Louis Prima and Keely Smith "That Old Black Magic,"

Amazing color footage of this performance. I could not find this on KZbin, so here I am. I do not claim to own this material. I only want to appreciate it.

[@Argonaut121]

Whenever I'm feeling a bit depressed I come back to this video. It has saved me thousands in psychiatrist bills.

[@DeanoManning]

Hope it continues to help you

[@ronniecozzi8385]

Life in the United States was great.

[@bengaltiger9891]

New Orleans native here, Louie Prima was on the air for us since we were kids ❤

[@fiandrhi]

I came to see Prima, but I was blown away by Smith.

[@DougMcDave]

I know, right!

[@artbeau]

Got a chance to see Keely in 2010 in CA. She was absolutely genuine. She pitched the first number, "It's Magic". She stopped mid-note to say, "Stop! Stop! What the hell... " Someone right in front of us hollered.... "WE LOVE YOU KEELY"... She said "I love you too and you deserve better." She started over and absolutely killed it!!! The rest of the show was absolutely amazing! I was so happy I was able to see this legend in my lifetime!

[@scottsmith2508]

Keely Smith is the best. The absolute very best. She's exceptionally cute and exceptionally talented.

[@barneypooch]

I'm so jealous I could kill!

[@catchawave1963]

Saw her around the same time. Her tribute album to Sinatra from this period is terrific.

[@frankieaddams3937]

Lucky you!

[@louzander]

That's amazing. I remember the first time I heard recordings of her with Louis Prima, I thought (and still think) how on Earth is this woman not more famous?? She clearly has the humor to keep up with Prima, but she's also got one of clearest voices that jumps nimbly and neatly to every single note. Absolutely astonishing how good she is.

[@GaryVillapiano]

now That's Entertainment. These were made to be on stage together. What sheer delight.

[@dmctaxprep5597]

The GREATEST lounge act ever to perform in Las Vegas. Period. This is the act the big stars went to see after their shows were over. They made it look so easy beacuse they were fabulously talented performers backed by Sam Butera and the best musicians in the business. This was an era from the great Las Vegas we will never see again.

[@warrendoris9669]

Indeed! Big up on your music facts! Sam Butera put the.serious crew together. My.Dad.loved them.

[@itsblitz4437]

Do people still do Lounge acts in Las Vegas like in this video?

[@skivvy9yo]

Better than the Rat Pack.

[@stephenhetzel8437]

AMEN!!

[@peterrahman7126]

Fortunately it was recorded and the art lives on.

[@janyceparks8326]

Her voice was incredible.

[@vickeeble0]

What a fantastic duo these were.

[@donnasavage6703]

Unbelievable husband and wife team. Love and grew up with Louie Prima. No one can touch that talent

[@genemars5158]

How can anyone not love Keely Smith? She was unique.

[@JMARTIN1947]

The young Keely Smith was cuter than heck and a great performer.

[@mga2899]

She is smart enough to sing and not play trumpet.

[@Johnmag1976]

I discover this young lady only today. She is excellent ❤

[@diedonner299]

@@Johnmag1976check out her rendition of Old Lazy River here on KZbin. She’s sensational.

[@Johnmag1976]

@@diedonner299 thank you

[@jayjay2637]

Their chemistry is absolutely amazing. It's such a beautiful sight to see two lovers singing and swinging and feeling the lyrics that they sing to each other

[@allenf.5907]

She played off of him perfectly.

[@anchababymalkin3222]

She was banging Frank Sinatra at the time 😊. Look it up ..

[@akrenwinkle]

@@anchababymalkin3222 The writer who said Smith herself confessed having an affair with Frank, who proposed to her while she was married to Louis, but she turned Frank down... I have to question 1) if she really said it; 2) if she was remembering it accurately. Keely, to me, was gorgeous, but certainly not Frank's type. Not everything we look up is true.

[@thierrylangford5199]

@@akrenwinkleShe definitely had an affair with Sinatra, they even told a joke about it at her funeral (which I attended). She and Frank were great friends, but the great love of her life was still her (then) ex-husband. A few close to her would ask about Frank and that he must’ve been a great lover. Her reply? “He’s no Louis Prima!”

[@akrenwinkle]

@@thierrylangford5199 Keely married a couple of times post-Louis. I find it hard to believe Keely, or anybody, would turn Frank down. Sure he was a creep, but a very rich creep. Do I believe she said it? Yes. Do I believe it? No. I think she was adorable, but there's no getting around it, the last dark woman Frank boinked was Nancy Senior. He preferred Lana Turner, Kim Novak, Grace Kelly, Mia Farrow, Marilyn, Juliet Prowse, Lauren Bacall, Barbara Marx. I just can't imagine them in the sack, and I have a pretty good imagination.

[@Rocketjay12]

My parents would watch them on TV when I was a kid and I thought Keely was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Louis and Keely were doing Sonny and Cher's act long before Sonny and Cher.

[@jmitch623]

Her voice gives me goose bumps

[@janettucker3196]

@@jmitch623 She was so underrated. She should have been a bigger star.

[@thomasdolias8885]

yes. and just like sonny, (italian), & cher, (indian). louie prima was italian & keely smith an indian!!!! how's that for a coincidence????? kool kat daddy.

[@bevklayman4158]

A bit of a correction: they were originals. Sonny and Cher copied them (imitation is the highest form of flattery!), to good effect, but in a very different era, different music.

[@robertammannes1643]

@@thomasdolias8885 Cher is Armenian American

[@raindeerprojekt4119]

Class and overwhelming!!! What a show!!!

[@TedMoseley.Realtor]

This was REAL entertainment. The level of production and synchronicity required to pull something like this off in the early days of color TV is absolutely mind-boggling to think of! Funny thing is that years later, Van Halen covered a bunch of Louis Prima tunes and made them popular with an entirely different generation. I remember playing some Van Halen (maybe it was on the Diver Down album) and having my dad tell me about the original recordings and how he and my mom had seen them live in Georgetown when they were dating.

[@DougMcDave]

Prima was one of David Lee Roth's childhood influences.

[@mikefialko2979]

She had a fantastic voice. I love their version of “Its Magic”

[@lindarobertson1341]

That's talent, not just the vocals, the whole performance!

[@tamuctamuc1256]

Singing well is difficult. To sing this well while "goofing around" must be REALLY hard. Lots of talent.

[@mhoffman11]

Keely imitating Louis is the icing on the cake!

[@joekokasko4889]

What a fabulous couple singing one of the greatest songs 👍👍

[@denverdubois5835]

I was phenomenally lucky enough to see Keely live on Saturday June 1st, 2002, at Bimbo's nightclub in San Francisco. One of the best shows I've ever attended. She sang her heart out for an hour and a half plus and did a bunch of classics from the Louis and Keely days as well as her pop hits. People got up and danced! She must've been around 73 or 74 but she looked fantastic and sounded almost exactly as she did in her 30s. She had an incredibly durable set of pipes! Still beautiful, mellifluous, and that gorgeous, rich vibrato unchanged by time. She was also just so gracious and lovely and fun. Wonderful memories. I have managed to do a few things right through the years, and making the effort that night to deal with SF traffic, SF parking, blah blah blah just to see Keely--SO WORTH IT. Rest in peace, wonderful lady. I hope you and Louis are making beautiful music together again.

[@ApartmentKing66]

OMG, Keely's got one of those silky smooth voices. I could listen all day or night and not get tired of hearing it.

[@johnrogan6419]

Keely Smith had one of the best pop voices ever. And Louie was a hoot.

[@jubalcalif9100]

I have a notion to second THAT emotion !! :-)

[@Simon-hf3lw]

She has such a beautiful voice 💗

[@jamerarubiano]

You couldn’t duplicate this act...this talent....this love and adoration played out on this blessed stage. Clean, decent fun-good clean fun

[@JClark-34695]

And yet- there were people back then that thought this act was crude and vulgar, even sinful. But as we're now all saying today, "love is love." Some things do change for the better.

[@jonnuanez7183]

Her voice is amazing!

[@gregoryholcomb9188]

In college at The University of Georgia way back in 1958 Keely and Louis were the best and today I have so many wonderful memories. Thanks to them both! GFH

[@tonytrotta9322]

Keely Smith can barely keep from laughing at the start of the song when she sees Louis Prima's fancy dance steps! Great song and cutting the rug!

[@paul7600ca]

December 16, 2017 - Rest in peace Keely Smith. This talented lady passed away at the age of 89. Many of her songs will long be remembered.

[@thegreatatheismo5005]

I have some of her old LPs and play them regularly. She was a GREAT singer.

[@lynncibelli3534]

He must be a criollo like Juan Peron. Same dynamic.

[@XX-gy7ue]

I had no idea , I'm heartbroken ! GOD LET HER REST IN PEACE !

[@robertammannes1643]

Check out her recordings as Darleen Edwards.

[@slicksnewonenow]

Gosh... I was at the Viva Las Vegas weekender, back in the early 90s... I actually got to dance with Keeley for a song or two, at a Big Six show at The Gold Coast hotel... A really great memory!

[@robjones2408]

At the very peak of their powers, Louis and Keely represented great feel-good music which made people laugh and smile. Louis was the missing link between Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan. Wherever the three Louis' is now, Heaven must be having a great time. That's the best tribute of all.

[@bishlap]

The QUALITY of this video is EVERYWHERE; from Louis and Keely (obviously) to the band/Brass and extras/guitar, drums, etc... to the lighting, to the magnificent COLOR of 1959!! Class exuding from every pore of every person involved w/ this production. I swear, if this was aired in place of a prime time show tomorrow, I believe people would be astounded at how uniquely talented everyone here is. I'm a 60's/70's kid/teenager who grew up w/ The Beatles, etc., but I know heart/soul/talent when I see it... and this is TALENT. Just give me one half hour every night of this and I'd go to bed happy knowing tomorrow will be another show.

[@bishlap]

P.S. In my neighborhood, Louis Prima would be known as a "PISSER".. some of you will get that.

[@jeffreybarkin3177]

​@@bishlap This is COLOURIZED as Colour Film Recording was not yet available yet when this was likely recorded... But, Keely SMITH and LOIUS PRIMA's Live shows in places like The Neville in the scenic Catskill's resort country clubs were Legendary! Believe THIS recording is from 1958, when Las Vegas was being first developed... Today, this would be TOTALLY VEGAS!

[@dw438]

Not colorized. NBC with the help of AMPEX and NBC’s parent company the Radio Corporation of America pioneered color videotape as early as 1958. See “An Evening with Fred Astaire” and various “Dinah Shore Chevy Show” tapes from this era.

[@falvo244]

​@@jeffreybarkin3177 color film recording was available for decades, when this was recorded. "The Wizard of Oz" & "Gone With the Wind" are 2 of the most notable color movies released in 1939... 20 years before this Louis Prima recording!!

[@kevinlucas8437]

He was just incredible !!!! He never disappointed his audience. And Keeley was so talented !!!

[@stephanegerard513]

What a refreshingly original and oddly memorable song.

[@stephanedubarry8624]

I love this tune. Louis Prima's voice and signifie style were ans still are unique

[@mdeluco4675]

Great music and so much more. The way these artists perform together is magic

[@thyslop1737]

Off the charts awesome. The costumes, the music, the vocals, the band, the asrtistic expression, all of it.

[@sherrihollister5796]

I played her show in Palm Springs in the 90’s. She was still Amazing and Fantastic! She and Louie Reunited singing forever!

[@AnchorStarEvents]

One of my favorite creations of music in the whole world! I never even got to hear it till about 5 years ago. Life is crazy!

[@David-sv7by]

Fantastic music and singing.....very clever. Everyone on point dressed up in suits,shirts and ties even the piano top is shining.

[@chrisbotta319]

It's that wonderful skirt and that perfect singing voice!

[@garybeauchamp3623]

Class, class, class. What a couple. An era of unbridled fun.

[@christinewoodruff255]

Keelys voice was all natural, what a gift.

[@AliasJimWirth]

Absolutely fantastic. Love it. Those were the days and there is nothing, nothing, like them today. That level of real talent is long gone. What a wonderful thing, technology, that it can be used in a positive way like this, to record something of value.

[@footstompinleroyscott6892]

Fabulous !!!! Nearly 60 years old. Great showmanship & musicianship combined with humour. Ya don't get this nowadays

[@chiptenor]

Man, the talent and great performers of yesteryear, they had a 'magic' that overall you don't see today. You can tell that Louis Prima and Keely Smith had a great time doing this wonderful 'number'. Fresh as ever. You can't say that about today's pop...not even close.

[@rojo_cuarzo]

That black magic called love... If you don't follow the sense of this devilish rhythm even with just one foot, you are dead. Art, grace, coordination, brilliance ... Such beautiful Keely Smith and Lou Prima´s voices! And how fascinating and fun, at the same time, the performance they always performed! Watching them singing together is like when you enjoy the movie "Singin´ in the Rain": make you smile and bright the sun in your day :-)

[@janetperez7998]

Finally a video of Louis prima!! in these moments, at one point in time when musicians were incredibly talented!!! comparing today's mainstream trash.

[@andreswz3297]

habia musicasos, y ahora tambien los hay , solo hace falta que tengas voluntad de buscarlos

[@MichaelDominici1968]

Rest in peace, Keely...you were magical!

[@hd4100]

Impossible to be sad while watching this.

[@thejazzcartel9232]

“For your the BLUBBER I’ve waited for.” classic! Haha! Such incredible entertainers!

[@DoktorSick]

I have heard that man's voice for years and didn't know who it was. This is fantastic !!! The people who give this a thumbs down are just plain horrible people. just watching this makes you smile and feel good.

[@powerstones7722]

if you see the amount of dislikes

[@anthonyherstell8569]

They wouldn't know music if it hit them in the face. I was born in 1991 and one of my regrets is not being able to call this music of my day 😅 certain I've lived before though haha

[@marilynAtteberry]

I can't hear their music without smiling and moving and sometimes I'm so moved I can't help chocking up!

[@DrJudyASmith]

What thumbs down? Overall, I believe that I saw 17K thumbs up and no thumbs down.

[@rhymeswithorange6092]

@@DrJudyASmith KZbin decided a wile ago to quit displaying thumbs down count. Notice you don't see thumbs down counts on _anything._ They were still displayed when the post was first made.

[@laurenleigh585]

Kookie Keeley and crazy Louis... they were perfection in this song! I've loved this song since I was a child and have never been a fan of 50's music, but this was SPECIAL!

[@canoemadriver]

Just becoming aware of Keely Smith and her work. Her voice is incredible,and she's gorgeous. She always looks great on stage and I think that bob haircut was invented for her. Louis isn't too shabby either.

[@infonut]

I never realized how large Louis' hands are.

[@tennisbum3686]

So cool, what a ball these two are having! The band is fantastic and has her own personality, this is one hell of a fun song, one of my all-time favorites

[@BaldwinBay]

Keely Smith is so incredibly beautiful. She had the sweetest voice. Talented. A first class artist. Thank you Keely...

[@doughoward6401]

She passed away a couple of years ago in Palm Springs calif . Shame , she was a great person .

[@luciaconn6788]

That wonderful earthy contralto

[@scottkay6495]

That's definitely. Keely was awesome

[@MajTom-wd2yt]

One of the best, I have 5 vinyl's, AFTER they split. Todays Ladies should take note of how it should be done. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZPIfnuJa9KbnrM

[@1953childstar]

@@doughoward6401 I wonder how many people are aware of her "trademark scratching" she did while performing ? I have no idea "what the story is behind that"…..

[@alexhenderson8356]

I think I've watched this 100 times in the past few days! Is music production possible without computers? You bet your ass! This is PERSONALITY coupled with musical talent plus high energy plus a love for what they did. Great great stuff!

[@patriciajrs46]

Yes! Done from the heart. Pizzazz!

[@patton303]

Back in the day we called it chops.

[@americanartist6485]

She made this song so funny. Love her voice. Thanks for posting.

[@billoakes4475]

Wow - what a duo - great voices !!!!

[@bebetigre1252]

Nothing better than to hear this full version in your car with a great blaupunkt .

[@wanaraz]

Can I just say THAT DRESS!! LOL Ah they were great. My Dad always went to vegas with mom and they never missed his shows.

[@edsauer2931]

Pure magic from these two!!! Special act,what a show!!! Love it.Keeley is truly something to behold!!!!

[@syaffee64]

HILARIOUS and magnificent! RIP Keely. What a voice! Their act was perfection. Her facial expressions were hysterical. What a treasure.

[@lisawinfield543]

Scott Mitchell she was mocking and making fun of him, with that straight face

[@jeeperken87]

Awesome how tight the whole group is, while sounding so easy and loose and fun

[@jamesandrews6465]

Awww Keely loved u when I was a kid. RIP. Louie , no one can replace you...crazy, man!

[@stevecrown1404]

I was about 17, caught a cheap plastic Mardi Gras Rex bead in an Endymion parade he was riding in. I don't have it anymore. But I never forgot it. He died shortly after. RIP Lois Prima. Loved your music then and still do. From Steve Crown ( THE BARON OF BOURBON STREET).

[@Bobbr3]

Keely...just amazing in every way. What a voice and song style! Very funny, too! For me, she was the BEST of that era. Thanks for sharing this.

[@amsgone]

Remember this as an 8 year old and memorized all the words..... love seeing it... Thanks

[@DougMcDave]

Before my time, since I was not born until 1968. But "The Jungle Book," got me started on him. Then more recently someone put this video on Facebook, so I discovered her too.

[@_abelay]

It is 2023, I was born in 1990 and I’m here for all of Louis Prima

[@ralphsalotto-ld5xe]

Those were the days of entertainment. Gone but mot forgotten.

[@Captally]

Thank goodness Keely went solo. I spent, what was to me a fortune, on her LPs as a young lad.

[@christineturner7695]

Just the cutest couple ever! To those who thought she was bored being on stage with him, it was an act. Think of it as the funny man/straight man comedy act.

[@kitano0]

C. Turner I always thought that Sonny and Cher "borrowed" quite a bit of their shtick when they had the TV show...

[@barnaclebob1182]

Keely Smith divorced Louis Prima in 1961, citing extreme mental cruelty.

[@LorenzoDoesntExist]

I know you mean well, but this is an ignorant comment.

[@jeffmissinne3866]

Keely resented that comparison, though it seemed pretty much inevitable; the pairing of a goofy-looking, excitable Italian with a lousy voice and a beautiful part-American-Indian with a knockout voice.

[@IbanezLk]

@@jeffmissinne3866 Lousy voice? What the fuck do you do with your life?

[@jamespaugh5686]

They are two of the greats in the Big Band Era. Love their music and their act.

[@johnbattalgazi2108]

Love Louis Prima. Totally fills my heart with happiness. This is one of the best.

[@johnbattalgazi2108]

Thanks for the upload btw

[@kirbyculp3449]

He was the king of the swingers, the jungle VIP.

[@mari-bethsnyder9903]

Soectacular! I performed that song in high school. My costume was half and half. I turned one way when i sang Kellies part and the other when i sang Louis part and when they sang together i faced the audience and samg the duet

[@marilynAtteberry]

How Cool! I would have loved to have been in the audience!

[@chuckmink]

How can you not love this to death?

[@aug9676]

Louie sez " Oh your the blubber I've been waiting for " he laughed it off, So the show goes on . Such a pro

[@leftyxbuffalo]

I love the way they interact, such affection and fun. Keely had a great comedic sense. I loved it when they were on TV.

[@oberfeldwebelallenpopkiss9232]

Guess I'm getting old. This gives a grin ear to ear !

[@sstavsky]

You're not the only one!

[@movingforward9555]

That makes two of us.

[@francinegee9997]

Getting old is better than dying young. We're *lucky*

[@edsauer2931]

Boy,this gives a grin from ear to ear to me also!! Just great stuff by great talented people!!!

[@patton303]

Keely Smith to me was this drop dead gorgeous vocalist who knew what she looked like and played it so understated and disinterested and it drove people nuts. She had stunning vocal chops too, which didn’t hurt. The perfect foil to Louis Prima.

[@mariavictoriasalita5273]

I love her clothes. I wish to wear such beautiful clothes like hers. Music and fashion way back then were amazing.

[@brucerobbins6528]

Yes, Keely was a beautiful woman, and had a beautfiul if unappreciated voice. The pair are Sonny and Chew before their time.

[@michelemiller5527]

I love her voice! Unfortunately, I'm too young to have seen them!

[@brucerobbins6528]

Well, fortunately, you can see them both, or alone, here on KZbin!!!@@michelemiller5527

[@patton303]

@@michelemiller5527 Yeah. It was over 60 years ago. But my grandmother loved Louis Prima and Keely Smith and heard all those records.

[@lorrainegeraghty9670]

Fabulous ;both have amazing voices and hugely entertaining,pure magic

[@otrfan84128]

The greatest lounge act of all time ... and "lounge act" is a high compliment. How many could keep the attention of an audience in a "delicate" condition :)

[@r.crompton2286]

John Sientz Ed Sullivan once referred to them as ..." the greatest act in show business."'

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

Douglas, thank you for posting this incredible gem of TRUE American singers and singing at their best!! This is straight from their Vegas act, as I recall !

[@rogerbillings5081]

Without KZbin I would never have seen this wonderful clip !

[@marimbadearco]

0:56 "oh you're the blubber I have waited for" -- instead of lover. No doubt deliberate, the whole act was so planned out. What a classic clip, thanks for posting. Keely's dress is something else!

[@paulbrennan3996]

First 🥇 class both Louis and Keeley just bounce Off each other two legendary singers sadly missed don't make like they used to Respect from a Teddy Boy 🎶🎼📻🎶🚀

[@conlagrime]

Louis had a wonderful quality to his unique voice. He knew how to use that gift. Keely was the 'straight man' to his creative use of vocals. Wonderful couple. The guys were great musicians in their own right, having to play gig after gig. They loved what they did and it shows. Could not ask for a better evening out being entertained by them. In those days, a musician had to be able to read and write music not just interpret by ear. Over the years I've come to realize that 99% percent of the general pop music celebrities can't read a note to save their lives. In the forties, fifties and mid sixties, musicians had to have at least a couple of hundred songs in their repertoire. Now we have rap 'artist' who might've been janitors at best, in the day..........

[@joannedawson1986]

She was the best, what a voice! Before you RIP Keeley, there's a welcome party waiting for you to entertain them up there!

[@leonardflanagan7746]

Hello friend, how are you doing today

[@BRR949]

I'm glad to see this in color. 😎

[@57Sauce]

Keely Smith so beautiful ! And that voice - swoon.

[@jimkreider9997]

Love this version. Best ever

[@larrydunn5556]

So cool! I always loved these two!! Before all the technology sucked the life and soul out of music.

[@chrishultgren777]

her voice is so powerful.

[@ashbell1046]

What a fucking magnificent cultural artifact. It’s just SO perfectly perfect. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how something so flawless could even exist.....

[@tompr32214]

Louis Prima wrote the swing era classic "Sing Sing Sing" in 1936 when he was only 26. Benny Goldman's version made it unforgettable.

[@markhiggins8315]

Gene kruper tore it up

[@SandfordSmythe]

Supposedly it was originally "Sing, Bing, Sing". Bing Crosby was considered a hep-cat in his day.

[@daviddowdy1663]

Louis was a favorite of my mother many years ago.

[@JukeHighwalker]

Beautiful, just beautiful...

[@carlostellorodrigez7]

Greatest voices... symphaty .. Greetings from Chile

[@Margejo7]

Had to binge on the late, great Keely Smith the moment I heard of her passing....R.I.P.

[@Peterthepainter66]

Musicians and singers who were so tight it was hard to find anything wrong in their act. Perfect!

[@frankieaddams3937]

Talent like we'll never see again. Amazing entertainment! Keely Smith---what a treasure!

[@garykoliger]

This performance among so many others by Keely and Louis are immortal.