Swing Music Not The Thing In Nazi Germany

The Swing Kids were cool! Well, to you and me and all who love freedom of choice they were cool. They had the right idea but wrong country and wrong time. They were mostly in their late teens or early twenties and came from middle class families. Berlin and Hamburg had the highest number of these early swingers. When Hitler waved his bloody baton, they weren’t ready to march to his goose step. They played jazz and swing music at clubs with someone bringing the latest hot disc from America. They were into American celebrities; Hollywood providing new ideas in what it was like to be in or in their words “swell.” While the rest of German youth wore their hair short (girls had their hair braided), these outsiders had long hair and some preferred the American zoo suit look with floppy hat, up to the chest trousers, and a dangly watch and chain.

The young always have their own ideas on what is new, always attempting to separate themselves from their older “square” their parents. The catalyst is often music and in the 1930s, it was a love of swing and jazz that brought them to the attention of the government. American popular music became a hit in Germany after World War I. The music of Paul Whiteman was a big seller. Definite tastes in style, clothing, and movies came to the Fatherland from the across the Atlantic.

The movie clip above is from a movie about the Swing Kids. it wasn’t a commercial success but is a cult classic in Germany.

There were other youthful counter culture groups as well. The White Rose movement was a non-violent attempt to influence change. Their numbers were small being composed of college students and a few professors. They were dedicated and articulate. Many were arrested and executed. The Edelweiss Pirates, another youth movement, was also unsuccessful in combating the ideas of their government,

Hitler and his cohorts were threatened by the Swing Kids. The government portrayed them as weak, lazy, and immoral, Jazz, they claimed, had its roots in the jungle music of the Blacks. Blacks, to the Nazi’s were inferior, ignorant, and unworthy to have any voice in government. Jazz and swing music was also said to under the control of Jewish moguls using it to gain wealth and power.

Swing clubs were tolerated until the early 40s. The youngsters came under more scrutiny. They stood out in a crowd because of their clothes and attitude. A Swing Kids' concert drew over 500 at a gathering in Hamburg; officials clamped down and the Kids went underground.

Here is  a little “jazz/swing” by The Rhythm Boys and yes, that’s Bing Crosby in his early, early days.

In 1942, Himmler said all leaders of the movement would be arrested and sent to concentration camps. Many were beaten and all were forced into hard labor. What impact did the Swing Kids have on their generation? Hardly any. They were, at best, a fringe movement, having no real influence on German society. When they were beaten and arrested, their contemporaries thought it all a big joke. Looking back, of course, we applaud their courage and the taste in music of those happy, boisterous Swing Kids.

The clip features a little sweet swing from Harry James and his band with vocal by Helen Forrest

Trivia Question:

Which Hollywood glamour girl did Harry James marry?

Answer below

Here is the coolest, dreamiest, "swellest" dreamboat of those swing days.It's Betty Boop and one of her groovy swing cartoons!

 Trivia Question Answer:

Betty Grable