The Savoy Ballroom, occupying a whole block from 140th to 141st Streets on Lenox Avenue, may or may not have been the origin of the Lindy Hop (or Jitterbug), but its patrons were so energetic and creative in their dancing that it became known as the capital of Lindy Hopping. The fame of these young dancers travelled beyond Harlem, and the ballroom eventually formed its own group, Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers (named for its organizer, security guard Herbert White). Most of the dancers were Harlem teenagers who were thrilled to be able to earn money for doing what they loved.
The group became so famous that they were asked to appear in the Marx Brothers’ movie A Day at the Races in 1936. Five years later they were featured in the film Hellzapoppin’. This is an excerpt.