The Joint Is Jumpin'
Cast & Crew
Josh Binney
John Mason
Charles Ray
J. Patrick Patterson
Mattie Weaver
Mildred Kirk
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When Jimmy informs his friend Spider that Mattie and Sally, two women they met the previous summer in Atlantic City, are in town for the evening, Spider is distressed because he and Jimmy are flat broke. Jimmy, however, has a plan. They will invite the girls to the restaurant, eat and drink all they want, and when the check comes, they will pretend to fight over who is going to pay for it. The fight will become so ferocious that the men will be thrown out for disturbing the other guests and the check will be forgotten. When Sally and Mattie arrive at the restaurant, they order enough food to feed an army, and in dismay, Jimmy orders only a "subway cocktail," a glass of water with a dime in it. Spider orders two quarts of 125 proof whiskey so he won't have to remember the events of the evening. When Dan, the waiter, brings the order, he joins the party for a drink, and the five share a round of amusing toasts. After all the merriment, however, the check arrives, and Spider insists that Jimmy has already paid it. Spider fights with Dan, injuring the waiter so badly that he has to go to the hospital, leaving Spider in charge of the restaurant. Customers begin to demand service and Spider fills their requests, angering one couple when he refuses to grant their requests for hamburgers, insisting they must order cheeseburgers. When they finally agree to the cheeseburgers, Spider informs them that the kitchen is out of cheese. Later that evening, a television salesman brings in an example of his product, and Spider believes that he is watching midgets perform in a box. The salesman switches channels and together they watch a variety of singers and dancers on the different channels. When John Mason, also known as "The Famous Spider Bruce," appears, Spider claims never to have heard of the man. The salesman becomes angry after he learns that Spider is not really the restaurant manager, and when he begins to remove the set, the customers beg him to stay. The band leader then suggests that they put on a show of their own. John Oscar and Frog Edwards perform a comedy act, and Jimmy does the "Rope Dance." Dan eventually returns and threatens to thrash Spider, who then alerts him to the crowd of customers assembled in his restaurant. Spider boasts about all the great acts that performed there that night, neglecting to mention that they were on the television. When Dan hears that "Spider Bruce" John Mason was there in his underwear, he is especially excited and reveals that he himself is none other than John Mason.
Director
Josh Binney
Cast
John Mason
Charles Ray
J. Patrick Patterson
Mattie Weaver
Mildred Kirk
Jimmy Short
Barbara Browning
Charles Weaver
Una Mae Carlisle
Eddie South
The Jubilaires
Hadda Brooks
Phil Moore Four
Olivette Miller
Slick And Slack
Gertrude Saunders
Rozelle Gayle
John Oscar
Frog Edwards
Doris Ratliff
George Lawson
The All American Girl Band
Bob Howard
Crew
B. Bernard
Hadda Brooks
Una Mae Carlisle
Lawrence Gianneschi
E. M. Glucksman
F. Hafferkamp
Shifte Henri
Frederick Johnson
I. Keim
Alvin Kerr
Helmy Kresa
Harry La Forrest
G. Lawson
Carroll Loveday
Eddie Newton
Harley Russo
Hal Seeger
T. Lawrence Seibert
Ray Soitz
Frederick E. Weatherly
Barney Young
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The above credits were taken from an incomplete print of the film. The synopsis was based on the original dialogue continuity contained in the NYSA. Although the screen credits contain a 1948 copyright disclaimer, the film was not registered for copyright. Although exact release date information was not found, the film was submitted to the New York State Censor Board for approval in August 1949, according to NYSA records. It was accepted for exhibition "with eliminations" at that time. In addition to the songs listed above, the film contains other compositions that have not been identified. According to NYSA records, the state of New York ordered the elimination of the "Shake Dance" performed by Doris Ratliff on the grounds that it was "indecent." Actor Jimmy Short is credited twice in the onscreen credits; his second credit appears under the heading "Specialties," after Ratliff's credit. The sequences with Una Mae Carlisle, Bob Howard, Phil Moore and Eddie South appear to have been borrowed from the same producer's earlier film Stars on Parade (see below).
