Swing Time - Bojangles of Harlem

PLEASE Read this before crying “Racist!“: Yes, Fred Astaire is in blackface makeup but it is not meant to be racist at all. This is his tribute to Bill Robinson, also known as Bojangles, whose style influenced Fred Astaire. And Fred Astaire is in no way racist, much of his style of dancing and tap comes from African American influence, and in the movie ’Shall We Dance’ he even went completely against the grain and had a dance scene with African Americans. And if you still believe it to be racist and offensive, please understand that it was in no way intended to be racist and I’m sure if Astaire was alive today he would apologize for any ill-feeling. Thank you. Music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.