. It also starred Harry Belafonte. It was an updated version of the opera Carmen by Bizet. The whole cast of the film were non white.

[@stankygeorge]

Dorthy is a beautiful lady, who was enjoyed by many!

[@Lonerangel7177]

Dang this 79 years old. Wow

[@donrobertson4611]

An Angel bursting with life force & beauty....and great percussion by Cee Pee

[@JudgeJulieLit]

The orchestra was the Cee Pee. But the power drummer here is Peter Ray, Dorothy's co-star in the 1942 soundie (proto- music video short film) to Hoagy Charmichael at piano playing his composition Lazybones. Ironically as Peter Ray, dressed as a busboy to Dorothy's miniskirted hotel maid, enters and for 3 amazingly precarious balancing-act minutes stroll saunters, then delivers, lands smoothly to the piano top a silver filled, full coffee service tray balanced on his head, he was the antithesis of a "lazybones." He too was this medium's undercredited often co-superstar.

[@donrobertson4611]

Thanks! That is some hard-to-find information. Maybe you know who the guitar player is when Bill Robinson does his 'sand dance' on the riverboat in the movie Stormy Weather - the guy plays like Django Reinhardt,@@JudgeJulieLit

[@henrybrowne7248]

😍Dorothy Dandridge. They had great music back then.

[@elsie900]

Gotta respect that music-loving cameraman who cut from a dance like that to an awesome drum solo 😁

[@aaliyahfurtadoxoxo]

She’s just amazing ❤️

[@shaniceturner4130]

a true beauty

[@sheldonwheaton881]

An amazing talent and beauty!

[@aniialowe1980]

This kinda reminds me of Josephine Baker and her Banana Dance.

[@getreal4real169]

Yes it does

[@MarkAffeltranger]

I thought the same thing

[@glennday7802]

That's one nice jig.

[@savage22bolt32]

Hey, I resemble that remark ☘

[@Ben-Downlow.]

What an absolute stunner! Perfect body, and what a stunningly phenomenal mover, the looks, the voice! A truly immortal talent.

[@jesavino1255]

She was gorgeous.

[@davegilmore7420]

Fun,great entertainment,awesome drums and a treat for the eyes...no time to be PC🎉

[@axiomaddict]

No need since Jim Crow, Black Codes, Sundowner laws, Redlining, and Lynchings kept Black people in check. Yes, wonderful times. 😡

[@delphineblue]

Why does someone like you (most likely not Black) ALWAYS have to make comments like this? You are always so gleefully waiting for someone to make a "PC" comment so you can screech about a mythical race card.

[@Madamoasis]

A true star 🌟

[@WeTravelOnlyByNightAsItsSoHot]

Beautiful! These guys are jamming, how could you stay seated with that band playing and her singing and dancing.

[@lancalotspratt]

❤all original then ..no A I involved and she had talent and worked hard in her career in singing and dancing act …a forgotten legend 😢

[@Zoltan-sb2hh]

Csodálatos ez a lány ❤

[@j.d.snyder4466]

Wow!!! Some absolutely fascinating and truly informative comments!! And of course Dorothy is the ultimate in sweetest grace and sublime beauty.

[@kennygr8ify]

A forties beauty!

[@atlanteum]

It's 2025, and Hellz nowhere near finished a-poppin. Hot DAMN that woman was smokin' -

[@cbuskey1274]

She would be a Mega Star today, what a beautiful and talented young woman

[@harpereion8702]

She was 19 when she made this soundie. She was a star on February 15th, 1955, when she became the 1st African American actor to sign a film contract with a major studio 20 Century Fox for starring role only for a lucrative salary per film.

[@RobertoSiffredi-xy1nc]

I like the incorporation of the Afro-Caribbean drum solo into the swing music. Ms. Dandridge's voice is perfect and her costume risquee. Thank you for uploading this!

[@turanalli4310]

Georgeous/Beautiful..., Rhythm/She can dance+

[@HopeIanHope]

Now that's what I call entertainment

[@rogerwilliams5382]

A real true talented beauty. Thank God, they haven't protested this yet. This gorgeous woman could do it all.

[@carmelcuteceevlee1411]

She was so beautiful

[@JudgeJulieLit]

"Jig," per Wiktionary, "is an old term for a lively dance [as, an Irish jig], and in the Elizabethan era [from 1558] the word also became slang for a practical joke or a trick." Per Your Dictionary, too a "fishing lure with one or more hooks, usually deployed with a jiggling motion on or near the bottom." Bisignantly both meanings here may apply.

[@charlie-obrien]

Umm, yeah sure, that's what they meant.

[@charlie-obrien]

Umm, sure. That's what they meant.

[@jimmym841]

Boo

[@williamheyman5439]

@@jimmym841 So I am 86, born in Boston, and I never used the "N" word but I knew what it meant and I never used the word in the title, which is actually a shortened term of the actual word, which I would never use. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Irish Jig (my mother was Irish, and it has nothing to do with fishing, and this proves that Wikipedia has nothing to do with the derivation of words. They just make up stuff, which is acceptable to the reader, presumably of a young age, and unknowing of actual history. But KZbin would censor the actual words anyway, so we do not have to worry.

[@paulwooton4390]

​@@scottgoodman8993 have you some other definition?

[@ericsutz8026]

She was a great beauty.

[@JAZZLlFE]

Did anyone else see Spike Lee at the end? How old is he!!!

[@melbaelba5706]

LMAO. STOP IT!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@1234pouvez]

Spike Lee was born in 1957.

[@royhufstetler8111]

I thought the exact same sh!t

[@someguy7805]

​@@royhufstetler8111 Ditto. Wrote a comment about it before I saw this one.

[@timothymartin61]

Spike Lee's a lot older than I thought. 😂

[@noir1rock]

wow young and lovely and drum player is crazy kool...

[@EmLasker]

A cute celebration! Thanks for the memories sweetie!

[@ericsonhazeltine5064]

I gotta learn this song and sing it at a public event.

[@mikieanthony777]

Beautiful ❤

[@MichaelLeeOne]

She was beautiful. And talented.

[@peterussell673]

This clip is addictive......I just keep coming back to watch it over and over.

[@beautifulsoultress3078]

The beautiful legendary Dorothy Dandridge. I wonder if this would be considered a B movie of the time

[@marcuscross6840]

Actually, it's a 'soundie'; a term used during that time period. They were short film productions consisting of just one song. They were combined in a loop with other 'soundies' to be viewed in a nickelodeon-style machine after a coin was inserted. I imagine they also migrated into movie theaters as selected shorts in between features. Nowadays, we would probably consider them music 'videos'.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

@@marcuscross6840 Great summary. Soundies were the precursor to music videos.

[@hebneh]

Dorothy manages to look both perky and innocent along with very sexy in what was then a very skimpy costume.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Yes ... the "bikini" (that got its name from the Bikini Island/s in the Pacific Ocean in WW2, where it seems native women wore them) was not more broadly introduced to world fashion and popular culture until the late 1940s to the mid 1950s French film And God Created Woman, where actress Brigitte Bardot first wore one.

[@ZephaniahL]

and still is.

[@axiomaddict]

Yeah, pedophiles feel the same way, is my guess.

[@richardholland8151]

DD is fantastic 😊

[@smedleybutler1969]

My God she was so cute and talented!

[@juanjosedelreyfernandez7065]

Magnifica, Bailarina, Actriz, 🎶🤗🇪🇦

[@hell0_mell0w44]

Iconic woman indeed LOVE LOVE LOVE HER♥️✨💋 .... I’m jigging in the jungle 🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️

[@61mab]

Jumpin' Jive' too much! 78' and that's still the same great energy.

[@Shoey77100]

wow, so beautiful

[@royhufstetler8111]

Here in 2025. She was a Talented beauty!

[@DonFarmer-hq5sw]

Now That’s Entertainment 🎉😊

[@coolhand1964]

I am sure Cee Pee Johnson on the Kettle Drums was the inspiration for Baron Samida in the James Bond film 'Live and Let Die'.

[@ZephaniahL]

Samedi. French "Saturday."

[@coolhand1964]

@@ZephaniahL There's always a rivet counter at every airshow.

[@ZephaniahL]

@@coolhand1964 The character is widespread though, numbnuts. Baron Samedi exists in the Tex comics about the old west and lots of voodoo folklore. It is not some obscure detail to misunderstand his ominous name, since, as the Romans well understood, nomen omen est.

[@coolhand1964]

@@ZephaniahL If you want to check my other post, I spelt it correctly. It's called auto spell error, or is that beyond your level of consideration.

[@christopherspadone954]

@@ZephaniahL Baron Samedi is the leader of the Gede, loa with particular links to magic, ancestor worship, death, and resurrection. He is among the most important Orishas in vodou/ Yoruba cosmology. Papa Doc crafted his image to resemble Baron Samedi, all this pre-dates James Bond.

[@helenabasquette7222]

wow shes so beautiful

[@Solus3D]

The drums are amazing

[@ajaopify]

Beautiful and talented all and admittedly caused me to visit an etymology dictionary.

[@reginalddentry7338]

If you don’t get locked on her dancing Someone better check your pulse. Natural beauty and grace

[@hoibsh21]

I wanna play this at high volume in my caaa.

[@eddiejpardovani]

Super hot Dorothy Dandridge

[@Fatelvis2]

i am digging the druming

[@garyfisher8406]

More class than most modern entertainers

[@dom_pazzo87]

Yeaah, she's so Wonderful!!! ✌️🖖!

[@pamelafdouglasc5659]

She was so beautiful,sweet, smart, sharp. Times were what they were and may we NEVER ,EVER repeat the vile fear driven ignorance & harm of the past or forget the damage done. Thank God for these films. Let us continue to heal.

[@Hautehead13]

Oh brother. Yer laying it on real thick. 😂

[@richardthompson6366]

Seems to be plenty of vile fear driven ignorance and harm being done today, if you are not too ignorant to take a look.

[@markl4593]

Take a pill, Pam

[@pierrerochon7271]

TRES BIEN- MERCI

[@leematthews6812]

She's gorgeous!

[@jhs8496]

Entertraining.

[@Xebelan]

She is a cutie pie, and such a sweet voice!

[@Hogspanker]

Now I know where they got the idea for "Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat".

[@keithgraham4747]

Cool in any era by any standards. Major props.

[@JackMcCabeFL-USA]

So sorry about Dorothy. Such a talent.

[@davidnix1893]

Beautiful person and much more talented than some of the alleged African American entertainers today.

[@giavonnacasiano]

God I love her 😍😍

[@LoveLife-gv8jg]

Jig in the jungle made me uncomfortable but I still can't take my eyes off her. I wonder what these artists would think of entertainers like Bey

[@laserbeam002]

They would probably be disappointed at the state of entertainment today.

[@Ronaldo-rt7hl]

@@laserbeam002i think they would be proud that Black artistry has become so mainstream, we have freedom of expression, and still highly imitated.

[@laserbeam002]

@@Ronaldo-rt7hl Well if you want to call rap crap "art" then I suppose so

[@Ronaldo-rt7hl]

@@laserbeam002 it is art and rap is not anything new and has been around for decades. Our ancestors were not holier than thou they liked the same things we liked. Most Black parents and grandparents like rap, hip hop, and modern music so I think it’s a safe bet a few generations above them would too if they were alive today. Black music has always been the subject of ridicule so it’s not surprising you feel this way. Blues and Jazz were also talked down on and called all types of names and pejoratives.

[@laserbeam002]

@@Ronaldo-rt7hl Yes I am white. I grew up listening to the blues and jazz. One of my all time favorites is Sam "lightening" Hopkins. I am critical of rap mainly because of the depiction of women as bitches and "hoes". The glorification of gang violence and "capping" a cop....ect...ect. When I hear rap I do not hear art.

[@paullevine1813]

She could set the jungle on fire & these were some very talented musicians even if it's very stereotypical of the times. One fine looking lady for sure.

[@triemcallister]

Dorothy was beautiful but couldn't dance worth a damn. Thank God for her mesmerizing beauty.

[@walterbriggs272]

That was quite a song.

[@dillionmcintosh2926]

Here in 2021

[@Starshajones121]

me too lol

[@James-re6co]

Smokin' !!

[@stickshiftdriver1832]

Notice the guy with the braid hair with beads at the end sitting left of the bongo player. Ahead of his time?

[@hebneh]

Yeah, I thought the exact same thing - but of course it was a wig, and not the real thing that you see today.

[@stickshiftdriver1832]

@@hebneh eventhough it was a wig but he was mimicking a real person whom actually worn dreads

[@kennethphelan6205]

I wish that I could have seen this when I was 18. Just for the wet dreams.

[@Nezmund]

I enjoyed the Spike Lee cameo.

[@RC-gf8cs]

No spike lee...wokie he b n the r word

[@ShaneKilpatrick-i4t]

Stunning woman

[@c4c4cr0773]

Wait a minute... Cee Pee Johnson was the drummer in Hellzapoppin'!

[@demetriusburley3686]

Miss her ❤

[@monkeymalletsvideos]

Wow!

[@windowzombie]

What is the clothing style of the scatman at the end, I saw that Scatman Crothers wore similar glasses and garb when he performed with Marie Bryant years later.

[@hilariousname6826]

Supposed to be a "missionary".

[@siegfried1234]

Gold

[@mk-of6px]

HOLY smokes, I feel light headed

[@31minutesago]

Getting jiggy wit it

[@KikiW89]

Her and Kim Fields look a like to me Especially when Kim played Living Single (My said said she don't see it)

[@peachydior]

Ive always thought that they have the same face!

[@neverhungryagain2187]

Ohh that’s who it is

[@demialekeesha9305]

"A Jig" alright....yeeee. A fun number performed by myself, that gave meaning to it's culture.

[@nostalgik._]

Even though the term has racial undertones, it also means a lively dance with leaping movements.

[@neverhungryagain2187]

Jiggin

[@geoffreybudge3027]

Great video with good humor including what’s for dinner .😂😂😂 If you don’t like the pastor just eat the potatoes.

[@pianoredux7516]

Her singing is post-synced, crudely by the technically inept sound team. Does anyone know if she post-synced herself here? In the 1959 movie of Porgy and Bess, Dandridge's singing was dubbed by Adele Addison. By the way, she's incredibly sexy in the 1958 film The Decks Ran Red.

[@RichardSpeights]

This would be the first time I've seen someone actually shake her tail feathers.

[@moboutmen]

Try watching it at .75 speed.

[@rattailJimmy]

She's gorgeous😮. Everything i love about black women.😊

[@GeneralPadron]

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