Shame on You (1945) User Reviews

Shame on You is a pretty good Soundie showcase for Patricia McMahon and Spade Cooley

[tavm · 8/10 · 17 July 2011]

Just watched this Soundie on YouTube. In it, Patricia McMahon sings the title song as Spade Cooley and His Western Dance Gang accompany her on various instruments. Ms. McMahon is singing of a guy she gave her heart to that broke it. That's basically what the song's about though it's also interesting seeing the way she reacts whenever she's warbling the whole time. It seems I've been on a kick to watch these "music videos" from the '40s that were originally on what were called Panorams (film jukeboxes) that were displayed in restaurants, bars, and train or bus stations during that time. Oh, and about Spade Cooley-he was quite an entertainer but he also had a short temper whenever he felt wronged which resulted in a later tragedy that I don't feel like mentioning right now. It's in his bio here if you're interested. So on that note, Shame on You is worth a look if you're interested in these vintage Soundies and the music used on them.

For What?

[boblipton · 6/10 · 8 November 2022]

Patricia McMahon sings the song while Spade Cooley and his band play.

It's one of more than two thousand "soundies" produced between 1939 and 1947, meant to be played on a device called a Mills Panoram. For seven years they could be found in bars, night clubs, and other places where people would gather. Think of them as music videos, available for viewing at a dime a song. Other companies got into the production end also.

Cooley specialized in western swing, which was, according to record sales, the most popular musical genre in 1945. Cooley rode this trend for another decade into a series of very stereotypical B westerns.