Film clip of "Stealin' Apples" from A Song is Born: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A film clip of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton performing the jazz song "Stealin' Apples" in the musical film A Song is Born. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound (a) and an original plastic film reel (b). The footage opens with Professor Magenbruch (Benny Goodman) walking into a room accompanied by another gentleman. Professor Magenbruch approaches Lionel Hampton, who stands by a vibraphone and asks, "Is this the music here?" After a brief conversation, the group plays the tune to the jazz song "Stealin' Apples.” An audience surrounds Hampton, Professor Magenbruch and the other instrumentalists, and dances to the beat.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1948
• Directed by: Howard Hawks, American, 1896 - 1977
• Subject of: Benny Goodman, American, 1909 - 1986
• Subject of: Lionel Hampton, American, 1908 - 2002
• Owned by: Ernie Smith, American, ca. 1925 - 2004
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Type: film clips
• Medium: acetate film and plastic
• Dimensions: Duration (digital file): 00:03:49
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film): 49 ft
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Musical films
• Object number: 2015.275.32.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Anonymous Gift in memory of Ernest (Ernie) R. Smith, Jazz Historian
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.