Louis Prima

Born: 1910-12-07

Louis Leo Prima was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he formed a seven-piece New Orleans–style jazz band in the late 1920s, fronted a swing combo in the 1930s and a big band group in the 1940s, helped to popularize jump blues in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s, and performed frequently as a Vegas lounge act beginning in the 1950s. From the 1940s through the 1960s, his music further encompassed early R&B and rock 'n' roll, boogie-woogie, and Italian folk music, such as the tarantella. Prima made prominent use of Italian music and language in his songs, blending elements of his Italian and Sicilian identity with jazz and swing music. At a time when ethnic musicians were discouraged from openly stressing their ethnicity, Prima's conspicuous embrace of his Sicilian ethnicity opened the doors for other Italian-American and ethnic American musicians to display their ethnic roots. Prima is also known for providing the voice for the orangutan King Louie in the 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book. Description above from the Wikipedia article Louis Prima, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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The Jungle Book

as King Louie of the Apes (voice)
Released: 1967-10-18

The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way...

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Start Cheering

as Band Conductor
Released: 1938-03-03

After retiring from movies to get an education, a man discovers his ex-staff is trying to have...

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Rose of Washington Square

as Band Leader
Released: 1939-05-05

Rose Sargent, a Roaring '20s singer, becomes a Ziegfeld Follies star as her criminal husband...

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You Can't Have Everything

as Orchestra Leader
Released: 1937-08-02

Starving playwright Judith Wells meets playboy writer of musicals, George Macrae, over a plate...

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Playgirls International

as Himself
Released: 1963-10-29

Another nudist "documentary" from Doris Wishman. A print of this film has yet to surface.

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Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins

as Himself
Released: 1975-02-02

Hapless driving instructor and former Gunnery Sergeant Rafferty, living in squalor near...

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Manhattan Merry-Go-Round

as Self
Released: 1937-11-26

In this musical comedy, a crooked record producer uses his mob connections to force performers...

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Senior Prom

as Himself
Released: 1958-12-01

At a college party, a girl named Gay (Jill Corey) meets a guy named Tom (Paul Hampton) and they...

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The Continental Twist

as Louis Evans
Released: 1961-12-12

Sam Butera and the Witnesses perform several Twist numbers to save a small New Orleans nightclub...

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Jazz Ball

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1956-01-01

A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats...

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Rhythm on the Range

as Trumpet Player
Released: 1936-07-01

Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he...

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Louis Prima: The Wildest!

as Himself
Released: 1999-10-22

Documentary about the mid-20th century Vegas bandleader and trumpeter Louis Prima, who showed...

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DTV: Golden Oldies

as Self
Released: 1984-09-01

Compilation of DTV music videos from on The Disney Channel, combining tunes from the 1940s...

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Louis Prima: In Person!

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

A retrospective of rare performances highlighting the many phases of Prima's remarkable 50+ year...

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Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

as Himself
Released: 1959-08-05

Meant primarily as TV fare, this standard, song-filled romantic drama stars Louis Prima as...

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Swing Cat's Jamboree

as Himself
Released: 1938-08-06

"Swing cat" Louis Prima and his jazz quartette play songs and accompany featured singers and...

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The Champ's a Chump

as Band Leader Louis
Released: 1936-06-20

As a ploy to sign a championship college boxer to a contract, Big Boy enrolls in the college the...

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The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

as Self
First aired: 1956-10-05

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on...

TV Show page

The Colgate Comedy Hour

as Self
First aired: 1950-09-10

The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...

TV Show page

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self
First aired: 1948-06-20

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...

TV Show page