You are witnessing some amazing talent for the first time and it's so much fun to watch your reactions. What Mr. Calloway is doing with the lyrics is called "scat". It amounts to rapid nonsense syllables that mimic the jazz trumpet. The dance moves are totally real. One take, no editing, no digital messing with anything. What you are seeing is exactly what they were performing live. That's how it was done back in the day and those who could do it, rose to the very top.

No autotune. No special effects. Pure talent!!! Love them...love your reaction❤

I respect the new school, but the old school still has a lot to teach. From the orchestra, to Cab Calloway's scatting, to the Nicholas Brother's tap and dance routine, these were masters of their craft and their performances are still wowing people today. My Grandpa loved this kind of music. He called it "keen" and you should see how happy he would get listening to it. These guys were way before my time but man, THIS was a show! Imagine getting dressed up and going out for dinner and drinks followed by this show!

One of THEE best dance routines ever on film! They did this in ONE take!! The precision! The style, the athleticism! I'm a tap dancer and had the great pleasure of meeting them several times. Legends!

Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers were some of the top tier entertainers of their time.

Fred Astaire said that was the best dance routine ever put on film. 1943, there was No computer trickery, no auto tune, just pure Work, Sacrifice and Talent. They had run out of money and film and had to have One rehearsal and shot All of this in ONE TAKE! That is what you call dedicated Professionals.

Young man. The Brothers were performing on stage since age 6. Their parents were professional performers. They honed their skills and tricks with practice, practice, practice. And I guarantee under that classy trousers, they wore dance belts to keep the boys nice and safe. The Brothers were masters. You do one type of talent for 25 years straight with tens of thousands of hours of practice and you would dance like them. Cab C. was enormously popular among black and white crowds. Ever heard of the Cotton Club in Harlam? Cab was spitting bars of your grand pappy's generation. They had fun. They looked classy. They were well respected. re. Hollywood. Back then, Hollywood only grabbed the best talent. These performers were stars before they got to Hollywood. And yes, tricks of of carpentry, bolted those tables down. The piano was reinforced too with a different top and reinforced legs. Hollywood was already good at dancing on tables and pianos by then. Fred Astaire hopping around. It was all magic. You keep reviewing the old school entertainers and glad you can appreciate their talents and contribution to culture.

*From the classic 1943 film "Stormy Weather" starring Lena Horne, this is considered the greatest dance sequence in a feature film. All done in one take!*

The Nicholas Brothers were the BEST specialty performers in Hollywood history.

The whole scene, especially the dancing was done in 1 (ONE) take. And, my personal thought is the brothers leg muscles had to be made of steel!! The splits are hard enough but to rise back up with no hands is even more incredible.

One of the great entertainers EVER, Cab Calloway and his orchestra!! Imho, one of my idols, and a man I consider one of the greatest dancers of all time, the immortal Fred Astaire, said that this performance by the incredible Nicholas Brothers was the greatest dance routine ever put on film. Period.

It warms my Ancestors heart to see youg people loving and respecting their history✊

Cab Calloway!!! Of course he's not "faking it"! That was even before I was born and I'm 65. I love him.

Yes way, they did dance and jump perfectly. It's called lots of practice, rehearsal and PURE talent. Something you don't see anymore and never will.

Everything was built better back then, even people!

The crazy part about this video, is that the music and start are so great, and yet it pales in comparison to the dance number. Many consider it the greatest dance number ever filmed.

The peak of artistry, class, and showmanship... that dance routine will never be beat. Cab Calloway, a consummate entertainer!!

Notice how gracefully Cab gave the stage to the Nicholas Brothers.

Cab Callaway was a rock star before there was rock. Band leader, scat singer and dancer. Great showman. And the Nicholas brothers did that whole set in one take, real professionals.

Greg, this entertainment history at its best Cab and the Nicholas Brothers are gems.

I have seen this a few times & it always amazes me. These brothers were extremely talented. It always gets me when they do the split jumps. You would think they would hurt themselves. Glad this film clip has been preserved for the younger generation to see.

Real music, real dancing. Not like now. I would rather listen to the oldies anyday

This is gold in so many ways. Cab Calloway with his jive, then the Nicholas Brothers - just the top of the mountain watching this. But the crown for me was watching the delayed reaction from Greg-- it was comedy gold. He acts like he just saw a flying saucer land in the front yard. The Nicholas Brothers were physically super-human, high energy and top shelf talent. Cab Calloway was the king of the jive/big band era. Greg-- keep up the good work. The reactions though-- I bust out laughing so hard-- the eyes said it all. Excellent !

Without this music coming before I don’t think rap would’ve ever been thought of to be honest with you the music of the 30s 40s 50s 60s and 70s before autotune and before lip sync this was real music. This was real talent and it came from deep within. And as far as the tables go, everything was built better back then, because we didn’t have regulations saying what you can and cannot use I’m so glad you’re enjoying this Greg, because this is one of my all-time favorites to watch Cab Calloway was one of the four most 1930s and 40s rappers if you want to tag in with that of all time

The Nicholas brothers were amazing. Super skilled and talented.

Called Scat-ing!!! This is Cab Calloway.....the Brothers can dance!!

Amazing how the Nicholas Brothers could glide up from every split as if they were on wires!

I love watching the young people's brains appreciating the talent on one hand and trying to reject the physics of it at the same time. I know how it is done, I just could never hope to have done it, even in my prime. You have to be a special kind of strong, limber and possessed of nearly flawless muscle memory. One wrong move and indeed, we're talking hospitalization. I also enjoy that he had fun with Cab Calloway's scat sequences.

All one take! The athleticism, the endurance, and the smoothness are just incredible. You had to have serious talent to make it then

This is when music and entertainment was genuine

I love the long takes. Most dance stuff these days are shot only a couple of moves at a time. The Brothers did this sort of thing live, over and over, and these long takes show they were more than up to it. They make it look so effortless, but none of us could ever do it.

I love seeing young people experiencing the most amazing generation ever for the first time.

If Cab Calloway doesn't make you smile then your smile is permanently broke.

Cab calloway is a legendary performer, brother. This one of the greatest clips I've ever watched!

Sweetie this is old school entertainment, way before my day...but I love old movies so I'm familiar with this. Cab Callaway was a big star.

I loved your reaction so much! thank you

Tap dancing is such an amazing art. Unfortunately you hardly see it today. So to see the Nicholas Brother perform is amazing!!

I love dance, and things from way back,and this is by far better than any Fred Astaire routine ( love his dancing too) but the streeeeength it takes to do this is crazy. And! the boppin is fabulously. I can't. 🔭😭❤

I can watch this over and over! What talent!!

This has been said to be the greatest dance routine captured on film.

HARD work, intense practice, talent, ambition. If you didn't have it all, you didn't make it back then. These two made it...BIG. But if you want to see Cab Calloway, find 'Minnie the Moocher".

Cab Calloway = National Treasure!

Always so much fun to see this level of energy!

Greg, I'm so glad you did this! I've seen many reactions on this video (movie clip actually) and I've enjoyed just about everyone's reaction. That was real talent! Cab Calloway was a terrific entertainer, and could scat like nobodies business. The Nicholas Brothers were incredible, and from what I've heard, they did it in one take. This was from 20th Century-Fox's all-black musical Stormy Weather, in 1943. The movie is worth checking out, I know TCM plays it occasionally. I really enjoyed watching this again with you, was fun! Check out another one of Cab Calloway's best songs, "Minnie the Moocher". You can also see Cab in *The Blues Brothers* 1980, with John Belushi and Dan Akyroid, early Saturday Night Live fame.

Cab Calloway is worth some further reactions. I've been to baseball games before where a small part of Minnie the Moocher is played the audience loves it, but I always wonder how many of them know there is a whole song to it.

Son you will never ever see this kind of talent again.

Ya, it's a stage set, not just a normal table, but when you said, "There is no way that man landed that jump that perfect.", I thought, just you wait and see. Makes me happy to see you appreciating this classic, iconic number by some of the very best, top notch entertainers of their day, or any time.

Love this. Such talent.

The Nicholas Brothers danced a few years back to honor Sammy Davis Jr at the Kennedy Center honors. They still have IT!

Growing up, I had heard of Cab Calloway but I only knew he was some sort of musician or band leader. I had never heard of the Nicholas Brothers, though. What phenomenal talents Calloway and these brothers were, though! Amazing! Are we blessed to have them on film?

It takes a splendid dance performance to make you forget about Cab Calloway's amazing introductory song. Hip Hip Calloway!

These men are real legends. I grew up in the 60's and 70' s watching movies with them and other greats like Fred Astaire. Those "old " movies was and still is the best.

Cab Calloway was one of the most famous big band leaders of his day. There were many big bands playing jazz and swing in the 1940s. It was the most popular music of its time.

That was the one and only Cab Calloway with his Cotton Club Orchestra. He handed off to the Nicholas Brothers, the best dance team of all time. And yes, they were slick. As my grandma would say, they're slicker than boiled okra!

Talent pure talent all the way around!!!!

Gregg... A little history, Cab Calloway is one of the greatest and legendry! black entertainers of the 20th century, a master of "Scat phrasing" as you heard also being very talented started his own orchestra when only in his 20's! the band always dressed in Tuxedos of all colors! he also was the staple band of the famous Cotton Club in Harlem!. Ask a older person someone possible in their 80's or more about him. The Nicholas Brothers are also Legendry Tap Performers. starring in many musical films of the day also they were Superstars of their generation even had their own Chauffeur driven Limo! when they were teenagers!... There is a very good documentary on their life on You Tube. Thank you for your reactions and taking the time to learn of other music genres young man.

The drummer seen at the beginning is J. C. Heard. I spoke to him a few times on the telephone back in the mid-1980s when I was an announcer at a jazz radio station in Trenton, NJ. He was a really nice guy and was excited that my station was playing his records. (He was leading his own big band out of Detroit at this point.) I first saw this dance clip when I was taking swing dance lessons in the mid-1990s. The Nicholas Brothers aren't only incredible dancers but outstanding athletes as well. They knew how to both control their muscles and take care of them, too. Nobody does stuff like that without getting injured unless they knew proper stretching, warm-ups, etc. This dance is a marker by which all other dances need to be measured.

Talent, hard, work practice make perfect❤❤❤👏🏾👏🏾⭐️⭐️🔥🔥

I just saw an interview with the Nicholas brothers and they said no, it was not done in one take. They laughed. They said 16 bars were filmed then a break and so on. So much respect for the Nicholas brothers and Cab!

Real performers!!!!!

Very famous. And the splits they don’t go all the way to the bottom. Love the scattin

Talent. Pure talent. No electronics. No AI. no "movie magic." Just talent. Impressive, isn't it?

When those trumpet men put their hats back back on.. They hit it wicked sick.

Some of the best American music ever written. Ever. ❤️👍

Some of the BEST ever created by God!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) ♥ ♥ ♥

Just incredible, aren't they? Calloway too.

Pure talent back then !!!

Cool Dafdy'O. Cool. They got it going on. God bless them both.

Cab Calloway was the bandleader and star at The Cotton Club in Harlem in the 20s and 30s, did a few movies as well. 50 years later he was the bandleader in the movie The Blues Brothers with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. The Nicholas Brothers were also headliners at the Cotton Club, and appeared in movies, too. In their later years they were in a couple with Gregory Hines and Robert Townsend.

This Icon of Black Music , Cab Calloway was in the Blues Brothers first movie performing Minnie the Moocher

He was a huge star🎉

The things we’ve lost!! 😢 needs to come back. We have street dancers that are really good. Maybe they could achieve this?

Imagine how strong their legs were in order to get up from a splits. They’re wearing tap shoes, that’s why you can hear them so well. AND they taught a young Fred Astaire how to dance.

You're watching the greatest dance sequence in the history of dance.!

Glad you reacted to this! amazing!

You should see more these men are awesome 👌 👏

Amazing talent.

No one was ever able to replicate that performance. They did that all in one take. They must have been in super human strength and stamina.

This has been called the most difficult routine. Remember this is before the editing told we have now. They did it till it was right. One of the was married to Dorothy dandrege. She was gorgeous.

The routine was done in one take due to tight budgets so this production was extremely impressive. How the Nicholas Brothers timed the musicians and vice versa was incredible. But they did not have on tap shoes so they had to redub the tap sounds on a separate take which is that much more incredible when you think about it. They protected their jewels as best they could. These are true professionals.

Brother Greg... the look on your face is Priceless!!! Best reaction yet 👍👍 Spread the love 🐶😎🇺🇸

Cab Calloway was a LEGEND!

Before I even watch your reaction to this I know it'll be good. I loooove this,so yes,now I'll watch

Can Calloway's jive could be a precursor to modern rap.

Old movies synced to Up Town Funk. It's a must if you liked this.

I could watch this every day. Love it!

Cab Calloway appeared in a Janet Jackson video and in the "Blues Brothers" movie.

How has my people not continued sharing the history of our legends from shoulders which we stand. It hurts me to know you weren't taught about Cab Calloway or the Nicholas Brothers. Cab had bars.

Insane talent.

Three legendary performers whose talents made them some of the greatest enterntainers of all time. Talent like this is very hard to see today in what is called entertainment.

Major athletes here! Before pro sports got big, entertainment turned out some physical performances that were not to be believed!

Keep learning and observing the great musicians of years ago.

Now that's entertainment!

The Nicholas brothers' parents were musicians in a vaudeville orchestra. The older of the two brothers taught himself to dance by copying the vaudeville performers, then taught his younger brother; I don't believe they ever took lessons. And even though so many performers die before their time, both brothers lived to be old men, and each married several times.

Amazing talents! ☮️❤️😎

Cab was also in "The Blues Brothers" movie!

The Nickolas Brothers were great dancers.

Your reaction was priceless

All of these people were the best at what they did and they were so good it was all done in one take.

Great description. Water! Flowing...so cool